Unitiserve SSD with NAS

A few questions:

Why would you want your NAS to sleep. It will have to be rescanned every time it starts up?

Are you going to serve music direct via ethernet or are you going to go thru' the MAC via USB SPDIF?

What do you want to use as you're software media server? Do you want it sitting on the NAS or the MAC?

regards

geoff

Hi Geoff

I think that at night the device would perhaps need to power down, (standby mode), or when not in use. Do I have that wrong? Not really using it for Back ups, more for just storing Hi Res music files.

Not via the iMac. Both Unitiserve and NAS connected to router.

Not too sure what you mean on the last question.

David

Normally it is best to keep the NAS running 24/7 and the network connection continuously up. This ensures that the IP addresses remain stable so that the NAS and US 'see' each other, ( you don't want them changing once assigned).

Presumably you are planning to use the Unitiserve to act as the media server which will scan and keep updated about what music you have on the NAS which is the other reason to keep both on all the time so you don't have to rebuild the music library info after a power off which takes time, especially as the amount of music stored increases.

QNAPS NAS are pretty popular so they are worth checking out. The other thing you will want to do is backup your music library to a second disc for safety. Using RAID is not a completely safe way to ensure this. The best way is to use a completely separate USB attachable HDD for this.

regards

Geoff 

Thank you Geoff

What you are saying about the NAS makes sense. Definitely need the IP addresses to be stable. I just thought that having the drive continuously on the move would give it/them a short life span.

Yes, I will be using the Unitiserve as the media server. And again, it makes sense to leave them both on.

I will definitely be using a separate USB drive to back up all the files.

Thanks

David 

Using a Synology DS212 NAS with 2 x 2Tb drives (mirrored RAID), and works fine with my NDX streamer.  The DS212 is left on permanently,however does automatically go into standby mode if not being accessed (indicated by a single slowly blinking LED on the front panel).  It 'wakes on LAN' automatically (e.g. when I start listening to music again or turn on my PC), and takes 10-15 seconds before the discs respin back up to speed again.  As not turned off ever, IP address never changes, but does save power when it stands down.  Best of both worlds?

Other brands of NAS may do the same thing.

Hope helps?

Thanks for your reply GeeJay.

Regards

David

Thank for that. I sent the 'My Book live' back, and now have a Qnap NAS TS-112. Touch wood it is very Mac friendly.

Still waiting for my Unitiserve SSD to arrive...It's been nearly 3 weeks!!!

Will the Unitiserve SSD find the Qnap NAS immediately, or will I have to start portforwarding and all that stuff?

David

Hi David

Good decision to buy a high quality NAS drive such as QNAP or Synology.

As you have bought a NAS drive that will take 1 hard disk, do you have another hard drive or an Apple time capsule that you can use to back-up your NAS drive?  It is most distressing to lose a hard drive, when you have ripped hundreds of CDs of music on to it.

Best regards, FT

Hi, yes many home NASes use network addresses as opposed to IP addresses, so you don't have to worry about IP addresses. The layer 2 network address (which is hardwired to the device) is  used by several disk mounting protocols. iP addresses only become important if using web browser access  or you are accessing from a different subnet.

Simon

Thank you Simon. The reason that I asked, was that QNAP have a mobile app for iPad. it took me ages and pure quess work how to port forward on my BT router. Something I'd never done before. 

Wish they'd hurry up with my Unitiserve, can't wait to get it linked up with my new NAS!!

Cheers

David

Thanks FT

That will be my next task, an external USB drive for back up. A silly question perhaps, are they all much the same? I haven't started ripping as yet, because the Unitiserve hasn't arrived. Hopefully next week.

david

No they are not all the same.

The qnap can be a bit funny with certain drives. Especially ones with hidden partitions, choose carefully a striaght forward harddrive, not one with dumb ass windows 'features' on.

I also recommend getting a usb2 drive not a usb3 this seems to ensure compatibility, and the qnap simply would not utilise the speed anyhow.

David, I am glad you got it working, confused why you need port forwarding, unless you are sharing on the Internet? In your own home LAN you are staying within your own private subnet, so regular switching is all that is required.

Port forwarding and address mapping is when you want  to route multiple devices /application from a public network (the Internet) to your own private network using privatea class addressing, and you don't what them arbitrarily assigned by the router across the network boundary.

Since you have purchased a Qnap TS-112 you could enable Q-Raid which mirrors the internal HDD to an external USB or eSata drive. If the internal HDD fails all you need to do is remove the USB or eSata and install this as the internal replacemet.

Another option for backup is to buy another Qnap and enable backup replication between to two NAS boxes. This could of course be on the same network or off site at a friend or families house.

I use the second option even though I use a Qnap TS-219 which comes with two mirrored HDD just to give me an offsite.

To answer the original question, Qnaps do sleep and return to normal operation without a twonky re-scan. The only time I had to rescan library is when i applied a firmware upgrade to the TS-219.

Cheers

Sean

Thanks garyi

Yes they can be a bit funny. I had to choose an HDD that was on the Qnap compatibility list. Only yesterday a friend of mine bought a ReadyNas Duo, and inserted a HDD that was not on the Readynas compatibility list, and it is giving him huge grief!! I thought, that providing it was a 3.5 inch SATA, all would do the job? Obviously not.

Do you have a Qnap? If so what USB2 HDD are you backing up to?

Cheers

Thanks for your reply Sean

I think getting another Qnap, then another HDD to go inside is probably just a tad too expensive for me. At present the only thing that I will be using the NAS for, is for storing the ripped music from the Unitiserve SSD (When it arrives) and also Hi-Res music downloads. So at the moment a USB2 HDD should do the job.

David

Hi Simon

Not sure what happened. I set up the Qnap NAS on my iMac with absolutely no problems. It is very Mac friendly. But when I downloaded their mobile app for iPad, (QMobile) in order to access the NAS away from my home, it wouldn't connect. It was telling me that I had to set up the server address, username and password, etc...I have a BT Home Hub 3, running Bt infinity. Cut a long story short, I went into Portforwarding on the BT Home Hub and renamed the Xbox port to Qnap! Not sure if I was meant to do that? Anyway, my iPad now works with my NAS. Was there an easier way?

David