Advice please re: NAS storage ~ Streaming

Posted by: Musicmad on 31 October 2009

I'm looking for comments - positive or negative - re: the Western Digital 4TB ShareSpace NAS drive, which I'm considering purchasing to be used primarily for streaming music from my computer room (spare bedroom) to my hi-fi setup in the living room.

Present set-up:
CD5x + FC2X
SuperNait
Pro-Ac Tri-Tower (using NACA5 4m lengths) speakers

The SN is connected to a Pioneer AV receiver for AV 5.1 purposes using the Unity Gain function (NB: creates some low level feedback which I have yet to resolve!)

and, as a recent addition:
Logitech Squeezebox Duo (Controller and Receiver) with the Receiver connected to SN using Optical.

I use a 500GB external HDD connected (USB) to my PC to store a large proportion of my music (ripped with Windows Lossless) and this drive is now approx. 2/3 full.

I accept that the Squeezebox sound is not as good as the CD5x sound but I use it mostly when not in the living room so the loss in quality is not noticeable and, despite some problems with the wi-fi connection, I find I'm enjoying hearing lots of music I may not normally select by setting the Squeezebox on random play.

So I'm thinking of upgrading my music storage from the HDD to the afore-mentioned WD ShareSpace, ethernet connection to the ADSL router. I'm used to hearing HDD noise when working at the PC but advertising literature/reviews indicate that the WD ShareSpace is very quiet (advantage).

Anyone think my plan is a good - or silly (stupid) - idea?

I like to think that one day I shall upgrade my CD5x to an HDX and would want the WD ShareSpace to act as the external source supplementing the HDX internal drive.

I presently have approx. 1,500 CDs (ever expanding), 80% of which are ripped to the HDD.

Thanks for any advice.
Posted on: 03 November 2009 by Alco
quote:
Minumum of two external drives, one for back-up.

Too much work goes into making the original transfers to HD and then fixing titles and so on to waste it by not backing up.

I totally agree George,

I have my albums (>90% FLAC) on an internal 640GB HD (seperated in a C and D drive), another 500GB external HDD as backup and even a small, Lacie HDD I already had for a few years as a third and final backup.
(only 160GB which is now almost fully stuffed)

So,...no worries here. Cool
Posted on: 04 November 2009 by u5227470736789439
quote:
Originally posted by Peter Dinh:
I personally do not like RAID, I do not think that it is a good idea and it is a waste of time & money because it does not protect you in the case of unintentional / accidental data removal or user error or data corruption due to "other" failed hardware or power loss. I just duplicate my data on another disk, simple but effective and it works.


Dear Peter,

I have concluded the same myself.

I have two 500 [466 effective] Gig Hard Drives in a Raid array, with the consequence that there is software required to manage them, and this actually almost never closes down satisfactorily when the PC is turned off. It requires me to activate "end program," which I suspect is not good.

My wish is to remove the one drive in the Raid array [and its assciated software and PCI slot card], and revert to running the other as the D drive, which is easy with the existing original set up before the Raid card was fitted.

Then the spare HD can either find its way into another computer or opperate as an external one.

Is there any way to use it via USB? I would assume [probably wrongly] that it would need an alternative power supply as I suspect it would draw too much current for the UBS type connection.

Unfortunately I am a bit of a computer numpty, and had I known how easy it is to use a USB external drive, then I certainly not have fitted the Raid array internally at all. One 500 Gig HD internally and two separate USB drive for multiple back up. That's all you need.

Never mind all the complexity computer experts will suggest.

ATB from George
Posted on: 04 November 2009 by Eloise
quote:
Originally posted by GFFJ:
My wish is to remove the one drive in the Raid array [and its assciated software and PCI slot card], and revert to running the other as the D drive, which is easy with the existing original set up before the Raid card was fitted.

Then the spare HD can either find its way into another computer or opperate as an external one.

Is there any way to use it via USB? I would assume [probably wrongly] that it would need an alternative power supply as I suspect it would draw too much current for the UBS type connection.

ATB from George

George ... you can buy enclosures for mounting a drive in to connect it via USB.

If in the UK could try Maplins though other places may be cheeper.

Eloise
Posted on: 04 November 2009 by u5227470736789439
Thanks Eloise,

I am going up to Maplins on Saturday morning so will get an HD enclosure then.

ATB from George
Posted on: 04 November 2009 by Peter Dinh
Seconded. External HD enclosure is a good option. Not sure if you can purchase from this OWC site because you are in the UK, but this is a very good site for almost everything electronics.
Posted on: 04 November 2009 by garyi
George make sure you are happy with what you are buying. Are you harddrives for instance IDE or sata 2?
Posted on: 04 November 2009 by u5227470736789439
Dear Gary[i],

The two hard drives are SATA, and actually respectably quiet.

Would it be correct that SATA drives all have the same mounting and power requirements, or do I need to take the details of the particular hard drive [Samsung, I think] with me?

Sorry for numpty questions!

On the other hand as an idea I reckon iTunes is rather fine.

My listening has changed significantly as a result of the indexing of the music and therefore the easy access to the lowest shelf corner [if you see what I mean - the lovely out of the way music ...].

The choice of music is simply as easy as the thought that struck me at work! Simply insert the search word and hey-presto I have the music.

I could never go back to the palava of actually searching for CDs, loading same, and so forth, let alone actually using 33 or 78 rpm discs!

The amazing thing is that I now find my desired music, and then exit the search and what comes next can be a delightful surprise as the index order is based round the artists performing, rather than the title of the music so that for example, straight after the Eroica Symphony withe the VPO and Erich Kleiber comes the Military Symphony of Haydn played live in 1973 at the RFH by the LPO under Eugen Jochum!

Now that juxtaposition is not one that I would ever have thought of, but it is musically rather satisfying and still surprising.

If the juxtaposition does not work I can soon put something else in the search angine.

Marvelous idea!

ATB from George
Posted on: 05 November 2009 by u5227470736789439
quote:
Originally posted by GFFJ:
Dear Gary[i],

The two hard drives are SATA, and actually respectably quiet.

Would it be correct that SATA drives all have the same mounting and power requirements, or do I need to take the details of the particular hard drive [Samsung, I think] with me?

Sorry for numpty questions!

ATB from George


Bump
Posted on: 05 November 2009 by Graham Russell
The data connector on SATA drives is standard.

SATA drives also introduced a new power connector. However, I'm sure I have seen some SATA drives with the IDE style power connector.

The mounting and form factor is the same as the 3.5" IDE drives we've used for years.
Posted on: 05 November 2009 by garyi
George if your drives have the two connector bars then make sure the enclosure you get is sata. But the trouble is they are not as common as you may think.

I would personally get one of these from the internet and not maplins.
Posted on: 05 November 2009 by garyi
Here is sata

Posted on: 06 November 2009 by u5227470736789439
Dear Gary,

Thanks for the photo and advice.

I will wait till I have the drive out before doing anything else, I think!

Thanks for the help, from George
Posted on: 13 November 2009 by JamH
Dear George,

You can get an external box to convert your disk drive to a USB drive BUT it is nearly as cheap to just buy an exnernal harddrive. I could recommend some suppliers but not sure if that would be advertising [and forbidden by forum rules] ...

SO ..
box to use your current drive as external USB .. £30 approx
external USB 1-terabyte drive ... £80 approx

James
Posted on: 17 November 2009 by Gary S.
Musicmad

We use a Ready NAS duo with our Linn DS, which has generally been very reliable, but a word of warning regarding backing up. Don't rely on the Raid configuration. We had an issue with our NAS a while back, where an old version of the Twonky software we were using caused the NAS to get jammed up (don't ask me the technical details!) but suffice it to say it was a nightmare. The NAS had to go back to our dealer, who eventually sorted it with the cooperation of Netgear, but we were without it for a month. We didn't actually loose any data, but had we had a separate backup, we could have simply wiped the NAS, restored the factory defaults and been up and running in a couple of days. We now keep a complete back-up of the NAS on a remote USB 1.5tb hard drive. Just as well as I accidentally deleted my entire flac library from the NAS one evening by not concentrating and thinking I was clearing something else - I was able to restore it overnight from the back-up drive.

Gary