This Old PC Gets a New Life as a NAS

This Old PC

We had an aging PC in our office that ran a version of MS that Microsoft was going to stop supporting so instead of getting rid of it I decided to find a new function for it.

I examined our IT needs and decided that I needed to improve our internal data storage by adding a NAS to the network (NAS – Network Attached Storage).

I made the NAS by:

1) Replaced the hard drive with a new larger drive.

2) The RAM was already sufficient, but it never hurts to add RAM if possible.

3) Installed a copy of Linux on the PC as the Operating System.

4) Updated the BIOs on the PC hardware.

5) Downloaded a copy of Free NAS onto the PC then configured it.

The end product is a NAS with decent processing power that fulfilled the needs of our office. Obviously this won’t work on an Enterprise level, but for our boutique office in Shanghai, China this was a great low cost solution and admittedly a fun project for me.

  

Years ago I wrote another blog post about utilizing an old PC in your small business.

I labeled it “This Old PC part one”, I was living in Shanghai at the time and unfortunately soon after that the Chinese blocked all non-Chinese blogs, the Great Fire Wall of China severely stopped my blogging.

I am spending a little time back in the USA after a decade in China and I am cleaning up an old laptop and I came across some old blogs and I have decided to go ahead and post some of them, though they might be a bit dated I hope they are some value to you.

David Nealis President of Ceres Ltd

In the past if a PC wasn’t up to task for its current role I would clean them up and try to repurpose them while using the old operating system. But in the current age that we live in with additional cybersecurity concerns that is no longer a feasible thing to do, even if this PC isn’t directly connecting to the internet it still is a security risk as hackers scan your network looking for the weakest link. When Miscosoft stops supporting an operating system  it becomes more of a liability on your network because security updates for it  end as well as for third party venders. This makes it a massive security liability on your network.

Previously I wrote about utilizing older PCs for print servers and DNS Servers, but we no longer have any PCs in the office so as I look to the future of my legacy IT equipment my imagination is at work thinking about what can I repurpose those laptops , tablets and smart phones to do.

This brings back memories of a fail project using an old palm pilot to be the brain of a very very simple robot. This makes me hope that I sent that to the e-waste collection place and it’s not rusting away in my basement or garage.

Here are the links to previous tech blogs of mine:

http://davidnealis.blogspot.com/2012/05/this-old-pc-part-one-while-running.html

http://davidnealis.blogspot.com/2011/02/airlink-101-anas350-nas.html

https://davidnealis.blogspot.com/2010/11/mid-irobot-android-tablet-pc.html

The AirLink 101 ANAS350 NAS

The AirLink 101 ANAS350 External Hard Drive Enclosure provides a cost-effective network attached storage solution (NAS).

It is specifically designed for small office and home office needs, providing a reliable and centralized data storage solution, with it you will be able to access your shared files from any desktop or laptop within your network.

The setup is easy, create a root folder or an individual folder and use the CD-ROM to create a drive letter for it on any computer needing access to the NAS.

It has a maximum of 20 user accounts, the various options are; a shared folder which can be accessed by anyone and private folders which can only be accessed by each user. You can specify the disk space for each folder; each user must have a username and password.

The Office NAS is a Samba server; Samba provides file and print services for various Microsoft Windows clients and can integrate with a Windows Server domain, either as a Primary Domain Controller (PDC) or as a domain member. It can also be part of an Active Directory domain.

A few more positives are:

1) It uses FAT32 for the hard drive so if something goes wrong, you can use a Windows recovery tools to retrieve your data.
2) There is more than one way to connect to it; it has a USB 2.0 port to directly connect to a computer for extra storage and an RJ45 jack to use as an NAS on the network.
3) It has built in Samba, FTP and DHCP.
4) It has a drive down setting. 0 means the drive is always on and you can set it to power down the drive when it’s not in use for a specific time period to save energy and extend the life of the hard drive.
5) It can media stream to client computers, so no wait time on downloads.

There are a couple negatives/limitations for example its only 10/100mbps (network speed) and there is no “Read Only” type protection from users deleting files that they have access too.

I bought the Office NAS by Airlink101 about two years ago, I know that seems like a long time to wait to write a review but I am writing the review now because recently a few people have asked me about an easy to use inexpensive storage solution and this is one of the solutions I use.

The Office NAS by Airlink101 has been a good stable product for me, I have a 500 Gig hard drive in it which is fine for my needs, if you are going to use it for media streaming I suggest getting a larger hard drive. I use it in a mixed environment of various Windows products and a Mac without any issues and it is very inexpensive, I believe I paid less then $200 for the complete set up plus an hour of my time. I can leave the Airlink NAS on 24/7 , I have the time to power down without activity set to 20 minutes; this saves on energy usage and extends the hard drive’s life. And It is mobile I have moved it from Chicago, to Shanghai and now to Hong Kong with out any issues.

Below is the link the Airlink website as well as the specs they list for the NAS.

http://www.airlink101.com/products/anas350.html

The technical specs:
Features/Specifications:
• AirLink 101 3.5-inch USB 2.0/RJ-45 Ethernet NAS External HDD Enclosure
• General Features:
• Advanced File Backup & Sharing for your Home or Small Business
• Network Attached Storage Solution
• Aluminum Housing for excellent heat dissipation
• Compatible with 3.5-inch IDE or SATA Hard Drive
• Supports up to a 1 TB Hard Drive (verified by in house test, requires firmware upgrade, see link below)
• Network file storage and sharing via My Network Places in Windows or Samba in Linux and Mac OS (v10.3 or later)
• USB 2.0 Hosts support up to two (2) USB 2.0 devices, including additional storage on USB flash drives
• Synchronizes backup files via USB 2.0 host
• 10/100 RJ-45 Fast Ethernet Connection
• Easy Setup for SMB / FTP Servers
• Advanced FTP Account Management
• Compliant with Windows backup utility
• Supports IP assignment for DHCP and Static IP
• Supports HDD sleeping mode for power saving
• File Type: FAT16/FAT32/EXT2/NTFS (read only)
• Standard Conformance: 10/100 Base-TX Auto MDI/MDI-X
• SDRAM: 32 MB
• Flash: 4 MB
• Power, LAN, HDD RW, HDD Status, USB1, USB2, Status/Backup LED indicators
• IDE Controller: Ultra DMA 133
• Backup, Shutdown, Reset buttons
• Humidity: Operating: 10~90% (non-condensing), Storage: 0~95% (non-condensing)
• Temperature: Operating: 0° ~ 40°C, Storage: -20° ~ 70°C
• RJ-45 Ethernet cable included
• Hardware included
• Lead-free
• I/O Ports:
• Two (2) USB 2.0 ports
• One (1) RJ-45 Ethernet jack
• One (1) On/Off button
• One (1) Power input
• Power Specifications:
• Enclosure Input: 12V / 4A
• Power Adapter Input: 100-240V~50/60Hz, 1.2A
• Power Adapter Output: 12V, 4A, 48W
• Dimensions:
• 2.04 x 5.9 x 8.5-inches (H x W x D, Approximate)
• Regulatory Approvals:
• CE
• FCC
• WEEE
• RoHS
Package Includes:
• AirLink 101 3.5-inch USB 2.0/RJ-45 Ethernet NAS External HDD Enclosure
• Quick Installation Guide
• Vertical Stand
• External AC power adapter
• Power cord
• Installation CD (Utility, User Manual, Quick Installation Guide, Adobe Acrobat Reader)
• 3-foot RJ-45 Ethernet cable
• Four (4) screws
• Four (4) rubber feet
Additional Information:

• Notes:
• Model: ANAS350
• Support for up to 1TB drives require firmware update
• UPC: 6 58729 08324 0
• *Mac v10.3 or later
• Product Requirements:
• Available power outlet
• Available RJ-45 port
• Available CD-ROM drive
• 3.5-inch IDE or SATA hard drive up to 1 TB
• PC Requirements:
• IBM compatible PC with 266 MHz or faster processor
• Microsoft Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP
• Mac Requirements:
• Mac OS 9.2 or later
• Power Macintosh G3 or later
Information Links:
• AirLink 101 Specifications
• User Manual (PDF)

Driver Links:
• Download Page: