On Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 1:22 PM, C. Beck <[email protected]> wrote: > On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 10:51 AM, J <[email protected]> wrote: >> On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 11:27 AM, C. Beck <[email protected]> wrote: >>> On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 9:32 AM, Paul <[email protected]> wrote: > <...> >>>> >>>> I'm basically doing this, just without the specialized computer: >>>> >>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage >>>> >>> >>> So do you do this without a NAS server installed on its own machine? >>> Or maybe I'm just missing what you mean by "specialized computer"... >> >> I think he means this: >> "NAS is often manufactured as a computer appliance – a specialized >> computer built from the ground up for storing and serving files – >> rather than simply a general purpose computer being used for the >> role.[nb 1]" >> >> Meaning he's using his own hardware rather than having bought a NAS >> appliance off the shelf (like a Buffalo Terastation or similar) > > Alright. Thanks for the explanation, that makes sense. I was hoping > there might be some magic to run a NAS server from a separate > partition but "installed" like you would, for instance, an ssh > client/server. This probably makes no sense. My computer knowledge > really starts to break down when I get to the point of how software > interacts with hardware and how sofware is stacked/layered on top of > the kernel. I really need to find some time to read up on all of that > one day.
There's really no magic. I have a "NAS" that is just a cheap Shuttle PC I built that does nothing but provide file storage via NFS and CIFS. It houses my music, movies and photography and also serves as my BIP server (IRC Proxy). but in this case, if you have a linux box and share files via NFS, that's "technically" a NAS. That said, a NAS is typically a dedicated system that shares the files. I think the distinction here is "Your personal computer that happens to have NFS shares" vs "A machine you bought that does nothing but share files" OR "A machine you built specifically to serve as a full time file server". You can have multi-purposes servers, like my Shuttle box that does both file service and IRC Proxy. The "Dedicated Machine" as I mentioned above are specific items like the Buffalo Terastation or the NetGear ReadyNAS. Those are essentially micro-ITX or embedded systems with disks attached that are mostly plug and play devices. You plug them into your network and they are generally ready to go with minor configuration, if any at all. At the VERY basic level, you could even consider a wifi router that shares files via USB as a NAS, however, the overhead of reading and writing potentially large files via USB on a small embedded router board that likely as very little RAM and a very low-power processor means they make really poor choices or NAS services. Also, to hopefully clear up the nomenclature a bit: Server - the machine that provides services (e-mail, web, IRC, proxy, filtering, FTP, NFS/CIFS, Database, etc). Service - the thing being served (the actual email server program, the actual IRC proxy software, the FTP server program etc). The confusing part is that this is also commonly referred to as a "server" so context is everything. Hence, you can have a server that provides multiple services (or only one if dedicated hardware is required, such as large database systems, etc). To make things confusing, you can have a machine that provides email services AND web services, and refer to that same machine as your e-mail server or your web server, depending on context. Heh, isn't it fun? ;-) Also, NAS means "Network Attached Storage" which is simply some sort of storage that is network accessible, as opposed to storage attached directly to your computer like an onboard or USB hard disk. As I mentioned above, it generally means something dedicated to providing storage services, as opposed to something that is more general purpose but also happens to provide storage. Finally, if you'd like something to play with: 5 free or open NAS servers http://www.linuxplanet.com/linuxplanet/reports/7153/1 http://www.openfiler.com/community/download/ http://www.turnkeylinux.org/fileserver ------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from this list, please email [email protected] & you will be removed.Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LINUX_Newbies/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
