Hi folks,
I'm a lost-cause kinda aging nerd - I can't help myself when it comes to trying out all kinds of options before paying for software (or hardware for that matter). The $$ aren't that big a problem - I guess I enjoy the challenge.
Anyway, storage at home led me to a Freenas environment for a while. Working with linux for many years, I was keen to build up my freebsd skills.
It as a satisfying ride for quite some time. Freenas is everything you could want it to be. I bought a beefy whitebox and went crazy with virtualbox and all kinds of (sometimes tricky) configuration.
At end-of-financial year, I decided to look for a low power box so I could leave the NAS functions online (already using many raspian boxes for various projects). I went shopping at my local (Ultimo in Sydney AUS) shop for a low power box to be my freenas always-on box..
I had a bit of a rush of blood and bought a DS218+ and some new drives - go figure.. there were no good, cheap off the shelf options that didn't need a lot of fiddling about.
The Synology DS218 became my favourite new toy.
In no time flat, I'm running out of space on the DS218 ;-)... Thought about a DS918+ and giving my DS218 to one of my kids.
Somehow, I stumbled across the xpenology project and stopped dead in my tracks. I'm often asked by family and friends to help them with their home kit. What I've learned so far makes xpenology sound like a great option for people watching their dollars. I'm going to dive in and use it for a while - see if my daughter and sons might get a nice new Christmas present (build from spares or course - making something is always more satisfying than handing over $$$.
Looking forward to the experience!
Ben
