NASLite Network Attached Storage

I'm quite new on NasLite. Just bougth version 2 that is running on an old IBM NetVista With P4 1.6Ghz, 768MB or RAM and just an 80GB Hd.

This is a testing system, I'm waiting for a new Sata Controller the I will remove the SATA Disks on mt TheCus N2100 to fit the new Home NAS.

I like the product but there is a couple of enhancements that, from my point of view, will make the product ebtter for the advance market:

1) I do not see the capability to create "Shares". Just a starting point under that the various disks. From my point ov view this represents a very big limitation in the use of the product. The capability to "share" individually the directories on the disks is something that the most basic NAS appiance provides. I seriously hope this functionality to be added in the near future version of the product

2) Software RAID. I know, it is not reliable, NASLite is done to be roboust and easy but, The capability to spread the files on multiple disks (I'd like to have a large 1TB disk) is something that is available on the Linux Filesystem. Why this functionality is missing on NASLite 2?

Bottom line, I've spent happily my money for this product but I really hope that a more "advanced" version of NASLite will be made available soon. Hopefully will also include some basic (and I mean basic) shares/file /partition user security.

Thanks to the forum, you helped me a lot to make my choice.

MB

Question one, might be a nice add on. It's on my list of things I would like to see as well.

Question two, NO way do I want to see NASLite go there. That is what hardware RAID cards are for on Ebay. Software RAID works, but when things go wrong with software RAID they really go WRONG! Also, to run software RAID and have it perform you would have to have a fast computer dedicated to the task. A Celeron 500 or the like would not even come close to the hardware needed to do a RAID5 array. Add to this the distro getting much bigger and the fact that it would suffer in the reliability area and that is a disaster waiting to happen for NASLite. The money you save in the hardware would be spent on the time setting it up and recovering your data when things went wrong with the software RAID. The 3ware and LSI cards are both going for less than $100.00 on Ebay and sometimes for much less. Get one of them and you will have it all.

Mike

Hi Mike,

I can agree with you about implementing RAID for redundancy purposes but the lack of a Volume Set (or Raid 0) is seriously a big miss.

Most of us have (or will in my case) multiple disks in our system. Having to address them as different partition is a very big limitation of the usage. Yes an Hardware RAID controller can fix that but, it is worth it to spend 100 USD (remember, here there are a lot of european users and, in our countries, Hardware RAID Controllers are not so cheap) to run a low cost NAS System?

Volume Set is something that the most basic OS has today, and should be implemented in NasLite in order to get the most from the System.

I'm leaving a TheCus N2100 System, bought somewhat 1 year ago for around 250 Euros. This thing is a beauty, has Volume Set and RAID 0+1, NetBios Shares, basic security, Web File, two gigabit interfaces, even a Music iTunes Server, can act as a print server, runs as a Wi-Fi Access Point and can use 2 SATA HD. It runs Linux on (if I remember well) an Intel XScale processor with 128MB of Ram.

A Celeron is faster than the XScale used in the N2100 and I do not think the implementation of a Volume Set, or better RAID 0 (both well implemented into Linux), will be something that will slow down the performances on the server even on a Celeron processor.

Bottom line: I like NasLite but I seriously like to have something more into the disk management and not just a network interface to a bunch of partitions.

Let's see if the developers will think about this implementation.

One last questions, does a "roadmap" for nasLite exists?

MB

From Europe

I've seen this kind of comment before, and I'm kinda puzzled, let me get this straight, your willing to spend $300+ on hard drives and not an $100 on peace of mind for your data with a hardware card?

That extra money for the hardware card will suddenly become a bargain the first time a software raid fails.

I don't think MB is talking about data safety. I think they are talking about being able to take 2+ drives and make them look like one big drive instead of separate ones. Personally, I would still want to go with hardware RAID for safety sakes. It always seems to go back to data safety. That is unless you are doing backups. And with NASes getting up there in size. the cost of being able to do true back-ups is getting out of reach. Therefore a good hardware RAID solution is the only way to go.

I would much rather see the development time being spent on Shares and security.

-- Scott

No Ralph, sorry but is not like this. My understanding is that NasLite is born to use old hardware as a shared disk. This is good but which is the value in having just a bunch of different partitions available via the network?
What I'm saying is that is a pity that NasLite does not implement a SOFTWARE functionality to create a Volume Set (not even a RAID 0) spanned between physical partitions/disks, this has nothing to do with data security. Also consider that with 100 buck I can buy a 300GB hd that, for some purposes, is better than an Hardware RAID card.

I do not think that the savvy users uses NasLite for mission critical applications so, the matter is, which market NasLite is approaching? Typically the so advanced home/small network user that is usually aware of the problems related to the lack of a reliable storage system (disks are reliable until you get one broken) and is using NasLite to share low value resources on their net.

If the things get tough, obviously you need to move on a more reliable solution and RAID is not always the best.

Bottom line, again, having the capability to implement Volume Sets or RAID 0 with a minimum of Share Management (I'm not even talking about basic share security) is something that Server Elements should think of.

I'm sure that most of us will be happy to pay 10 buck more (is a 30% increment on the pricing) for an advanced version of the product, also considering that there are other NAS software solutions that offers this out of the box.

I've also read your post about the shares enumeration (the one about the guy that has lost a disk and the various disk-n shares changed as n-1) and I think that this is another limitation you should remove. It is not acceptable to change the configuration on your systems if something goes wrong and the "buy-another-disk" option is not an acceptable solution.

What I'm saying is that NasLite is awesome in terms of performances but lacks some basic disk and resources management that will make the product nicer, more usable and more valuable without adding so much overhead on the computing capability of the processor box where is it run on.

Who knows, maybe it will be implemented...

Anyway, do you have a roadmap the registered users can see?

Thanks.

MB

PS: Yes, I'm running an LSI Logic SATA Hardware RAID Card

I admire your comments, but please pay attention to the name "NASLite"


Thanks for your support.

Well, at this point I do not think is really important which case I use to write the word NASLite.

Assuming that there is no intention to continue the thread related to the Volume Set implementation, let me ask this question again:

Do Server Elements provides a Roadmap regarding NASLite?

Thanks for YOUR comments.

MB

I could be wrong, but, I don't think Ralph was being critical of your use of case - I think he's pointing out that the name of the product is NASLite - perhaps as in a lightweight or not full featured NAS offering.

When I first read his post I realized that I had never considered it from that angle - I tend to agree with you that as a product it has tremendous potential if certain features are added, and I would be willing to pay more to see those features - however - software RAID would not be on my wish list.

Yah, what fordom said.

mike

Why would NASLite-2 have or need a roadmap, it's not in beta or development.

Well, will be interesting to know which features/modifications/updates will be implemented in the future.

I direct your attention to the following post from Tony

http://www.serverelements.com/phpBB2/vi ... c01385fa69

Mike

Thanks Mike,

Yes, that is a starting point.

It will be nice to know which functionalities will be "probably" added in NASLite in the future and around when the minor and major releases will be released, but it is a starting point.

Just to make the point. As I said I consider NASLite a VERY GOOD product, from a current customer perspective (also for the future one) I think is a good idea to know which functionalities will be added to the product.

In any case I will hope the RAID 0/Volume Set functionality and the capability to define the shares with a minimum of local user security will be added soon.

Thanks.