Hey all. I'm needing some more storage space for backing up data.

I'd like something that isn't a direct part of my computer, but can be read/written to by the PC I use and the family laptops, so I was thinking a NAS hooked up to the wireless router I already have would be a good idea.

I was thinking of getting one of these NAS devices:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004UBU3SY/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=ABFXSVNT1RI5&coliid=I20K4OR2OAGMQL

And two of these drives:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=ABFXSVNT1RI5&coliid=I2JWIUT9Y6D4JT

...with that data duplicated between the two drives (RAID 1? I've never done this before) incase one fails.

A) What do you think of that device? The Amazon reviews seem decent enough.

B) Does that device support those harddrives?

I think it does - but the harddrives I think are SATA 3, where the NAS device only supports SATA 1 & 2 - but SATA 3 is backwards compatible. So am I compatible here?

C) Seeing that it'll be plugged into the wall, and plugged into the router by CAT5 (or whatever it is) - what do I need to do to protect it from, say, lightning strikes, blackouts, or power surges? Do blackouts pose any risk of killing/damaging the entire harddrive?

D) How do I know when one drive of the RAID-1 pair fails?

There's always a very slim possibility that there will be a compatibility issue between a particular drive and a particular NAS, but it's very unlikely, and sticking with a popular brand drive like WD makes it extremely unlikely.

Normally I'd say the NAS doesn't need any more protection than your PC has, but if you're using as a primary source of backups then it might be prudent to provide it more protection than the rest of your computer equipment, perhaps even go so far as give it a dedicated UPS. While that may sound like overkill, compared to your average PC these NAS devices are relatively low power devices, so the absolute smallest UPS you can find would be more than adequate.

The HD lights on the device itself should somehow indicate if there is a drive failure of some sort (green vs red, or some sort of flashing pattern if it's not an RGB LED). The NAS will also host a web config page that may provide status info as well.

That device is called a Power Media Server, and so read the specs: 1.2 GHz CPU, 500MB RAM, SATA I/II, no SATA III, USB2.0, no USB 3.0, no ext. SATA. That is enough to stream video, but it is definitely not state of the art. Using it for backup will probably work. But I would not consider it as real NAS.

The HD you've chosen is on the compatibility list.

Protection from lighting strikes and power surges can be bought build into power outlet strips. Protection from blackout can be bough as UPS. That is the same as for PC's in general. Simple NAS's don't have redundant power supplies or so. The only redundancy is in using RAID (here RAID 1, because you have only 2 bays).

What you have to consider is whether they should run 24/7. If so you may think of drives that are made for that purpose (e.g. the WD Red instead of the WD Blue).

Besides the mechanisms already mentioned by jHaskell, usually the NAS OS can be configured to e.g. send an eMail if a drive failure is detected. I assume that the ZyXEL NAS can do so, too.

Normally I'd say the NAS doesn't need any more protection than your PC has, but if you're using as a primary source of backups then it might be prudent to provide it more protection than the rest of your computer equipment, perhaps even go so far as give it a dedicated UPS. While that may sound like overkill, compared to your average PC these NAS devices are relatively low power devices, so the absolute smallest UPS you can find would be more than adequate.

If a blackout occurs, my regular computers would go down (well, the laptops would remain running for a few hours), so why do I want the NAS to stay online? What protection does a UPS provide?

I guess I always thought of a UPS as solely a backup power supply and not as some electrical safeguard.

And what about the CAT5 (or "Gigabit Ethernet RJ-45 connector" or whatever) connection to the NAS - power can surge through that from the router, right? So do I need some kind of protection on the actual network cable going into the NAS?

I suppose the best bet is just remembering to unplug everything (router, internet connection, computer powerstrips), if there is a storm in the area. Or just unplugging the NAS.

Thank you very much for the knowledgeable feedback, this helps alot.
I did some research before posting, but without experience and existing knowledge, sometimes I overlook important bits of info.

That device is called a Power Media Server, and so read the specs: 1.2 GHz CPU, 500MB RAM, SATA I/II, no SATA III, USB2.0, no USB 3.0, no ext. SATA. That is enough to stream video, but it is definitely not state of the art. Using it for backup will probably work. But I would not consider it as real NAS.

My intention is to use it to store:
A) Backups of all my files, especially my programming projects.
B) Backups of my parents' laptops, especially my Dad's Word and Excel files (~10 GB).
C) My purchased DRM-free indie game installers (they won't be installed on the device itself, just stored). <not backups>
D) Alot of MP3 hour-long bible teachings, which I'd probably stream (but could just keep locally). <not backups>
E) A small amount (~15 GB) of music, which I'd stream occasionally (but could just keep locally). <not backups>
F) A small amount (~15 GB) of photographs - family photos, my crummy nature photography, and a lot of downloaded nature photos used for game inspiration.

Both my programming projects and my dad's Word/Excel projects, I want to backup incrementally, so changes are preserved. I usually use Cobian Backup for this kind of thing.

This is to basically say, I won't be using it as if it were just an extension of my computer's local storage. I rather want external harddrives that I can incrementally backup to every day automatically (Cobian Backup handles the scheduling for me), and that I occasionally access from my computer as a Networked Location drive to read some files.

I'm really not looking for a Media Server, I'm looking for external storage on my LAN. Are there better devices of a similar price better-suited for my needs?

On Amazon, I see alot of NAS-devices with the harddrive already in it, but I'd rather be able to access the harddrives and put in my own ones.

Another issue I realized yesterday, is that the particular NAS I chose only supports harddrives in EXT4 file format. Since all the computers are using Windows, shouldn't the attached drives (if using them as Networked Locations) be NTFS or something more Windows-friendly (even though most NAS devices probably run stripped down Linux distros)?

Protection from lighting strikes and power surges can be bought build into power outlet strips.

I have a few power strips about, probably $15 or so apiece. However, I heard that if lightning strikes nearby, power strips won't really protect from that and aren't intended to.

Protection from blackout can be bough as UPS.

But do I need "protection" from blackouts? Is there a risk of damage to the harddrives if the suddenly lose power?
I do not need to access the data during a blackout, so I'm really only concerned about damage that may result from the blackout. Is a UPS still relevant to me?

The only redundancy is in using RAID (here RAID 1, because you have only 2 bays).

Yes, I was going to use RAID 1, though I'm not experienced with any RAID setup. Is RAID 1 not a good choice?

What you have to consider is whether they should run 24/7.

We have family up all through the night, using computers even after I head to bed. That said, I fully shut down my desktop when I head to bed, and start it up again in the morning when I wake up. I'd probably do the same with the NAS. The family won't access the NAS directly, but I'll schedule backups so their data is invisibly backed up sometime during the day when the NAS is likely to be on.

If so you may think of drives that are made for that purpose (e.g. the WD Red instead of the WD Blue).

Assuming the NAS is on 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, just like my desktop computer, and is really only heavily read from and written to during scheduled backups (I guess 3 or 4 times a day, since I'd probably schedule the backups of the laptops and desktop at different time periods so they all aren't trying to access it at the same time).
When the backups do occur, it won't be hundreds of GB except once a week (during the scheduled 'Full' backups that the incremental backups are relative to).

Would I still want Reds, or would Blues work fine? The Blues are each $15 cheaper (on sale currently), though I'm willing to pay extra if it's worth it. Do the WD Reds really last longer? The warranty is longer (3 years vs 2 years for Blues), so it does seem like WD is willing to put their money behind it.

A UPS ensures that the power will be up long enough that all running process can be shutdown in a controlled way. It is not intended to let the system run until the regular power is available again (okay, it is intended to do so in the case of sustainment systems, but not for our normal use). If processes are not shutdown in a controlled way it may happen that data are lost. This is the same for your computer.

Furthermore, good UPS devices have protection circuitry build into as well. It protects from both under-voltage and over-voltage.

Oh, our answers have crossed over...

As mentioned, the device is probably fine for back-ups and media. I don't know prices of many NAS devices (my device is a TS-670 from QNAP, and the prices here in Germany are probably others than yours).

RAID I is mirroring. It's major drawback is that you pay with 50% of your net storage for some safety. But it is cheap because you need just 2 drives at least. On the other hand, with 2 drives you cannot do something else at all (RAID 0 gives no additional safety). So RAID I is the choice.

WD Red is in-between real server drives and desktop drives. Server drives are build to be packed more densely, to be better suited when higher temperatures occur, show smoother running at less vibrations, and have some protection circuitry I do not remember in detail. The Reds have some of these but not all. In a 24/7 service I would recommend something like them also for SoHo, but for a regular desktop use other drives will probably okay. Just your choice ;) I have a linux software RAID 1+0 box running 14 hours per day with 5 year old Samsung desktop drives here. It still has no problems reported by SMART or mdadmin. However, I do not entrust really important data to them anymore, you know.

Belonging protection from lightning: I'm not sure. Some manufacturers give a guarantee to replace hardware that has been damaged although being protected by their devices. Of course, such things cost more than $15. But I doubt that it is that easy for an aggrieved party, and your data loss would not be substitutable at all.

I, personally, have "normal" protection in the range of 50EUR. They are probably not better than yours. I already had data loss due to uncontrolled computer shutdown at 3 customers of mine, but I never had a damage due to over-voltage.

So I'll probably go with the WD Reds, and I'll look around for a different NAS device since I don't need the Media Server stuff, but I'll fall back to this NAS-device/Media-Server if I can't find anything reasonably priced.

Should I be looking for a NAS that specifically supports NTFS?

I'll at a later date add a UPS, maybe this one, to the setup - but probably can't do that right off the bat without things getting too expensive.

Come to think of it - my ISP installed a UPS for the internet connection coming in off the street. I have the box and the warranty and such, so if it provides enough power for enough time, maybe I'll plug the NAS and the router into that. That'd depend how much wattage the NAS uses, and how much the UPS provides.

For my desktop, it is plugged in through a surge protector (two, actually - one cheap powerstrip and one of unknown cost that comes with a warranty I've lost - but hopefully it'll eat the brunt of anything serious).

Should I get a surge protector for the ethernet connection to the NAS, or is that going overboard? The off-the-street connection is surge-protected coming in, but my LAN'd printer isn't necessarily surge protected, and it's plugged in to the router which will be plugged into the NAS.

I'm not looking for reasons to spend money, just trying to do due-diligence up-front thinking.

I really appreciate all the help, gentlemen! Thank you.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but why a NAS device, instead of something fixed to the PC? If your PC is going to be on during the entire duration, you save yourself the money of the NAS box itself, and you don't need to worry nearly as much about performance issues associated with the comparatively crumby SATA 1/2 interfaces. Most PCs have tons of spare 3.5' bays and SATA controllers.

Also, if you're going with a mirrored RAID, does a WD Red really buy you much more than regular RAID consistency checks don't already give you?

Should I be looking for a NAS that specifically supports NTFS?

IMHO: No. My linux RAID runs ext3, the QNAP runs ext4. I have some Mac OS clients and a Windows client. I usually access via NFS, AFP, Samba. The only problem I ever encountered was the distinct decomposition scheme of Unicode filenames between Mac and Windows/linux (what, BTW, would AFAIK not be solved by using another file-system). If you actually look up for a NAS supporting NTFS you have to make sure that it uses it internally; many (?) NAS support NTFS but only for externally connected drives.

If your favorite file-system has some specialities then they probably will not be supported when using another FS. The meta tagging supported by HFS+ comes to my mind.

I'll at a later date add a UPS, maybe this one, to the setup - but probably can't do that right off the bat without things getting too expensive.

Should I get a surge protector for the ethernet connection to the NAS, or is that going overboard? The off-the-street connection is surge-protected coming in, but my LAN'd printer isn't necessarily surge protected, and it's plugged in to the router which will be plugged into the NAS.

Sorry, but I have no clue how probable damage coming over ethernet cable may be. Perhaps somebody else knows …