NAS Server for Dummies.....?

The NSLU2 is a device which can allow one computer to access data on a hard drive over a TCP/IP network. If you do not know what a NAS is, think of it this way - it is nothing more than a computer without a dedicated monitor, keyboard or mouse. That being said, if you do not know how to access files on another person's computer in your house, you will probably struggle with this device, too.

The NSLU2 is smaller than I imagined. It is an attractive little box with nice LED lights, a decent base, and the RJ45 Ethernet connection and USB connections in the back. Also included was a filter to be mounted around the NSLU2 end of the CAT5 cable. Has to do with interferance prevention.

The documentation is acceptable. Just remember, if you do not know how to administer your own wireless router, you will probably struggle with this. Not that it is more complicated, just that for people who have never dealt with a NAS, there is definitely a learning curve. The web-based menus for the NSLU2 are a little clunky - not the most intuitive arrangement of controls. Also, you are frequently prompted to re-enter administrative credentials. A minor annoyance, but one nonetheless.

Something that usually surprises people about this box is the need to use blank hard drives. Any pre-existing data will be erased when setting up the drive for the NSLU2. Linux is the OS running in the background, and for best results, it uses the ext3 file system - not NTFS (although, the latest rev of firmware for the NSLU2 supports NTFS - but speed of data transfer to and from the disk is much degraded when using NTFS).

I believe with a little patience and understanding of the must-erase-drive rule, the average user who already owns a wireless router and has broadband internet access will be able to make the NSLU2 function as intended - as a wonderful way to network storage.

Now for the fun: as an open-source device, there is more information on the web related specifically to the NSLU2 than you can imagine. The best alternate firmware for the average user is by far "uNSLUng", a firmware add-on, sort of, that maintains the original Linksys web page configuration but adds support for countless other features. My NSLU2 runs uNSLUng version 6, SSH and MT-DAAPD (iTunes server). I am not a Linux guru, and it was still relatively easy to set these up with the help of online forums. There are plenty of gottchas, so you have to be very careful, but the community is so big you are bound to find answers to any questions you have along the way.

Finally, depending on manufacture date, the NSLU2 is purposely underclocked at 133 MHz. There is absolutely no reason for this, so the later NSLU2s actually do ship at the proper 266 MHz speed. This website (http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/HowTo/OverClockTheSlug) will explain in detail how to very easily double the speed of your older, 133 MHz NSLU2. The process takes all of five minutes. By the way, though, even at 266 MHz, transfer rate to and from the NAS is "acceptable" - nothing light-speed, here. Still, fast enough to transfer a 4 gig ISO of a movie from the NAS to my computer in about 45 minutes. Example: using Daemon Tools on my laptop, I can mount a 4.5 Gig ISO of a backed up movie located on the NAS and watch it on my laptop with no skips, blips, or anything else that would lead anyone to believe the ISO isn't sitting right on my laptop hard drive.

The NSLU2 really can be considered a NAS Server for Dummies, in my opinion. I find it easier to share files with the NSLU2 than with Windows XP Home or 2000 Pro. People just need to keep in mind that, like a wireless router, this is NOT a plug and play device, and that the drive must be erased when you first plug it into the NSLU2. When you buy yourself one, pick up a new hard drive and an enclosure at the same time, and you'll be fine. You can get a 500 gig drive for a little over a hundred bucks right now, and another twenty for an enclosure. That's cheap storage!