Why?
- Ultra-fast response time and speed – You can check out my experience using Solid-State drives and see how fast they really are.
- State of the art technology – Standard rotating drives and SSD drives have been around for more than half a century, but while rotating drives have changed very little over the years, SSDs were an ever changing platform, which brought into consumers mind only a few years back. Let’s face it folks, as we see it today, we’re marching into an SSD world, so using this kind of tech seems only logical
- Shock resistance - Since handheld computers (tablets, netbooks etc.) are constantly moving, they’re more likely fall once or twice during their lifetime. While rotating drives can absorb up to 350G while operating and up to 1000G while not operating, SSD can withstand up to 1500G in either case.
- Weight, power consumption– A standard SSD weighs approximately 50% less than a rotating drive, and consumes less power because it has no moving parts.
Why not?
The only trouble with SSD drives is their capacity. The bigger the capacity, the more it costs to manufacture it, so electronic companies tend to leave the user high and dry with a mere 64GB tops. In such cases, users would probably use another drive (external hard drive, flash drives etc.), but this beats the whole purpose of becoming completely portable.Enters NAS – Network Attached Storage
A NAS unit is a computer or device that provides file-based data storage services to other devices on that network.NAS Implementation
There are several main ways you can implement NAS at your network:- Dedicated Server
- Standalone NAS device
- Wireless Access Point with NAS capabilities
Dedicated Server
Placing a dedicated NAS server on your network seems logical only if you’re an enterprise client tries to implement a NAS solution or a user with very high demands.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Complete control over configuration | High maintenance overhead |
| Expanding NAS array easily | High cost: 200$ and up (depends on speed/capacity) |
If you consider setting up a dedicated NAS server, you might want to check out a project called FreeNAS – an open source NAS operating system, based on FreeBSD
Standalone NAS device
For those of you who don’t want to mess around, this is the perfect solution.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Easy to use interface | Features may vary depending on the vendor |
| Almost no hassle with equipment | Limited capacity |
| Connects via Ethernet & Wireless | Price range: 140$-2500$ depends on features |
For many, this is the ultimate solution for NAS. It has most of the required features, it can come with a RAID enabled configuration, and fairly easy to install. The only concern is the cost, which can sometimes go up to 2500$.
If you’re after a cheap solution, check out Western Digital My Book Live Personal Cloud Storage
Wireless Access Point with NAS capabilities
Since the vast majority of users already own a wireless access point, it’s safe to assume most of them already have unexploited NAS capabilities.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Integrates to your current network | Internet speed can be influenced |
| Low cost: 140$ to 500GB | Basic interface |
| Support several drive sizes | Storage capacity is limited to 2TB |
| USB port exist in most access points | Mostly USB 2.0, sometimes not enough |
Because of the floods in Thailand, most hard drive vendors suffered damages. The price should drop in the next few months, allowing this option to become even more appealing.
Sometimes, USB 2.0 is not enough, and if you used a high speed hard drive, and want to exploit the full benefits from its speed, you’ll have to invest in a wireless access point that comes with a USB 3.0 port. Just to get you started, you can check out D-Link media router
Cheers q[^_^]p
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