Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

EnVoy · Apr 3, 2009, 12:38 PM

I did a search but couldn't find anything recent. I'm looking for a 1tb NAS that is Mac (AFP) compatible. I bought a Buffalo Linkstation Flexnet, but is a piece of crap and is not AFP compatible. Reformatting it to HFS+ makes it not work.

All I really need is an enclosure, I could get my own disk.

TIA

ghporter · Apr 3, 2009, 01:39 PM

Support for AFP is very hard to come by in netdisk enclosures, whether they're sold with or without a drive. What do you use that requires AFP versus some other connection protocol like SMB?

Simon · Apr 3, 2009, 01:45 PM

Take any USB enclosure and any SATA disk. Plug it into an AP Express. Done.

Of course that won't be fast. But consumer NAS is always slow anyway. At least it's cheap.

Timo · Apr 3, 2009, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

Take any USB enclosure and any SATA disk. Plug it into an AP Express. Done.

Of course that won't be fast. But consumer NAS is always slow anyway. At least it's cheap.

Is this reliable? When the AP express first came out it didn't work well, if at all.

olePigeon · Apr 3, 2009, 04:06 PM

If you get an AirPort Extreme, it also works as a 4 port switch. You can plug gigabit directly between your computer and the AirPort for decent NAS performance.

mduell · Apr 3, 2009, 05:01 PM

Thecus supports AFP (even over AppleTalk) and their products generally have pretty good performance. Unfortunately the price matches, with the N1200 at $200 (+$100 for a 1TB disk) and the N199 a tad cheaper if you can find it.

Originally Posted by olePigeon

You can plug gigabit directly between your computer and the AirPort for decent NAS performance.

The link isn't the problem, the internal processor is. Airport Extreme and Time Capsule are glacial compared to the link.

olePigeon · Apr 3, 2009, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

The link isn't the problem, the internal processor is. Airport Extreme and Time Capsule are glacial compared to the link.

Didn't know that. I've never used one like that.

Simon · Apr 4, 2009, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

If you get an AirPort Extreme, it also works as a 4 port switch. You can plug gigabit directly between your computer and the AirPort for decent NAS performance.

Even fast Ethernet is much faster than consumer NAS. The problem's never the network bandwidth. It's always the bridge CPU in the NAS.

Adding Gigabit to consumer NAS doesn't make a difference. What does make a difference is paying for high-end NAS (>$1k) or better yet, going straight to DAS.

olePigeon · Apr 4, 2009, 04:20 PM

Could wait to see if Apple implements 1384c Firewire. Runs over ethernet.

mduell · Apr 4, 2009, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by olePigeon

Could wait to see if Apple implements 1384c Firewire. Runs over ethernet.

1394b can use Cat5e cabling (with 8P8C connectors) at S100 (100Mbps), and 1394c will extend that to S800 (800Mbps), but neither will run over ethernet.

ghporter · Apr 4, 2009, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

...but neither will run over ethernet.

Good distinction. Some people think that if it uses Cat5, it's "on ethernet" when it's just on the same kind of cable. I think olePigeon knows the difference (and used a verbal shortcut), but a lot of people would think they could route that stuff.