Distributed Data Storage on a LAN?

AgentSmith2 asks: "I have 8 computers at my house on a LAN. I make backups of important files, but not very often. If I could create a virtual RAID by storing data on multiple disks on my network I could protect myself from the most common form on data failure - a disk crash. I am looking for a solution that will let me mount the distributed storage as a shared drive on my Windows and Linux computers. Then when data is written, it is redundantly stored on all the machines that I have designated as my virtual RAID. And if I loose one of the disks that comprise the raid, the image would automatically reconstruct itself when I add a replacement system to the virtual RAID. Basically, I'm looking to emulate the features of hi-end RAIDS, but with multiple PCs instead of multiple disks within a single RAID subsystem. Is there any existing technologies that will let me do this?"

Comments

Why?

[Illbay]

...if I loose one of the disks that comprise the raid, the image would automatically reconstruct itself...

Why would you want to "loose" one of the disks? Don't you know they're supposed to stay tightly enclosed in their little boxes?

And why do you think that "loosing" the disk would help the image "automatically reconstruct itself?"

Actually, if you did that the disk would carom around the room like a very fast, very lethal Frisbee and you would be too busy trying to survive to worry about where your data went!

Just a thought

Otherwise, your plan sounds peachy.