[geeks] Thoughts? (Cheap NAS with nice feature set)

[Alois Hammer]

On Fri, 4 Apr 2008 23:57:16 -0400, "Joshua Boyd" <jdboyd at jdboyd.net>
said:
> 
> Of course if your NTP server was one NSLU2, and DNS was another, then  
> your have significantly reduced power, and separate boxes that should  
> easily be able to handle any load you would generate from inside the  
> apartment.

I've had too much experience with Linksys (and other Little Bloo Boxen)
shipping DOA, falling prey to infant mortality, or randomly popping
their clogs a good bit into service life.  I've also got too much
experience playing with OpenWRT and the like to want the extra headaches
from waiting for security-fixed ipkgs and the like.  And, really, I
don't much care to keep pulling open boxen that were never meant to be
expanded in any way and making them do new things.  I'd rather start
with an easily expandable hardware platform that will accept Ubuntu or a
BSD or the like with little to no trouble.  I'm specifically looking at
things like PC Engines' new ALIX platform for bittyboxen-- later.

I went through the whole phase with modding a WRT54GS v2.1, soldering in
a lo-flow Panaflo to keep it cool, overclocking it, attempting to add
console ports (that didn't go so well) and an SD card in SPI mode (that
was even worse) for more storage.  Then I realized that I could spend a
few extra bucks and keep a better grip on my sanity.

And I'm not worried about blowing breakers in the apartment.  I'd rather
keep my pretty new 2-core Conroe machine ticking over quietly with the
ondemand power governor keeping my power bill low and beating the tar
out of fearsome ebuilds when occasion calls for it, while it's still
running a compile-everything distro.  In the meantime, it can do
everything I want it to and more, whereas if I ever need more juice out
of a slug or another LBB, they simply haven't got it or be upgraded to
have it.  If Linksys (Cisco) ever starts putting out genuinely juicy
platforms, maybe... but that's what ALIX or [Nano-]Mini-ITX boards are
for.  And given the choice between some badly- or undocumented Broadcom
bastard son of MIPS or a completely open Atom or Isiah or even a current
C7, I'll have a double shot of the x86 Kool-Aid, thanks.

And, really, I'm more worried about getting myself a laptop, upgrading
the file storage, upgrading the backup online file storage, upgrading
the TV machine, upgrading the TV, upgrading my workstation, maybe
getting a current-gen game console (uncertain), and finding a quality
managed copper gigabit switch[1] with lots of ports than I am building a
bittyserver farm.  And the UPS batteries will probably need replacing
again soon.  Priorities, y'know. :)


---
[1] Right now, I depend on a vintage Intel Express 510T (I love eBay)
for my network backbone.  There's a 520T atop it, powered off, plugged
in via backplane interconnect, if I ever need to go from 24 to 36 ports.
 But I'd really rather have a single gigabit managed switch.