Hands on: An alternative to Windows Home Server

I’ve written a lot about servers of late, devoting my last two network columns to what Windows Home Server (WHS) has to offer and, before that, discussing how you might make a server from an old desktop PC. I also wrote November’s Ultimate Home Server feature, so you might think I had nothing more to say on the subject. However, that’s not the case and this month I want to cover more server-related issues, starting with server alternatives, in particular Nas (network-attached storage) appliances.

It’s only storage
There are times when a server makes sense ­ – to run your own intranet, database or email server, for example. But industry-standard server hardware doesn’t come cheap and the software can be complicated to manage, plus there are simpler alternatives, especially if your main requirement is to share files. Indeed, if sharing files is what you’re after I recommend using a Nas appliance; I use one myself.

Over the years I’ve had a number of different Nas devices, some good, some not so good, starting with an Intel Storage Station that needed constant love and attention. That was followed by a couple of Linksys devices then, more recently, a Buffalo Linkstation Pro. All have served me well, providing shared storage in a format that takes just a few minutes to configure with (apart from the Intel box) virtually no maintenance required, other than to make sure that backups have completed successfully.

OK, this kind of appliance can go wrong, but it doesn’t happen often and, in my experience a reboot will usually put things right. Most are small enough to be hidden away, remote from the client PCs, too.

Another benefit of modern devices is the bundling of software to back up data held on client PCs. There is also a move towards adding extra functionality, above and beyond basic file sharing, like that on the Netgear Readynas Duo I’ve been evaluating. This is fairly typical of what the current generation of such appliances have to offer.

Ready for Nas
Originally developed by Infrant, the company and its Readynas products were acquired and added to the Netgear stable in May 2007. Mine is a 500GB model, selling for around £220 inc Vat and, as indicated by the Duo name, is a dual-disk appliance although, to make it cheaper to buy, you only get one to start with.

I used a 500MB Seagate Sata drive mounted in a hot-swap carrier behind a swing-out door at the front of the small desktop unit. A second empty carrier for the optional second drive is included alongside, and you can add virtually any make of 3.5in Sata disk you want. However, to keep to the terms of the warranty you need to choose from disks on an approved list on the Netgear website.