NAS - for video footage et al?

[RandyQ]

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hi folks,
Our video editing studio needs some sort of simple network storage - will a NAS be good enough for our needs? At the minimum we will store graphics files, but ideally we will be able to store video clips. I dont expect to use the NAS as an editing drive - only as a backup/fileserver. Editing drives will be on local machines to simplify.

Sorry if these sound too simplistic, but here are some questions I have:

What is the simplest/best way to set up the NAS?

What is the most reliable / cost effective brand/model?

What is the most reasonable RAID config to use?

Is there a NAS that can serve both Wintel and Mac machines at the same time?

rgds/ RandyQ

[quietcynic]

hi folks,
Our video editing studio needs some sort of simple network storage - will a NAS be good enough for our needs? At the minimum we will store graphics files, but ideally we will be able to store video clips. I dont expect to use the NAS as an editing drive - only as a backup/fileserver. Editing drives will be on local machines to simplify.

Use a gigabit switch to link all your machines, including, obviously, the NAS, and it will be more than up to the task of archive storage.

What is the simplest/best way to set up the NAS?

Not sure I understand the question. Initial setups vary based on manufacturer. In general, you hook up everything via ethernet (again, use gigabit), and then configure via the NAS's web interface.

What is the most reliable / cost effective brand/model?

Synology and the NetGear-owned ReadyNAS are two well-known brands. But with reliability comes cost. Expect to spend at least $1000 on just the NAS itself, exclusive of drives. Do NOT buy a Drobo if you care about your data.

What is the most reasonable RAID config to use?

Raid 5 is most efficient with drives, whilst still providing redundancy for single-drive failure. If you can find a model that does ZFS RaidZ, even better. It must be said, though, that there are many ways you can lose more than one drive at a time, so do not assume that simply because you have raid, that everything on your NAS is safe.

Is there a NAS that can serve both Wintel and Mac machines at the same time?

Almost all will. Even if the NAS doesn't do AFP (and, really, almost all do), you can still access it via SMB/CIFS.

[kieron]

try a qnap nas, i have a qnap 809pro.

[RandyQ]

Thanks for the valuable information, folks. Apparently its not a cheap proposition at all, but something I'll have to do because our business needs to archive our data safely.

Kieron,
That qnap 809 is a monster. How much did you get yours for?