[RndTbl] USB3 to Ethernet, to make NAS

[Trevor Cordes]

On 2023-01-23 Hartmut W Sager wrote:
> Can someone here recommend some specific USB3 to Ethernet hardware
> adapters, to make a reliable NAS drive.  I want this architecture
> because the external USB3 drive will frequently need to be
> disconnected from NAS usage and connected locally to another computer
> via USB (for certain data updates).

If your plan is to do:

USB-HDD  <->  USB-LAN

It cannot be done.  There has to be a "smart" device, i.e. computer of
some sort, that speaks both USB-HDD and USB-LAN in between the two.
The only way it would work is if you found some magical product that is
"USB-LAN-can-speak-usb-hdd-protocols".  I'm not sure I've ever seen
such a thing?

Ah...

On 2023-01-23 Chris Audet wrote:
>    - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1762899257.html
>    - Just search for "Mini WAN NET Giga NAS FTP Dongle GIGA NAS FAT
> 32 / NTFS USB 2.0 Network Storage Adapter Dongle for FTP Server"

What Chris found is basically the magical product what you'd be looking
at (nice find!).  But USB2 only will be dog slow.  Anyhow, it's just a
little SBC computer doing the work for you as described above.  Probably
with Linux.  You could do the same thing with a Pi or other mini
solution.  I think these types of devices died out many years ago, and
not sure if they ever made a USB3 one.

I will warn that external USB HDDs are (usually) the worst quality
garbage drives the companies can produce.  Especially Seagate.  They
often explicitly state FOR BRIEF USE ONLY, i.e. not always-on in a NAS.
They aren't lying.  The motors/bearings are designed to fail after a
tiny number of hours.  WD might be slightly better.

If you do want to do such a thing, you might want to make sure you
RAID-1 the system.  Not sure how you do that with your
plug-in-via-usb-for-updates requirement... then again, why not plug it
into your "update computer" via Gb Ethernet?  Either Gb Ethernet or
USB3 will probably max out the rust speed, so nothing is gained via USB.

Whenever I need to do a "moveable" HD solution, I use the "5.25 bay to
3.5 sata rust drive external bay" things where there's a bay(s) you put
in computer(s) and drive caddies that slot into them that you can put
your drive(s) in.  They are cheap ($40ish?) and work well and protect
the drive better than external USB drive cases do.  You'd then need to
build a "real" NAS box that has a 5.25" bay for it.  (Still have the
problem of re-syncing any RAID though.)  I'd just build something with
a small size but-with-5.25"-bays case and some old mobo.  Pis won't help
though, as they don't have SATA.  You need an Atom or ITX or NuC type
thing.  Then run FreeNAS or just roll your own with your fave distro.