NAS for Mac (Just dumped the last PC)

Tulipone

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Chris
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Wondered if anyone has got a NAS (Network Attached Storage) that can be used effectively with both Vista and Mac? Have tried when Vista first came out and had issues with NTLM v2 - wondered if any more recent drives were better - and if then they could be also used with Mac (I guess that means leaving it as FAT32).

Anyone?

Chris

NOW interested in a cheapish Mac only solution. Anyone?

Chris
 
I have a WD My Book World.
It works fine on the mac, connected directly by ethernet or to the router by ethernet.
I just want it to work as a Time Machine disk but it doesn't at the moment.
 
Is this something to do with the format of the disk? I read somewhere Macs will quite happily work with Fat32, apart from Time Machine that requires it to be formatted to mac. Windows obviously works with Fat32. No issue with NTLM v2?

Chris
 
Disc utility doesn't see the network drive, so I can't format it that way and I don't know another way of doing it.
There is something on the net about making TM see the drive, which it does, but can't create an image or something like that. I guess that's down to the format of the drive.

If I get info on the drive, the mac thinks it's a PC server.
 
If it is just for Mac, get a Time Capsule...
 
Any Lacie NAS will work fine with MAC's. I have a 1TB Big Disk and a 4TB rack mount Lacie and both work just fine.
 
The Time Capsule will quickly go to sleep when inactive which is not much use when you have apps trying to access data. I've just bought and installed a Lacie nas which I'm accessing from three macs and two instances of XP under Parallels.
 
It would appear that if you want to use Time Machine, the drive needs to be physically attached and formatted for OSX. If you use it for Time Machine, then Time Machine has exclusive use ie you cannot use the device to (easily) deposit files for use across a network - iTunes for example or photos that are sorted for processing.

If you want a shared network device, that does not physically connect to a PC, then just about any NAS with what ever file structure you like. The downside is no Time Machine.

I just got a cheap end of line 320Gb Iomega NAS. I put it on and it just worked and only cost £54. Moved my files that I want backed up to it without issue and can now access shared areas on the NAS with both Macs. Dropped iTunes to it as a shared resource and that works like a charm.

Got a small external hd for Time Machine for the main Mac.

If any of my assertions are incorrect, grateful if you'd put me straight, thought that I'd document what I found to save someone else doing it!



Chris
 
I use a buffalo NAS and it works fine if I plug in the RJ45 straight into my Mac Pro. If I connect it to my wireless router it doesnt see it....this may be fixable but for now it works fine for me.
Now the Mrs who uses a PC can see it as we are on the same network so not a bad little setup. Not cheap though, I got the Linkstation Duo which is quite a few bob
 
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