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Building a NAS Device w/ Embedded OS?

Posted by Cliff on from the when-off-the-shelf-just-isn't-good-enough dept.

An Anonymous Coward asks: "I've been thinking about building a NAS device similar to the Quantum Snap Server Has anyone come across anyone else working on a similar project? One that at the very least uses a small integrated board and some sort of embedded OS? Ive seen several systems that run a full Linux OS and separate boot hard drives, but this solution seems a bit too bulky for whats really required. Something that features a FTP/HTTP/SMB interface would be pretty slick!"

1 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. What's Wrong with Linux? by nathanh · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't understand your aversion to Linux. Single floppy Linux distros (eg, Tom's Root Boot) + nfs-server + samba would do what you want.

    If you're worried about using a second hard disk as the boot device, then you're in luck. Use a CompactFlash card and an IDE-CompactFlash convertor. A 16MB flash is cheap. Install the single floppy Linux distro onto the flash and use a ramdisk for the root filesystem. Log everything remotely and Bob's your uncle.

    If you're worried about the size of the Linux box itself (power supply, motherboard) then spend some money and get a small PC. There are plenty of options available.