.
Have you ever thought about having a solution at home or in your small / micro business and not having to pay for a Google Drive, Dropbox or other cloud storage solution, to store security camera images, or who knows how to store different media types, sharing files between people in a workgroup, for example?
Know that the solution to these demands and many others of the type has existed for a long time, is accessible to many people and in some cases, does not require much – in some cases, almost none – technical knowledge.
We are talking about NAS servers.
If you are interested and want to know what a NAS server is and how it can be useful, this content is for you!
What is a NAS server?
Like every server, it is a device that serves services – however redundant the statement may seem – or more specifically the service of storing various data.
Even the name NAS is the acronym for Network Attached Storage, which translated is something like Storage Connected to the Network.
If we think of one of the most common functions of a NAS server, which is backup, it is not very difficult to understand the concept when we relate it to what we are used to.
What is the most basic form of backup that people know of?
Connecting a device, which can be an external HD, or even a large capacity pendrive, directly to the PC / Notebook, through a USB port and this method, although the layman does not know and does not use the nomenclature, is called DAS (Direct Attached Storage), whose translation is directly attached storage.
Therefore, the difference to what most are used to is that it is not necessary to physically connect to your computer, as the NAS will be available on your business or even home computer network, just as all other users do to connect. up to the Internet.
This is through your modem, Wi-Fi router, switch, or the hardware you use to create your computer network.
Backing up this way, manually and physically connecting an external drive, can even work when your network has only one computer, but as you have two or more, the job starts to get more complex.
That’s when the NAS starts to make more sense, because it’s always available to all computers, whether 3, 4, 5 or more.
What are the advantages of a NAS server?
We have already discussed some of the most common uses and advantages of a NAS server, but we will list them in a broader and more detailed way, starting with the most frequent.
1. Backup
The use of a Network Attached Storage – or just Storage, as some call it – as a backup server, is widely disseminated, so much so that all the embedded tools are rich in functionality for performing data backup.
Imagine that you still perform backup routines the old-fashioned way, that is, using an external drive. For as many computers as necessary to store data, as many times you have to repeat the procedure.
With a NAS, routines are automated, dispensing with manual procedures and the delay involved in the process.
Furthermore, the procedure can be performed from each computer, as many times as necessary, which can be a requirement when dealing with certain types of data. That is, both synchronization and restoration, when necessary, are facilitated.
2. Media server
The different media formats (photos, videos, audio, movies, etc.) and the popularization of their use, created the need for large amounts of storage, as the size of the files or the space they occupy on disk is directly linked to the image and/or audio quality.
NAS servers lend themselves very well to this purpose, both for storing photos and videos of family events, such as birthdays, end of year parties, or vacation trips, as well as those of a business nature, such as movies from training, webinars, or perhaps security camera footage.
3. Sharing
In companies – and sometimes in the home environment – people often need to share documents, reports, spreadsheets, e-books and a variety of files that need to be accessed by different employees and managers.
It is another popular use that facilitates and increases security, as it eliminates removable media, such as pendrives, which, depending on how users use them, may contain malware.
Here are two observations that are applicable for all types of NAS use:
- The person in charge of its administration can – and should – have it and map it to include a routine of checking for malware by an antivirus, just as it happens with the drives of your own machine;
- Depending on the system, the needs and the use of the stored content, files can be encrypted for security reasons.
In both the home and business environments, even smartphone content can be accessed or sent to the NAS with just a browser. Incidentally, the interface of all NAS server management systems is accessible via a browser and the IP address of the network that the device has assumed.
4. Other types of data
Depending on the nature of the business and the presence of certain systems, a data server is needed to store a database common to different users and the systems they use, for example.
Or perhaps a repository of software that is commonly installed on users’ computers, eliminating installation media.
5. Private Cloud
All good NAS solutions already allow remote access via the Web.
This means that you can have employees working remotely at Home Office or on a business trip and who can both share their files and access the ones they need.
It is a functionality that can also be extended to customers, when and if necessary.
Remote access is protected by username and password and the best solutions offer multifactor authentication (MFA) to increase security.
Unlike the most popular cloud storage services, here there is no monthly cost and which, depending on the need, can be considerable.
6. Security
In addition to the security aspects that we have already mentioned, a NAS allows you to have any type of data that is of importance, stored and that in many cases, no backup is made either because there is no policy, or because there is no access to technologies functional. Many companies do not back up and just rely on luck!
Every good NAS platform also allows redundancy, through storage units configured in RAID 1, which in practice means that there are at least two units – or pairs of them (4, 6, 8, …) – of HD’s / SSD’s, in the which data is duplicated. If one has a physical or hardware failure, the data is on the second. This is called data mirroring.
In a public cloud, it can be subject to invasion and data leakage, a situation that is only possible to happen in the NAS, if remote access is enabled and if the necessary precautions are not taken.
Even so, the interest of eventual hackers – actually crackers – in private clouds at home or small companies is much smaller than in the popular services of the technology giants.
Last but not least, many systems offer a monitoring feature, which allows the administrator to know in great detail the uses made, access information and other information that allow complete control of the environment.
How does a NAS server work?
In fact, there are many people who even think it’s important, or interesting, or useful and even all of that together, but they don’t know where to start, or what they’ll need and what knowledge is needed. They may simply find it too technical, too much of a nerd or professional thing.
In truth no. It’s pretty simple or pretty close to what most of us already know.
Although there are already a variety of possibilities, we can say that there are two paths for those interested in having a NAS server:
The first alternative is certainly the most laborious, but it can be more affordable from a financial point of view.
This is because unlike what many people think and what the word server raises in most people’s minds, a NAS server is not a demanding machine in terms of hardware and there are many tutorials and videos from people who teach how to assemble and configure one, from of an “old computer”.
You know that computer that is already slow to run your programs or that no longer allows you to update to the latest version of Windows? Because you know a NAS requires little RAM and little processing power. The only requirement is a good and reliable HDD or SSD and that represents the investment in making such an option.
Also, there are good free and open source operating systems. Yes, NAS use specialized and often Linux-based operating systems.
But don’t be scared. After all, just like the Android on your smartphone, which also comes from Linux, it is not a rocket ship. On the contrary, it’s made to be light and functional, with an intuitive interface that reminds us a lot of what we’re used to.
It is the case of FreeNAS (TrueNAS)), an operating system intended for storage / storage, which means that it offers the full range of tools that a server used for this purpose requires.
It is based on FreeBSDa Unix-like operating system, like Linux, being open source and free.
Installing FreeNAS on the server is very similar to installing any operating system on a PC, except that the steps are in English.
Another drawback is that FreeNAS cannot be installed on the same unit that will be used for storage. But it is possible to install it on a pendrive – which needs to be always connected – or on an SSD card, if you don’t have a second HD / SSD
The second alternative is to buy a “ready-made” NAS.
Some storage drive manufacturers, such as Western Digitalfor example, already sell NAS cabinets starting at prices around 200 dollars and which corresponds to the simplest units, for two HD disks.
The list of companies offering ready-made solutions is long and well worth researching.
There are good and important advantages in opting for ready-made solutions:
- The hardware is specially designed for its use, making the smallest cabinets no bigger than two speakers, occupying little space and consuming much less electricity than a desktop;
- Swapping disk drives is simple, making it easy to upgrade and maintain if needed;
- There is no need to install the operating system or the tools, just requiring the initial configuration, just as you do when using your notebook or smartphone for the first time;
- Connecting and configuring the home / home network is no more difficult than connecting a computer with a cable;
- It already comes with storage units with hardware architecture developed for use as storage, which means that the performance is great, as well as the useful life and with the lowest possible rates of failure in reading / writing.
Conclusion
Those who need to store data conveniently and securely, without requiring a high financial investment and technical knowledge, the NAS server is the solution.
.
