[markw10]

I posted a question about Time Machine shortly after it came out but figured now that it's out longer things have changed a lot.
I use Leopard on two MacBook Pro's with 250GB drives. I want to start using Time Machine on each of them. I know I can get just about any Firewire or USB drive to use with it. Although I don't move the laptops a lot I think it would be nice if I could have a hard drive that connects directly to the ethernet network (NAS) and back up over that. I have several questions though.

1 I am looking at a 500GB to 750GB drive. Is this a good size for a 250GB MBP (using around 100-120GB)
2. To me it seems the optimal drive would be one that is triple interface (USB/Firewire/Ethernet) but if I can get it to work well on a network when I'm on the road could I simply move it to USB/Firewire and still use it with Time Machine and switch back to Ethernet when back at home?
3. I've heard that for using it on Ethernet the best thing to look for is a drive that is HFS+/AFP Ready. Is this true? The only one I've seen like this is the Lacie Big Disk. Are there any others?

I'm also considering adding a 3rd drive that would be in a sense a server drive to replace my Airport Base Station Drive (AirDisk) since that seems to have reliability problems.
If I get one of these drives would it be as easy to use as a AirDisk in the sense of being there in Finder whenever I use my computer?
Also, would it work with Back to my Mac so that I can access it from remote locations?

Thanks for help with the above questions.

[JustinHorne]

I picked up a 500 GB Iomega External a month or two back. A bit loud, and non Firewire, but it gets the job done well. Good price, too.
I also have a 500 GB WD that would work well for TM too. Same speed as the Iomega, but not nearly as noisy.

[Andrew_Campbell]

I've always been partial to the SeaGate FreeAgent Desktop drives for my backup needs. They provide excellent storage space for a reasonable price. If you're looking for a Firewire drive though, the FreeAgent Pro offers Firewire400 for slightly more money. On a side note, as with many other external Hard Drives, you'll need to format it to a Mac OS X Friendly format, as it comes formatted with NTFS standard.

[Don Pickett]

MacMall has been running some great deals on Fantom Drives lately. I picked up a triple interface 1 TB drive for $279.

edit: I've also heard nothing but bad things about LaCies lately.

[OreoCookie]

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