NASLite Network Attached Storage

1. As I unerstand the free version has the 4Gb limit but the purchased version does not. If I purchased the suite and made a floppy using it does it have the 4Gb limit.

2. As I am planning on purchase after 2.0 release. Will the HTML interface be what is on the free version or will it look like the teaser if I make a floppy from the suite.

**I dont really plan on running from a CD or USB since as I understand you still need to use a floppy for the config file. For this reason I prefer to keep it all on the floppy but I'll buy the thing if the above have a positive answer.

I'm not an expert on Naslite ( i only started using it about 6 weeks ago) but i don't think you can use Naslite+ from a floppy as it's not large enough to hold all the necessary files.
You're best off using the USB version if your hardware will boot from USB, You don't need a floppy using the USB version as the config is stored on the USB device.
Anybody please feel free to correct me.

I've had my test setup running for 38+ days without a hiccup (touchwood) using the USB version and it works a treat, definitely worth the money.

Edit
Think i'm probably wrong about the floppy version, i think it's only the free version with the 4gig limitation.

Answers to your questions:

1. Yes, if it's a floppy version it has the 4GB limit. The suite gives you an easy way to make the floppies, but the code on the floppy is the same as what you can download for free.

Floppy only version = free version = 4GB limit.

2. I'm sure the HTML interface will be different in version 2. What you will get now is version 1, which will look like what's shown in the user manuals you can download from server elements.

If all you want to do is use the free floppy version you probably don't need the suite. You could buy the floppy disk utility CD instead (NASLite FDU). This CD contains a program that easily creates the non-standard floppies used with NASLite. The suite comes with that CD plus the USB and CD versions of NASLite+ which don't have the 4GB limit.

The USB version doesn't need the floppy, the config info is stored on the USB key. It does require that your motherboard be capable of booting from a USB device. If you buy the suite you will get the USB version as well as the free floppy version.

Hiya....


What smeyer does not state is this...

If your soon to be NAS server (PC) does not/can not boot from USB, then you can still use your USB version (which writes the config data to the USB key) via the use of a floppy disk 'boot kicker' meaning....

Your NAS server boots from the floppy drive, which tells the computer to look on the USB ports/card/whatever *grin* to then load from the USB... esentially 'booting' from the USB device which in turn boots NASLite 1.5 (current version) for USB.

A long winded way BUT if you want to use all 4 EIDE slots on the system board, its the best way to go, if your PC cant boot from USB...

The other way is to use a SCSI (if your PC has the abilty) to boot from the NASLite CD.

Yea, I'm currently using the free version (for @ 5 months now) I was just trying to determine if the floppy that the suite can make (i gives option to make NASLite floppy) was a better than the free version and without the limit.

Hi Sanjiyan,

You are right about the kicker floppies. I didn't mention them because HarshReality states in the original post that he didn't want to boot from CD/USB and need a floppy to store config info on. He wanted everything in one place.

Yes he can use a kicker disk, but that means he has 2 different boot devices which he implies he doesn't want. But knowing all the options does give him other choices

HarshReality,
The floppy that the suite makes is the same as the free verison.

Yes, only problem is, is this..

He buys NAS Lite as a suite, can use the 'CD-ROM' AND 'USB' veriosn, which is great....

BUT

He continues to use the floppy disk version (which comes on the ISO that your buy) which also STILL has the limitations that the free NASLite versions have... 4 gig limit, PIO mode transfer, etc etc etc....

Buying NAS Lite and using the NAS Lite+ versions (CD-ROM and/or USB options) is better..... no 4 gig limit, DMA access, 10/100/1000 megabit networking in one package... thats my thing

But if the OP (= Original Poster) as a comment or such forth, please do comment...

Thanks for all the input everybody. I think I'll stay with the free version for the time being. I realize the size restrictions on the floppy but perhaps later down the road some of them will change. In a nutshell if I buy the + version I would be giving up an IDE channel (unless I went USB) and in exchange I'd be overcoming the 4G limit. I dont want to offend anyone who helped to make this project as great as it is but I myself cant justify the outage after weighting the pros and cons. As I mentioned earlier, if the plus version actually allowed me to make an alternate version of the floppy then I would be all for it. But for the most part its just going to create the free version which I can already do.

The other primary benefit from using the NASLite+ version is that it uses DMA to access the hard drives, so the ransfer rates is much faster, the free version is limited to PIO Mode 4 which is around 6-8 meg a second transfer, NASLite+ can go all the way up to UDMA133.

and lets not forget Naslite+ is very very cheap and the developers deserve money for doing this.

If that solves your problem, then that's all you need, but I do agree with fat. The developers have spent a lot of time and effort to make this itty-bitty os kick major butt even on hardware as crappy as the P133 in my basement.

I understand the benefits as I mentioned above.But like I said, in my case I'd still be using a floppy and if all the paid suite does is make the same floppy I have then there would be no point to it.

Everybody has good points however and I'd like to thank you for all the input.

I bought NASLite+ when it was 1.0, guess I have to wait for the 2.0 version rather than upgrade to the 1.5 version. The one thing I have issue with is the fact that I have to pay for minor upgrades and fixes. IE. No path from 1.0 to 1.1 without paying for it. Guess I didn't need it anyway since my machine works just fine but it's the idea of it.

Guess I will just wait for the new, enhanced version and then buy.

Mike