How many are running Networked Attached Storage (NAS) for your files?

[WildWestDesigns]

Yea the new move for these pieces of **** nerds is to get in, and wait a while to see any backups you may access and infect those as well.

It's actually worse. Don't actually have to have shares mapped to a drive and access it (and some of those devices sure aren't updated as much as a desktop would be (for the most part)). Client computers also aren't the only devices that deal with NAS devices. Sometimes, the drive doesn't even have to be mounted, but just seen by Windows (playing the odds on the OS of choice, both for users and for the ones doing the targeting) in order for there to be a vector as well.

 

[ADVANCED DISPLAY]

Loath windows lol if they release a Mac Pro with Apple scilicone that’s legit: changing my whole shop over, no doubt

 

[CanuckSigns]

We run a windows desktop as our file server, I have 3 HDD in it mirroring each other, a USB HDD doing daily backups, as well as carbonite for cloud backup. Carbonite has saved us a few times, however the software will randomly stop backing up when it needs to be updated and not tell you, and on a machine that you don't look at unless something is wrong, this has been an issue a few times.

Years ago I had a NAS setup as a file server, it was incredibly slow for some reason, we have about 3 pcs reading and writing to it at a time, our files are generally not overly large, but it would sometimes take over a minute to browse to a folder on the NAS, so I ditched it for a PC.

I assume they have improved in the last 8 years.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Loath windows lol if they release a Mac Pro with Apple scilicone that’s legit: changing my whole shop over, no doubt

I wouldn't be surprised if the entry level Pro machines went Silicone especially. Outside of that one VM instance of Windows (which may change, depending on what makes it to 11 Pro), nothing that I have is MS or Apple. I guess I should say, nothing that is installed on bare metal is MS or Apple

We run a windows desktop as our file server.

One thing to keep in mind with running a desktop as a file server is that services that are prioritized for desktop usage, aren't really necessarily for a dedicated server type of application. And the opposite is true as well, services that are for server usage are not prioritized (if even turned on or available) for desktop usage. So there may be some tweaks that could help out in that regard as well.

Years ago I had a NAS setup as a file server, it was incredibly slow for some reason, we have about 3 pcs reading and writing to it at a time, our files are generally not overly large, but it would sometimes take over a minute to browse to a folder on the NAS, so I ditched it for a PC.

I assume they have improved in the last 8 years.

Was it a store bought, pre configured NAS or was it something that you (or someone else) put it together for this particular application? Sometimes there are bugs in the firmware and the NAS could stand for an upgrade and like some other devices, people don't think about updating them (or sometimes they are worried about what happens when it is updated, given what a NAS is used for more so compared to a desktop), so it may have been something that was fixed and that fix was never applied in your situation. I dunno, maybe y'all did try, I just don't know enough about that situation, just a consideration to have.

 

[ikarasu]

I was wondering about that ROM folder that I saw.

Yup.. pretty much! And there in lies the problem on why I have a barcade sitting in my living room on the ottoman that my wife keeps wanting me to get rid of... Usually when I get bored of a project I just throw it on craigslist for free/cheap, but due to the roms I don't want to / cant. Downloading is technically legal in Canada for most stuff like this... Mostly because some greedy American companies decided to charge a "Piracy" fee on every single blank CD / HD / Etc and label everyone in Canada who buys it as a pirate... Now it's (Currently, until / unless tradeau passes the new law) 100% legal to d/l any music in canada for personal use, and courts have ruled the same follows for TV shows / movies / games / etc... because we pay for the "right" to do it, so long as its for personal use and not re-sale.

I wish in this day and age there were alternatives. Spotify / Tidal are awesome and I have subscriptions to both - Netflix was awesome... now its so fragmented, I currently have amazon prime, netflix, and Disney subscriptions... I wish there was a "Spotify for movies / shows". I have a Marvel unimited sub for comics, My kids 9 years old and loves them... so I just d/l the good / decent ones off there and throw them on an Ubooquity server so I can control which ones he accesses.

There isnt a good rom subscription service... my guess is there is way too many publishers to make it work. I feel like a Netflix Rom type service would be a huge hit - I have PSnow and my kid loves playing old games on it... probably more so than ps5 games. Imagine a website like netflix where you and some buddy can load up Mario kart from SNES and have a night of nostalgia. Or TMNT arcade... So many good games to play with absolutely zero (Fullly legal) options to do it currently! I think my kid has played TMNT arcade more than any other game (Except spiderman on ps5... ) Most of the new games these days are garbage...that or I'm just old. I find myself buying the "Arcade hits" the systems release more so than new games

 

[ikarasu]

We run a windows desktop as our file server, I have 3 HDD in it mirroring each other, a USB HDD doing daily backups, as well as carbonite for cloud backup. Carbonite has saved us a few times, however the software will randomly stop backing up when it needs to be updated and not tell you, and on a machine that you don't look at unless something is wrong, this has been an issue a few times.

Years ago I had a NAS setup as a file server, it was incredibly slow for some reason, we have about 3 pcs reading and writing to it at a time, our files are generally not overly large, but it would sometimes take over a minute to browse to a folder on the NAS, so I ditched it for a PC.

I assume they have improved in the last 8 years.

a NAS is very similiar to a PC in terms of you can buy a garbage one, or you can buy a good one. You can buy a $200 qnap... or a $2000 qnap. If you ever do buy a nas, check what CPU is in it as well as how much ram it has... You dont need much for a nas, but when you're transfering to 3-4 people at once, the lower end 1 GB models wont cut it.

A nas is pretty weak because they try to do the lowest specs possible so it doesnt take up much energy. My Nas costs me $33 a year in electricity and its a mid-tier model. My server is about $65 per month in comparison. The cheaper nas's are just meant to store files for the occasional use, I have a $600ish (Barebones) one at work that has 4 sales reps and 3 graphics artists, as well as 2 rips constantly pulling and working off of it, and it runs faster than the old server did.

Theres benefits to both devices and both devices have a place in the office. Think of a NAS like an Imac... its great for people that want plug and play without wanting to or knowing how to set anything up. Theres nothing wrong with a windows based file server though, you may not have a fully optomized power saving device... But even if its a 10 year old model you likely have a more powerful system than most consumer grade Nas's.... with more flexibility on what you can do with it

 

[ADVANCED DISPLAY]

Yup.. pretty much! And there in lies the problem on why I have a barcade sitting in my living room on the ottoman that my wife keeps wanting me to get rid of... Usually when I get bored of a project I just throw it on craigslist for free/cheap, but due to the roms I don't want to / cant. Downloading is technically legal in Canada for most stuff like this... Mostly because some greedy American companies decided to charge a "Piracy" fee on every single blank CD / HD / Etc and label everyone in Canada who buys it as a pirate... Now it's (Currently, until / unless tradeau passes the new law) 100% legal to d/l any music in canada for personal use, and courts have ruled the same follows for TV shows / movies / games / etc... because we pay for the "right" to do it, so long as its for personal use and not re-sale.

I wish in this day and age there were alternatives. Spotify / Tidal are awesome and I have subscriptions to both - Netflix was awesome... now its so fragmented, I currently have amazon prime, netflix, and Disney subscriptions... I wish there was a "Spotify for movies / shows". I have a Marvel unimited sub for comics, My kids 9 years old and loves them... so I just d/l the good / decent ones off there and throw them on an Ubooquity server so I can control which ones he accesses.

There isnt a good rom subscription service... my guess is there is way too many publishers to make it work. I feel like a Netflix Rom type service would be a huge hit - I have PSnow and my kid loves playing old games on it... probably more so than ps5 games. Imagine a website like netflix where you and some buddy can load up Mario kart from SNES and have a night of nostalgia. Or TMNT arcade... So many good games to play with absolutely zero (Fullly legal) options to do it currently! I think my kid has played TMNT arcade more than any other game (Except spiderman on ps5... ) Most of the new games these days are garbage...that or I'm just old. I find myself buying the "Arcade hits" the systems release more so than new games

Ok well in Canada that’s all your gonna do is whine about the problem I assume. But in ole unsophisticated U S of A, that sounds like a business idea: un satisfied market demand

 

[CanuckSigns]

I wouldn't be surprised if the entry level Pro machines went Silicone especially. Outside of that one VM instance of Windows (which may change, depending on what makes it to 11 Pro), nothing that I have is MS or Apple. I guess I should say, nothing that is installed on bare metal is MS or Apple



One thing to keep in mind with running a desktop as a file server is that services that are prioritized for desktop usage, aren't really necessarily for a dedicated server type of application. And the opposite is true as well, services that are for server usage are not prioritized (if even turned on or available) for desktop usage. So there may be some tweaks that could help out in that regard as well.


Was it a store bought, pre configured NAS or was it something that you (or someone else) put it together for this particular application? Sometimes there are bugs in the firmware and the NAS could stand for an upgrade and like some other devices, people don't think about updating them (or sometimes they are worried about what happens when it is updated, given what a NAS is used for more so compared to a desktop), so it may have been something that was fixed and that fix was never applied in your situation. I dunno, maybe y'all did try, I just don't know enough about that situation, just a consideration to have.

What I use our "server" for is literally a shared drive that all the employees can pull production files from, nothing fancy at all lol.

The NAS we had was store bought, I can't even remember the brand, I know it was a major brand at the time and cost me around $600 8 or so years ago.

 

[ikarasu]

Ok well in Canada that’s all your gonna do is whine about the problem I assume. But in ole unsophisticated U S of A, that sounds like a business idea: un satisfied market demand

If it were feasible and in reach, believe me I would. The current system is designed so only the rich get richer.

Especially when it comes.to copyroghts... I looked into what it'd take take to sell NFL / NHL / NBA wall decals like roomates does. They require a guaranteed 100k per year income each, at minimum...

So say I wanted to be a competitor.. I'd have to pay 300k just for those 3, then who knows what Disney or all the other companies charge...

You're looking at a minimal 1 million a year start up before you're even allowed to make a sale, in order to have half the catalogue room mates does. So your only hope is to be rich, or find a ton of investors... Which isn't impossible, but still.

A ROM site like Netflix is more complicated. There are so many studios and IP rights holders, I think eventually it'll get there... Online streaming is the way of.the future.

When Netflix buckled down on streaming instead of dvd sales blockbuster could have bought them... But told them they see no future in streaming, now look who's obsolete and who's a multi billion dollar company. Same with spotify... Most execs are so dead set on having a death grip 9n copyright that they don't see there's tons more money to be made going online.

Steam, netflix, Spotify... All different industries, all were met with so much resistance. I don't think old ROMs would be any different, and sadly I'm not the one who's win a fight against that. So it is a business opportunity, just not one for me!

 

[netsol]

WWD
i think you sell short, the concept of the muti user kernel & the other refinements that make up a modern server OS>

 

[WildWestDesigns]

WWD
i think you sell short, the concept of the muti user kernel & the other refinements that make up a modern server OS>

I'm not talking about not using a server OS. I think where we differ is which server OS to use. Unless your saying that Linux doesn't offer a modern server OS and Windows does.

I wish in this day and age there were alternatives. Spotify / Tidal are awesome and I have subscriptions to both - Netflix was awesome... now its so fragmented, I currently have amazon prime, netflix, and Disney subscriptions... I wish there was a "Spotify for movies / shows". I have a Marvel unimited sub for comics, My kids 9 years old and loves them... so I just d/l the good / decent ones off there and throw them on an Ubooquity server so I can control which ones he accesses.

It'll get there. I would honestly say that the subscription wars are actually over, companies are just trying to keep that dream alive.

I actually don't do modern comics at all. 90's and earlier. Everything late aughts to modern day isn't worth it as toilet paper. My opinion only.

As far as the protection system, I would say that the House of Mouse is perhaps the biggest reason for that, given that they also control not only their stuff, but what they have bought with Fox, Marvel, Lucas etc, that's a lot of IP that they control. But this is my unsophisticated opinion.

There isnt a good rom subscription service... my guess is there is way too many publishers to make it work. I feel like a Netflix Rom type service would be a huge hit - I have PSnow and my kid loves playing old games on it... probably more so than ps5 games. Imagine a website like netflix where you and some buddy can load up Mario kart from SNES and have a night of nostalgia. Or TMNT arcade... So many good games to play with absolutely zero (Fullly legal) options to do it currently! I think my kid has played TMNT arcade more than any other game (Except spiderman on ps5... ) Most of the new games these days are garbage...that or I'm just old. I find myself buying the "Arcade hits" the systems release more so than new games

SNES, old? Nawww, I'm a generation earlier. NES where there was little guides and little info in the instruction manuals. One of the millions that died of dysentery as well. My youngest likes Galaga but also Breath of the Wild (which I do as well, looking forward to the sequel). I'll actually go more indie now (and I have done some game work in Godot as well, I did all the learning games for my kids, few game jams, actually working on one now for actual publishing, just taking forever, just me and my spare time)

You may get something like this for exclusives. Say a Nintendo, Sega, Sony, certainly MS exclusive service, but I doubt it will be consolidated into one service, but it may. Even if it was just the classic ones, that would be something. It seems like MS and Sony are going on a buying spree of smaller studios (well Blizzard isn't all that small), so maybe. MS may be the new Disney of games before we know it.

 

[victor bogdanov]

So say I wanted to be a competitor.. I'd have to pay 300k just for those 3, then who knows what Disney or all the other companies charge...

Disney told me 80k per year to get on a waiting list to possibly be considered if a licensing spot opens up lol. Like you I was trying to compete with Roommates (York Wall Coverings, largest and oldest wallcovering producer in USA). That was about 10 years ago so I guess I'd be out 800k at this point since it does not look like roommates is giving up that license anytime soon

 

[ikarasu]

Disney told me 80k per year to get on a waiting list to possibly be considered if a licensing spot opens up lol. Like you I was trying to compete with Roommates (York Wall Coverings, largest and oldest wallcovering producer in USA). That was about 10 years ago so I guess I'd be out 800k at this point since it does not look like roommates is giving up that license anytime soon

I think they allow multiple people using their license... unless room mates has their own agreement not allowing it. I know there is limit to how many people as they don't want to flood the market... But I don't know if they're close to that limit.

I only looked into the sports ones... I was even considering doing it with the NFL just to get started, but I asked why they allowed so many unauthorized sellers on stores like Etsy... And got an unofficial they don't want to piss their consumer base off with lawsuits, so they unofficially allow people to make "home made" items... Even though half the sellers on Etsy are selling 5 ft big logos using commercial machines! So I decided it wasn't worth the investment and gave up....what's the point If they're not going to protect your license. I'm sure money was still to be made... But Ponying up so much and getting nothing but a "you can sell our stuff" in return didn't seem worth it.


Vinyl / wall stuff is where the money's at though. I see how much time it takes for our shop to build.signage and architectural stuff... There's so many ways to automate vinyl and vinyl cutting.

I could man 5 printers, 5 laminates, 5 graphtecs (likely footobas if I were to go the licensing routes) all by myself and probably double that if need be. Vinyl and wall coverings are so easy to pump out... Not to mention room mates quality is garbage compared to what others can make at a similiar price point... 60-75% of our cost is in labor, so in my eyes anyways... Places like stickermule / room mates are the perfect business.


I still dream of a day where Disney, NFL,.whomever opened up their branding like radio stations do.... Sell a NFL sticker? Pay your royalty and away you go... No 100k a year, or months of contract signing.

He'll, goto any dollar store and it's riddled with stuff that I can almost guarantee isn't paying a licensing fee and is garbage that's imported from China already. It'd be nice if they opened up a bit so their own citizens can compete .. even if we had to put a "not licensed by the NFL" claim on it

 

[victor bogdanov]

I think they allow multiple people using their license... unless room mates has their own agreement not allowing it. I know there is limit to how many people as they don't want to flood the market... But I don't know if they're close to that limit.

I think I've only seen one other company (other than roommates) sell Disney wall decals, although it might have been something close to decals but not actual decals, some other type of wall décor. I wouldn't be surprised if roommates has an exclusive wall decal deal with Disney and all the other major studios.

I used to resell roomates stuff on Amazon but a few years ago roomates ended that and now only allows Amazon to sell roomates on Amazon. For the $3-$4 wholesale price it is pretty Amazing the packaging/quality roommates provides imo. With their volume they're probably making 25 cents on the $10-$15 retail sale

 

[ADVANCED DISPLAY]

Ok, I too went from a big computer on my local shop network acting as a server to NAS a few years ago. I already upgraded the NAS to accommodate more storage. I went with QNAP instead of sinology however, and even though two separate tech people recommended it, I wanted to go with sinology but let them convince me.

I'm currently trying to set the original machine up at my house to plug in an 8TB desktop HD to and use it as an offsite cloud backup solution I can update nightly (try to get daily versions of my files in case the worst should happen.)

I'm having some issues and because we're so busy it's been a slow process even chipping away at it. I'm not convinced I will stick with QNAP I know I'll be upgrading again here in the next 5 years or so, and I'm not F'ing around anymore I too have talked to casey and Signburst (bought two machines from him already) and I may just go that route.......

 

[WildWestDesigns]

While it's the easiest and quickest way to get a "server" up and running by using a desktop, have to remember that there are services that are prioritized on desktop computers that aren't on servers (if they even exist at all) and vice versa. That can really impact how efficient that server is for one's use case. But it is one of the easier ones to setup because it doesn't need all that extra server knowledge to actually get going. So to get something up, it's quite handy to use one of those.

As to Qnap or Synology, like with most anything, it depends on which one you get. One thing that I didn't like about Qnap, at least the one that I had, is that it was hardware based RAID. I tend to like software based. That does have it's cons as well, but that would be one thing to consider as well.

Now, I am more of a TrueNAS/FreeNAS fan, but that's me. Right now, I'm running TrueNAS on a few PowerEdge T640s (spread out for offsite backup).

 

[binki]

So far so good. I really like how it performs. Most of my issues are with the 2 spinning disk computers we have left in the shop. I have 4 dead Lenovos, all disk issues and I might try to bring them back to life with SSD's but that will be a while down the road.

The only real issue I have is with the new font manager from Corel that really wants me to hate it. I liked the older version much better.