Network Attached Storage?
 

I know some of you guys are pretty big in computers, so figured this might be worth a try.
Specifically BrianG setup his own media server, so he might know a thing or two, for once. :whistle:

Need something (no more than 4TB, probably 2-3TB though) that will have a simple interface and easy to use.
Must be able to be networked and then remotely accessed.
Would love it if I could somehow have locked access( so many many users, and some users can access some folders, some can't, etc).

Any ideas?

Budget up to $400.

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What about a drobo?
I'd probably get the $400 model with 2TB drives instead of the 3TBs, and then RAID1.

I wrote up the Drobo FS, as well as the Synology as different options.

Does anybody have any demos of the remote FTP?
I'im trying to make it as user-friendly as possible..

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I'm open to all suggestions, though building a computer dedicated for the NAS duty would be a power hungry heat distributing box, that I don't need in my room.. I have too many of those..
The simplicity of the NAS is that I can grab a switch, hook it up above my shelf, configure it, and then watch as the little lights blink away as I notice people using it.

What worries me the MOST, is the interface that remote users will be confronted with.

In short, I'm after a NAS that will perform Dropbox duties, just... cheaper.

It's all clicks and clacks to me man.:neutral: I can't speak computer talk. I don't even own a smartphone. That really says something about me, doesn't it?:whistle:

It says your smart enough without a phone?? Or did I get that wrong?:na:

I was in the same boat a while back and all the things I read about the network attached Drobo were bad compared to the Synology. I ended up going that route. Here is a website that helped me out a ton: http://macsynology.wordpress.com/

I went for synology. I believe it does all that stuff

Sorry rawfuls, I have no input on this. I've toyed with getting a NAS/SAN, but since my media center/server is "always on" anyway, it just made sense to simply stack it with all the drive space I need and share the drives (or individual sub-folders) as needed.

Gotcha.
Maybe the DS212J might be spot on..
I wonder why Synology trumped Drobo?

Ended up going for a DS212J (after much thinking).
Saw a few screenshots of the OS during accessing the NAS, seems like it'll be very easy to pickup and whatnot, so let's hope so.

Got it for $190 on the Newegg Shell Shocker, $207 shipped.
Grabbed two Caviar Reds (2TB ea) for $261 shipped.

All together was actually under budget (500), and let's hope setup will be a breeze.

Going to try and put the two 2TBs into RAID1 for redundancy ( so if one fails, we have the other there, unlikely downtime ), and hook it up to my network for now.

The biggest issue I'm facing right now, is going to be simplifying the UI for the average joe when they upload/download/view files.