Buffalo Nas System

[fatgaz]

hi peeps, sorry if this seems like a daft question, I am looking to get a buffalo nas system to share files between my desktop and laptop all connected through a switch, now I think I am right in thinking that I need to install the buffalo on my main computer which would be the desktop, but will I need to install it on my laptop as well or can I file share to and from my laptop once I have installed just to my desktop, hope this makes sense, thanking you in advance for any replies

[VHG]

Firstly, you don't need to buy a NAS to share files between your desktop and laptop. If the desktop and laptop are both connected to a router you can set them up in a "network" so they can "see" each other and therefore share files.

But I guess you are buying the NAS for other reasons (backup, media server etc).

I have not got a Buffalo NAS but I do have another NAS and my guess is the Buffalo software you install on our desktop will give you userid and password access to the NAS, as well as allowing you to do basic NAS admin tasks.

If you DONT install the Buffalo software on your laptop then your laptop WONT have direct access to the NAS (as the NAS is password protected).

However if you set up simple networking (as I said earlier) between the desktop and laptop then you will be able to share files directly between the desktop and laptop, just not via the NAS, as the laptop will not have access to the NAS.

[VHG]

If I explain how I have it in my house this may help you.

I have 3 PCs in my house, a family one downstairs that my wife mainly uses, one for my son in his bedroom, and one for me in my small office upstairs.

All 3 of these PC connect to the same router, and they are all networked together, so I can sit at any one of the 3 PCs and see files and folders on either of the other two PCs.

I can also copy files and folders between any of the 3 PCs.

But connected to the PC in my office is a NAS, and I only have the NAS software on the PC in my office.

So I can connect to the NAS on the PC in my office, but my wife and son on the other two PCs CANT get access to the NAS.

If I want to put something on the NAS that is on my wife or sons PC I have to copy it to my PC first (over the network), then use my PC to copy it to the NAS.

So there is no need (if you don't want to) to put the Buffalo software on your laptop.

[fatgaz]

hi peeps thanks for the replies, I want to backup all my pics, docs, music etc to the buffalo and then be able to access them from either desktop or laptop and if I understand correctly the file transfer is faster than if just the 2 comps were networked together, but its mainly for backup reasons that I wanted to get the buffalo

[VHG]

I am not sure the file transfer will be any quicker from the NAS than it would be between your two computers.

A NAS is a small computer, often running Linux. The computer in the NAS will have a slow CPU, low amount of memory, and stores data using the Linux file system rather than the Windows file system (NTFS).

So I would say data will probably move quicker between your desktop and laptop (or vice versa) than it will from NAS to laptop or desktop.