I'm setting up a NAS backup solution for a client. He's a home user with a laptop and two desktops. The laptop is running Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit. One desktop is running Windows 7 Pro 64 bit. The second desktop is a Mac running Windows XP on it.
I've never used a NAS hard drive but assume it's basically a hard drive that's ethernet connected to a router that can be accessed over the Internet or from any computer on the network. Is this true, or are they a special kind of animal?
We're looking for a 2 or 3TB drive. He doesn't have that much data.
The NAS drives run their own backup software. I run Acronis for backups on my computers. Will I be able to run Acronis to the NAS? Is there any advantage to running the NAS manufacturer's software? I'm wary of backup software in general, especially software I haven't extensively tested.
I've been reading reviews of various drives on Newegg and Amazon. Some say that certain drives are very slow and others that the software is bad, or they charge you for it. I'd like information on these types of drives in general and recommendations for specific drives.
Thanks,
Al
Al