Multi-User Storage for Photos???

[mabas9395]

I'm not the real techie type, but I do know enough to really mess up my system without even trying. So rather than setting something up, having it not work, and coming to you guys for help, I thought I would just start here.

We've decided that we now need to become a three-computer family so that my kids aren't Twit-Face-Spacing when I'm trying to Lightroom.

Since everyone also has digital/phone cameras, I would like to have a central location that everyone can download and access photos (and othe files) from their own computers. I've been looking into this and it appears that a Network Attached Storage (NAS) is the way to go.

What should I be looking for in a NAS?

-I was thinking of probably just a 2-drive system of 1 TB each, one for main storage and one for backups. (I would then include this drive in my regular backup routine of taking portable HD's to work).

-Will an ethernet based storage device give me any performance issues trying to work on my 15MB RAW files in Lightroom? (My photos are currently on a 2nd eSATA HD on my main machine)

-Anyone have any recommendations for a good NAS system? I hear that Drobo's get good reviews for a storage system but you have to pay extra for the networking function (which is one of my main goals).

-Any good "cyber monday" deals anyone knows of?

-Or am I even on the right track here or is there a better option out there?

-What else should I be thinking about?

Thanks in advance,

 

[afo]

Look at the Windows Home Server. It comes with multiuser access and a photo share system. You can controll access, and it doubles as an auto backup for your in-home computers as well. I use the HP home server but there are others, the whole system with a couple of TB's will cost under $750.

 

[boBQuincy]

We went the low-tech low-buck way by putting one of our old PCs (866 MHz) on our LAN and filled it with some large hard drives.