network attached storage

Frederico wants to know what network-attached storage (NAS) he should get and what he can do with it other than backing up. Leo says that he uses the Synology line and you can use it to put an email server on it, a media server, and of course, backup. It's ideal for keeping everything you want protected off the cloud. Leo also recommends turning off SSH (secure shell). It's a popular target for hackers. In fact, only turn on services you use and need. You can also turn on Geographic Blocking to avoid any traffic outside the US. You can also white-list countries and IP addresses. 

Henry has a Synology NAS at home and at the office. But he's having issues with Windows users in his company being able to access it remotely. How can he do that? Leo says that remote access via SMB may have a security issue that causes Synology not to support it. There is an open-source version called CIF that should work, however. It can also support NFS. Leo can log into his using Windows, Mac and Linux with no problem. Make sure you have all the ports open that you need. CIF uses 139 or 445. NFS 5005,5006. Synology also supports SSH.

Joey has a server running OpenNAS. But is FreeNAS a good option? Leo says that FreeNAS has been renamed TrueNAS, but it's essentially the same. Leo would certainly recommend it, and if you have the hardware, go for it. 

George's IOCell NAS lost connection after he upgraded to Windows 10. Leo says that what's important with a RAID NAS is having it built into the firmware. If the operating system itself is doing the reading with drivers, it's possible that the NAS company hasn't a driver for Windows 10. As such, Windows can't see it.

Roger just got a new Synology NAS and wants to know if he can put his old Synology hard drives into it. Leo says it may not be able to due to the age of the older NAS. There is a good app that comes with your Synology called Hyper Backup that will automatically sync two Synology's so that you have the same data on both. So instead of getting rid of it, use it as a backup to the backup, or at least migrate from one to another.

David is heavy into Photography and has set up his own website. Now he's handling all the storage for his photos. Can he create a NAS to back everything up that he can access it? Leo says that David has done the right thing by storing his photos on SmugMug. Leo says to check out DPBestflow.org for tips on the best practices for backing up your data. Leo relies on a 321 backup strategy: three copies, two different formats, one off-site.

Jeff recently cut the cord and set up Ooma for his phone service with WiFi calling since he has lousy cell reception. But the problem his voice is cutting out. Leo says that the router is the likely culprit. This is because it affects two different devices. But it's possible that Jeff's internet company is being anti-competitive, favoring their own internet phone service over any others. One possible solution is to not use their modem and router. He can buy his own modem and router and then save a monthly rental fee at the same time. Leo recommends DOCSIS 3.1. Leo likes the NetGear CM1000.

JC has a ton of pictures on his computer and they aren't organized. It's a real mess on his hard drive. How can he organize them in the Cloud so that they are not only backed up but easier to access? Leo says that Google Photos is ideal, but they only backup unlimited hires JPEGs, not the uncompressed RAW versions that JC wants. But it's a good backup to the backup.

Steve Martin also uses a Windows computer and an iPad, and often they don't talk well together. He's also been getting a lot of his emails being routed into SPAM. He's had to physically move them back to the Inbox, and he's worried that he'll miss an important email from business or friends. Leo says that the SPAM filters have gotten so good, that they're now starting to get false positives as ISPs get really aggressive with the spam filters.