> You do realize that you don't have to buy a dedicated NAS, but can > build one yourself out of any old computer that can run Linux. Same for a > MySQL server.
Yes, of course. That however, is not a mistake I plan on repeating. I have about 5 servers I built myself out of Intel OEM parts, built to spec. They work fine for the most part, but they tend to be quirky. One failed suddenly earlier this year and one freezes every couple weeks or so. The worst part is that *I* am the warranty and dealing with Intel tech support is some bizarre, hell-like punishment. Never again. When I buy a Dell server, I know that I have their engineering expertise in designing the product and, most importantly, they are the warranty. I suppose if you have a staff filled with minions who have the spare time to deal with the problems from old or custom hardware, then this could be a workable solution. I don't have that kind of time nor the staff. Please try and keep some perspective on what it's like to run a small enterprise. I say enterprise and not business for a reason. A small business, say 20 people or so, can get by with POP email or an SBS server. We can't. We have the needs of a larger company, but on a much smaller scale and without *any* of the resources. You do what you can do with what you have. > After all, you want to protect against not just disk drive failure, but > also computer failure. Of course, but that is a luxury we can't afford. When you are poor(er), you learn to tolerate risk at a much higher level and deal with the consequences, knowing the risks. ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
