johnas;564915 Wrote: > Matt, I think there is some confusion about Vortexbox, it isn't a one > trick pony. Since it is running Fedora one can install a full range of > software on it, everything up to including a full desktop environment. > AFAIK there isn't anything the Synology does that Vortexbox can't do. > > With regards to the price, an Atom based nettop running Vortexbox is > cheaper than the Synology 109 where I live. > > That said, I am not saying that the 109 won't make a decent SB server. > Are you using the 109, how does it perform?
I understand the Linux point, and I am sure if you had the knowledge you could make the Vortexbox do everything the NAS can. But the point about the Vortex box is that it is simple to set up and run. The point of the DS109 is that it is also simple to set up and run - but it can do a whole lot more (out of the box) than the Vortexbox. Obviously, being a NAS, the applications are all biased towards storage applications and delivery over the web, but that is what I needed. I had the NAS before I decided to put SqueezeCenter on it, so the music server function was a "bonus". The value of the NAS is as much in the firmware and applications as in the hardware. The Synology NAS firmware is pre-loaded with a whole suite of simple to set up applications that most novices would hesitate to try and emulate with Linux or Windows. If I knew what I was doing I am sure I could program my PC to do all of this stuff, but it was a darn sight quicker and easier to do it via the NAS. As I say in the post I link to, there is no point in buying a NAS *only* to use it as a SBS server. But, if you also need a standalone data storage solution, a NAS running SBS can make economic sense. As regards price, it is a very close run thing here. I recently priced up a SBS "nettop" server myself and the cheapest I could do it was about £250 (admitedly with a faster processor and more memory than the NAS) compared to £225 for the DS109 with a 1TB hard disk. I think the street price of the DS109 here seems particularly low. I am using the DS107+ (see sig). This was the top single drive model from the 2008 Synology range. It has a 500MHz processor and 128MB of memory. The DS109 has a 1200MHz processor and 128MB of memory, so it should be quicker than mine. Certainly reviews have shown the network performance is way better. The 109 is basically the 107+ with a faster processor and faster networking. The DS107+ replaced SqueezeCenter running on my PC (a 2GHz Athlon 64 x2 with 2GB memory running XP). Using the Controller to choose music there was no discernible difference going from one to the other. However, the web interface is a bit sluggish on the DS107+. That said I only use the web interface to change settings and instigate scans. If I want to use a PC to initiate playing music I use SqueezePlay. I have about 5,800 FLAC files amounting to about 670 albums totalling 120GB of data. I have to say that once set up the DS107+ has been almost maintenance free - which is more than I can say about the Duet! Please note that my recommendation is heavily caveated that it should only be a single drive NAS model and should have a robust SBS implementation provided by the maker, otherwise you are not comparing like with like. Using multi-drive RAID is a waste of money in a domestic environment. I think iPhone's views are influenced by the <b>huge</b> size of his music collection which would stress any server, let alone a NAS. I think my collection of 670 albums is more typical of the average user. I am particularly pleased with the DS107+ so I suppose I am biased! -- TheLastMan Matt *SqueezeBoxes:* SB Duet (Controller + two receivers) *Server:* Synology Diskstation 107+ NAS (with firmware 2.3-1157) running Squeezebox Server 7.5.0 on Synology Package Manager *Network:* Netgear DG834GT ADSL modem/router, 2 x Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 as access points *Livingroom:* Receiver into Naim 42/110 amp, B&W CM2 speakers *Kitchen:* Receiver into Denon DM37 mini-system, B&W 686 speakers *Study:* Linn LP12, Naim 72/Hi-cap/Headline. LPs ripped usingBehringer UCA202 USB into Windows XP PC ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TheLastMan's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16021 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=80747
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