Anyone know of a NAS box that can...

[thelostswede]

You put an LSI RAID card in there

 

[lore]

Yes

This one:
https://www.lsi.com/products/storagecomponents/Pages/LSISAS9210-8i.aspx

It's easy to find. Named IBM M1015 comes with some server and it's immediately swapped by many, so it ends up on ebay for cheap. Flashed with the last LSI IT firmware, works like a charm. Search ebay for M1015 and see yourself

 

[blink999]

If you're getting one of those HP boxes, you might almost as well build a mini-ITX system

Show me a mini-ITX that's a more-or-less turnkey ready-to-rock-and-roll (just add storage) low(ish) power system with easily accessed 4x3.5" hard drives, CPU, GigE, RAM, for $225 shipped...

 

[guinea_pig]

... and there's another issue no one has mentioned before:

As far as I know there is no NAS actually in the market that is able to run Mac journaled disk format. And this is essential for iPhoto or Aperture!

What I am looking for is a "real" OS X NAS including:

- 2 HD's in RAID 1 mode (24/7)
- Time Machine backup on a third disk
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Disk format is Mac OS journaled
- Mailserver on NAS to collect Mails from different providers (POP) and share them via IMAP throughout the network
- low energy (i.e. SSD for OS)

I am actually running a Buffalo NAS for all Data-Files and a Synology (mailserver only). But both are not very comfortable. The iPhoto-library must be stored on a separate time capsule and the mailserver is not as reliable as I would expect in the 21st century ...

So, if anybody has ever build such a NAS please post your parts list!

 

[BitterMelon]

... and there's another issue no one has mentioned before:

As far as I know there is no NAS actually in the market that is able to run Mac journaled disk format. And this is essential for iPhoto or Aperture!

What I am looking for is a "real" OS X NAS including:

- 2 HD's in RAID 1 mode (24/7)
- Time Machine backup on a third disk
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Disk format is Mac OS journaled
- Mailserver on NAS to collect Mails from different providers (POP) and share them via IMAP throughout the network
- low energy (i.e. SSD for OS)

I am actually running a Buffalo NAS for all Data-Files and a Synology (mailserver only). But both are not very comfortable. The iPhoto-library must be stored on a separate time capsule and the mailserver is not as reliable as I would expect in the 21st century ...

So, if anybody has ever build such a NAS please post your parts list!

How is that essential? You never need to worry about the underlying file system on a network drive, that's the whole idea of networking. As long as the NAS supports the AFP protocol to full (or full enough) extent, it will work. Synology supports AFP with all the bells and whistles as far as I know, as do many other NASes.

If iPhoto still won't work, it pretty much means that you could never use iPhoto on a network drive. The file system does not matter.

 

[guinea_pig]

How is that essential? You never need to worry about the underlying file system on a network drive, that's the whole idea of networking. As long as the NAS supports the AFP protocol to full (or full enough) extent, it will work. Synology supports AFP with all the bells and whistles as far as I know, as do many other NASes.

Nope! This is a known issue in iPhoto. Just check the Apple support database or forum - there are several threads concerning this. Don't ask me why they made it like this, but it's a fact.

If iPhoto still won't work, it pretty much means that you could never use iPhoto on a network drive. The file system does not matter.

You got it! The only way to manage this is to convert the iPhoto library into a disk-image. CON: It will be neccessary to open the image before opening iPhoto. I tried this out, but it's extremely uncomfortable and slow .

And the MAILSERVER issue is a never ending story! Only Synology offers a Mailserver-on-NAS that can be setup and managed by people without deepest knowledge of all those mail-specifics. A real Mac-NAS running OSX Server would be a real advantage.