[Lias] NAS/SAN storage recommendations?

[Simon Bryan]

The best tool is LINUX itself and perhaps SAMBA if you need to integrate
with Windows. There is a good web interface called Webmin for Linux which
will help with most of the things you have listed

As far as IDE drives go, we have had no significant failures - we do
upgrade or replace every two to three years, but usually beacuse we have
run out of space. I can put in a 120GB IDE drive for under $300, copy the
files regularly to another server elsewhere in the school onto another sub
$300 HDD. In fact the only catastophic failure we have had has been from a
SCSI. However if SCSI was as cheap as IDE I would use them.

____________________
Simon Bryan
IT Manager
OLMC Parramatta

Ian Ralph said:
> About 12 months ago we purchased a NAS device through Verbatim called a
> FileZerver (approx $8,000). It turned out to be a Linux box with a raid
> controller and a web interface to a whole bunch of existing Linux tools
> and apps (Samba, rsync, LDAP, the various logs and the ability to mount
> all the file systems we use).
>
> After a few months the mainboard and 2 of the 4 IDE HDDs failed and it was
> returned under warranty <lesson> Don't trust IDE drives for network
> critical devices</lesson>.
>
> Verbatim was unable to fix it because the original manufacturer had ceased
> to trade - in short we were given a refund.
>
> Knowing what I know now about how the FileZerver NAS device functioned I
> am going to build a Linux box that does all the same things, but at a
> fraction of the cost and with good SCSI disks.
>
> I've had a look around for some sort of app that binds all these tools
> under one interface, just as in the FileZerver,  but without any luck. If
> anyone knows of an open source project that turns a Linux box into a
> NAS...
>
> Ian
>>>> Paul Gear <pgear at redlands.qld.edu.au> 20/05/03 10:18:28 >>>
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>
> Hi Folks,
>
> <Standard Cross-posting Apology/>
>
> Is anyone out there using NAS/SAN storage on their servers?  If so,
> which brands/models?  Any thoughts on costs, benefits, gotchas?
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
> - --
> Paul Gear
> Manager IT Operations
> Redlands Col