NAS distributions

Looking for a way to create a central storage repository? Who isn’t these days! Shashank Sharma has some NAS solutions worth considering.

If you’re after a way of accessing all your data in an easily accessible central location, then you’re in luck! Shashank Sharma has some NAS solutions that are worth considering.

Atypical home user with access to a terabyte or two of disk space will have no use for a network attached storage (NAS) setup. While using multiple storage disks is an easy-enough solution for single machine setups, it’s not practical for a household or an office where you have several devices. With a NAS solution, users can easily share storage space across users and devices.

More often than not, a typical NAS setup comprises a specific combination of hardware and software that is designed to provide file sharing through services such as NFS and SMB.

Many manufacturers offer a variety of NAS boxes, but thanks to distributions such as the ones featured in this Roundup, it’s possible to configure your own NAS system. Configuring NAS, however, is far more complex a process than merely installing a distribution. Unlike desktop distributions, these don’t offer a live environment for you to fiddle with before deciding on the one that suits.

If you’ve never used a NAS before, it can be quite daunting to decide on a distribution. Hopefully, this Roundup will, if not make the final decision for you, help you realise some of the key factors to consider before selecting a distribution.