A Network Attached Storage or NAS is a device dedicated to providing data access on a network. NAS can be used in a home to stream movies, music, pictures or data through the house or in a business, to store important data whatever its size. While commercial offerings of NAS is plentiful, building an NAS from parts is no different than building a desktop computer and can be done by anyone. Building your own NAS will also allow you to customize it to a greater extent to what is commercially available.
Instructions
1. Open the boxes containing the hardware you will use for the NAS after grounding yourself to avoid static shock. Set the hardware on a large, clutter free table. Take the motherboard and open the processor socket. Drop the processor in the socket and close it. Install the memory in the slots by pressing on both end of the stick until it "clicks" in place. Install the processor heat sink and plug it to the motherboard.
2. Open the case and install the power supply. Install the spacers based on your motherboard size, install the motherboard back plate before securing the motherboard to the case with the screws provided with the case. Install the hard drive in the caddies and the caddies in the case. Connect the power supply cables to each of the hard drive and to the motherboard following your motherboard manual. Connect the hard drives to the motherboard or to the RAID card.
3. Boot the computer and check if all the fans and hardware turn on before losing the case. After closing the case, reboot and configure the RAID system if you choose to use one. Install the operating system you want to use. Any operating system can be used, but some free specializes options exist. FreeNAS and openfiler are good options for that use. FreeNAS will allow you to download torrents and use the NAS as an ITunes server while Openfiler has commercial support available.
Tags: Attached Storage, hard drive, Network Attached, Network Attached Storage, operating system
