RE: Was Compressing DVD ISO Images, now Storage solutions

["Ian Lowe" <ianlowe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Any free advice welcomed :-)  We have various servers that could
be used
as fileservers > if people think that NAS isn't the way to go.

Best advice: Get some proper paid IT consultancy...

What you have is too many "how long is a bit of string" type
variables..

Your calculation of 50Gb per person + 100Gb general suggests 20+ people -
that's well outside of NAS box country, and also at the point where a
workgroup style model isn't going to work so well..

So then the question comes down to what you have already? If you don't have
servers apart from the Netware box, and don't have a designated IT bod in
house, I would advise looking at Windows Server 2003 (largely for shadow
volume copies and the migration tools) or alternatively, if you have
someone
in house willing to learn (or with the skills already) Suse 10 (especially
with the Novell in place atm)

Being split site, Server 2003 (especially with Exchange 2003) is rather
nice
for performance, features etc.

Sub twenty users, it's a different set of options, and things like
Clarkconnect or the Contribs.org server come into the fore - they provide a
small office server + email etc for the cost of a download.

Personally, I wouldn't be looking at things like the terastation in a
business setting for anyone bigger than 5 users - and then, probably
alongside another server... *unless* you had a need for a self contained
group of users to produce silly amounts of transitive data..

See? Too many bits of string for a sensible answer ;)

Ian.