A couple of newbie questions

[slrsofl]

I will soon have 2 desktops and 1 laptop in my home network, and am thinking about a NAS. I am interested in the D-Link 323, as it supposedly will work as a print server as well. I am extremely new at this type of networking, so I would love some help...

1. Any thoughts on the 323? I am thinking of getting 2 1tb samsung 5400 drives and setting them in a backup RAID configuration. I have read that the slower hard drives will run cooler, and should be fast enough for this function. (One thing I read on a review on the D-link is that if I were to later change one of the drives, the system might format the old drive in addition to the new drive - yikes!).

2. My home has the DSL modem and router set up in a closet with a single line to each room. Can I place the NAS system in the same room as one of my desktops (But across the house from the modem / router) by splitting the LAN line at the wall in the room where the main desktop is? If so, is a simple splitter sufficient, or do I need a full router?

Again - any thoughts / comments will be greatly appreciated!

 

[claykin]

I may be slightly bias here, but I am not a fan of the Dlink DNS series boxes. In my experience, they are toys.

Consider a Readynas Duo or Synology DS-207+ (or 209+). You'll have far more flexibiity, better reliability and better performance (especially in the case of the Synology).

Also, whichever NAs you choose, don't just buy random harddisks. Make sure you get something that is vendor approved. Very important if you want to be a happy camper.

Each vendor has a site or wiki with approved drives.

 

[slrsofl]

What is toyish about the D-links?

 

[claykin]

I assume you've read the reviews? Tim is kind to the Dlink's IMO. Possibly because of their low cost. But, how much is your data worth?

DNS series lacks:

-EXt3 file system
-ability to connect harddisk via USB port to directly backup DNS data and take off site (in case of fire, theft, power surge, etc.)
-64MB of RAM, so good luck running many of the services such as the ITunes server with a decent size library (DNS-343 has 128MB RAM)
-Rebuilding from a failed disk is a horridly odd task as compared to other NAS.
-little granularity in the user/group restrictions on shares
-drives seems to run hotter in this product due to compactness and tiny fan.
-Some add-on servers appear to be unreliable at best.
-There's more, but I'll stop here....

See here for real user feedback

http://forum.dsmg600.info/f3-DNS-323-General-Discussion.html

Sure, some of the above can be mitigated with unofficial firmware and hardware hacks, but thats not for the typical user.

What is toyish about the D-links?

 

[thiggins]

-EXt3 file system

The 321, 323 and 343 support EXT2 or 3.

-ability to connect harddisk via USB port to directly backup DNS data and take off site (in case of fire, theft, power surge, etc.)

The 323 and 343 each have 1 USB 2.0 port that supports backup to an attached drive. The 321 has no USB port.

 

[claykin]

Tim

The 323 did support EXT3, but Dlink removed easy access to it in firmware V1.02b in 2/2007.

I understand its still there, but hidden and unsupported. People have experienced varied results. read here:

http://forum.dsmg600.info/t2225-Anyone-using-EXT3-DNS-323.html

The USB port on the 323 only officially supports a shared printer, not a USB disk or flash drive. The B1 hardware version seems to kinda support some disks, but users have had varied results (unless you do a hardware hack).

http://wiki.dns323.info/howto:external_drive

The 321, 323 and 343 support EXT2 or 3.


The 323 and 343 each have 1 USB 2.0 port that supports backup to an attached drive. The 321 has no USB port.

 

[thiggins]

Looks like you are correct re the USB port. I'll correct my Chart info.

I'll ask D-Link for clarification on EXT3 support and report back. In the meantime I have removed it from the NAS Chart info.

Thanks for pointing out the errors.

 

[claykin]

Tim

It appears the Zyxel NSA-220 twin supports EXT3 and has always supported External drives formatted in NTFS, FAT, EXT2 or EXT3. Plus Zyxel also seems to be more actively releasing firmware updates.

I haven't tested, but this may be a worthwhile re-look since so many users are considering the DNS series.

Zyxel also appears to have added bittorrent as well...

 

[slrsofl]

Any help on the splitting of the ethernet line? I'd like to have whichever NAS box I ultimately choose be my print server, and I'd like the printer in the main computer room, but usable by other computers even if my main desktop is off.

 

[thiggins]

Any help on the splitting of the ethernet line? I'd like to have whichever NAS box I ultimately choose be my print server, and I'd like the printer in the main computer room, but usable by other computers even if my main desktop is off.

Just add a switch where you need more Ethernet ports. Connect one port of the switch to the wall outlet, and the NAS and other devices into other switch ports.

 

[slrsofl]

So the fact that they both go back into the same port on the main router isn't an issue?

 

[thiggins]

Not unless you are constantly trying to push/pull a lot of traffic across that one port.

BTW, the print servers built into most routers and NASes are very basic and don't support multi-function printers well. So the 323's USB print server may or may not work for you.

 

[thiggins]

The 323 did support EXT3, but Dlink removed easy access to it in firmware V1.02b in 2/2007.

D-Link says: "EXT3 will return in a future firmware update after some enhancements".