Top NAS options for Squeezeboxes

[Gus]

Hi,

I'm about to buy a NAS and wanted to know if there are any that would figure as your "highly recommended" or "avoid at all costs!" options.

I've chosen NAS because I want a low power, cost-effective, always on, large storage option. I'll use it for backing up the household PCs and slim serving and that's about it. I've no experience with Linux, want something that's very simple. I'll start with about 400-500gb, in a RAID configuration. My PCs are running XP and Vista.

Any recommendation gratefully received!

Gus

[Itlan]

Hey Gus, probably not what your gonna wanna hear but the answer isnt as simple as you might imagine.

QNAP, Synology, Thecus, ReadyNAS seem to be the main NAS's people use for running slimserver. People have hacked it onto other NAS's but their not near "supported" as these players.

Speaking of, SC isnt "supported" by most manufacturers. Ripserver and ReadyNas include it in their boxes. All others are essentially done my the mod community.

One of the big knocks youll see in most NAS's is speed and performance with the ReadyNAS for example being notoriously slow. The Thecus 5200Pro is the 500 pound performance gorilla on the block.

I choose the Thecus 5200Pro for two main reasons 1.) because speed was my utmost priority. 2.) The install process appeared to me way simpler then the QNAP and Synology boxes. There are threads going on 25 pages for some of those systems! But the Thecus is the most expensive.

I just got done building out the 5200Pro and it was as simple as can be. Andreas (N5200) from this forum has done an amazing job with the support of SC on it.

But if you read the forums for each of the brands youll think they all suck, the old saying the squeeky wheel def rings true. If people are happy they generally dont post!

QNAP has good support in their forums where as Thecus tech support is virtually non existent!

The darkhorse in the NAS space is the ripserver which just started shipping, its so new nobody has received it yet! Its got good specs, comes prebuilt with SC7, comes in a 500GB or 1TB flavor so enough for your needs. So if you can wait a month till reviews roll in it may be the perfect solution for you.

But there are small NAS systems, 3 bay small proc and memory up through big ones 5 bay big procs so you kinda need to define what requirements you need and really start reading the forums! Maybe the 3200 is enough for you, maybe the 5200 is, maybe you wwant the added picture share features of the QNAP etc etc etc. Some are greener then others....most dont seem to Spindown once SC7 is installed.

[Gus]

Thanks, Itlan. I can definitely wait, as I have bought the Squeezebox, will buy some more as well, but won't be wiring it all up until we move back into our renovated house in August. So there's time for me to continue to research.
The ripserver sounds like it has real potential. Speed is an issue, so hopefully it performs well.

Cheers,

Gus

[Tim-Ann]

Hi there,

TranquilPC running Windows Home Server and Squeezecentre 7 way better than QNAP TS-109, well worth a look.

Tim.

[Gus]

Hi Tim Ann - The TranquilPC appears to be exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, but thought I'd never find! Looks great. Am just doing a bit of looking at specs, but think there's a very good chance that I'll opt for this!

How long have you had yours?

Thanks for pointing it out.
Cheers,
Gus

[Shredder]

I second the Thecus. Very fast with very large (2600cds) music collection.

[Gus]

For streaming audio, clearly speed is a consideration.

Tim-Ann - Are you finding the TranquilPC serves music seamlessly, or are there periodic hiccups?

Shredder, Nice to hear about the Thecus and that it's relatively faster than others (I almost put ReadyNAS on the list, but now see repeated references to speed problems). The only issue I have with Thecus is that I'm reluctant to opt for something that's relatively more onerous, given that administration is outside of a typical Windows interface. I might go that route though...fortunately I still have time to weigh up alternatives.

[gbruzzo]

Gus,

the Tranquil T7 (but also T2 and T3) are based upon Windows Home Server.
The Tranquil T7 has a Via 1.5 Ghz chip on Epia Motherboard and up to 1 Gb of Ram.
The T2 and T3 options are Celeron based (so even faster). All of these are passively cooled (no fans, so no noise). Intel Atom based configurations are being considered (For all things Windows Home Server see www.wegotserved.co.uk).

In fact, all Windows Home Server based machines you can buy out of the box (HP, Fujitsu-Siemens, Tranquil and others) are really quite powerful (more so than even the linux-based Thecus). Bear in mind the Thecus is a slightly older machine (the pro aswell) - newer Thecus models might be even more performance-oriented.

The Ripserver has a 1 Ghz Epia processor and 1 Gb of Ram, and is linux-based and passively cooled.

I have never had a Thecus, but I own a T7 and will be receiving a Ripserver soon (which I will review). My hunch is that both of these are faster than the Thecus. The general trend is for NAS machines to become Digital Content Serving hubs, therefore more powerful and thus faster - play the waiting game if you can.

regards,

Giacomo

[Gus]

Glad to hear you've had a positive experience with the Tranquil machine. I'm hoping/assuming that the build is very good? If so, and given the fewer moving parts to stuff up, they should be quite reliable, but how long have you had yours. I'd be shipping this to Australia, so want to ensure that this is solid enough that odds are I'd not need to worry about sending it back.

[egd]

Shredder, Nice to hear about the Thecus and that it's relatively faster than others (I almost put ReadyNAS on the list, but now see repeated references to speed problems). The only issue I have with Thecus is that I'm reluctant to opt for something that's relatively more onerous, given that administration is outside of a typical Windows interface. I might go that route though...fortunately I still have time to weigh up alternatives.

Feel free to choose whatever you want, but I'd stay away from the ReadyNAS.

As far as the Thecus goes, the administration options are all done via your web browser - including installing and configuring the SC module. You can even install plugins on it from a Windows machine. It's a hell of a lot faster than the other NAS' and takes up to 5 drives, so aside from the fact it may well be overkill for most collections, it is a good choice.