jlebeau put a NAS server together and installed FreeNAS and MS Windows Home Server (WHS) to see which one had the best features. As so often, both product have their good and bad points:
I recently put together some spare hardware to build a home storage server. When you think about all the things you have on your computer(s) these days–pictures, music, movies–you have to think about having a way to back it all up. You can use online backup services, or if you have a bit of time and the hardware to do it, build a home storage server.
I scrounged up some hardware that I had lying around, and got a pair of 1 TB hard drives. With the price on hard drives so low, it only makes sense to give yourself plenty of space. Then the big question was software. FreeNAS is an open-source project based on FreeBSD with a ton of great features. Also, as a member of the Microsoft Partner Program, I had access to the newest version of Windows Home Server. The biggest advantage of WHS is the integration of Windows clients and automated services.
Windows Home Server
- WHS recommends a 2GHz CPU, 1 GB of RAM
- The best feature, in my opinion, is if you need to add more storage
- WHS also has some nice features as a media server
- Third-party plug-ins
FreeNAS features
- Low spec server requirement
- Easy installation
- Documentation not as good
- ZFS support
- several sharing services (incl iTunes)
jlebeau concludes that
Both products are good and well worth using, but for me, FreeNAS was the choice with running a mixed Mac/Windows household. If you are setting one up for yourself, and you are tech savvy, go for FreeNAS. If you want something that is a little more plug-and-play, and you don’t need the cross-platform compatibility, Windows Home Server is a good choice too.
Read the whole review: Storage Server Challenge: FreeNAS vs. WHS
