Help building Camera Server Storage Solution

Alright heres the deal. I use dell pc's for IP camera servers. However, I run into a problem being able to stick enough storage in the pc's I order. They either dont have enough SATA slots or enough room in the case. I am looking for a solution I can use for all my servers so that I can just plug it in and instantly adding 4-5 Drives with one eSata port or maybe doing it over NAS. I will be recording to these from the computer so it needs to have some good transfer speeds. I use gigabit lan so that might make a difference. Building my own isnt an option due to it being way easier to just order from dell and have it already setup.

Ive looked at doing something like this but not sure if its the best choice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816111109

Any help would be appreciated.

How about the Intel SS4200-E? Fits 4 disks, is cheap, and performs pretty well. If you want better functionality you can easily install FreeNAS on it. I haven't used it myself, but it seems pretty popular and well-regarded. I've had good experience with qnap NAS units as well, though the prices are quite a bit higher there.

For anything bigger than 5-6 disks or so it really is much better value to build it yourself.

Not sure about that Sans unit, but be careful of performance on some of these low-end NAS. Some of them perform very poorly.

The QNAP stuff looks pretty nice. Any suggestions on which one to go with from them? Its recording surveillance video so I want something reliable.

Basically depends on your storage needs and budget. I find their stuff is pretty pricey, but the quality is high also. I have only used their rackmount units though, so if you're after the 'affordable' ones, I'm really not sure how they perform

You can find good tests on NAS performance at SmallNetBuilder.

From what I see these things have an sata hookup. Is that so you can use it as a DAS or is that to add external drives to it?

That thing is a DAS.

Frankly unless you are going to drop $1K on a pre-made unit that doesn't include drives you are not going to get near the performance or expandability that making your own would.

Here ya go: perfect!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822107039

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I dont mind spending money on something thats going to be reliable and a quality product. In the end as long as my customer is happy and can have an abundance of storage capacity for their cameras then they really dont mind paying a premium for it.

What kind of camera's do you have?

I would go to qnap's website to see if they are compatiable with their NAS devices before you purchase.

Otherwise I own a qnap 439 pro and it has been working great. very easy to use and configure.