What sort of options are available for creating something that works like Dropbox only just on your local network?
Dropbox works ok, but it sort of requires files to be duplicated inside of all of the local machines. I want my project-related files all stored in one place, not inside of different machines, because I’m at the point where I’ve got tools that run on one or another machine that can’t be upgraded further without a big cost, while the existing ones still work just fine for my needs. Also, I don’t want to have to pay for multiple licenses for something (eg., MS Office) when I can just use one machine for that.
I’ve got two older Intel-based Mac Minis, a new (M4) one on order, and just got a little Dell Optiplex box; I want them all to be able to access a common file-store in order to share files. I also want to be able to use my various mobile devices to connect to the local WiFi hub to see them if needed. (Maybe I could use the Optiplex for that since it’s intended to be a server anyway. It needs to run Windows tho.)
I also have a small 4GB Samsung T-9 that’s fast enough that it performs like a local SSD storage when connected to a USB 3.2 Gen2 port. I want to make it visible to all of the machines, and be able to add more in the future as my needs expand. (This thing is the size of a stack of 10 credit cards.)
In a perfect world, there would be something like a USB port multiplexer with USB 3.2 Gen-2 plugs on two sides that lets you plug in some external USB drives on one side and computer USB connections (or just an ethernet cable) on the other side. Each computer would be able to see each of the USB drives and interact with them as if they were all plugged into each machine. I’m not aware anything like this exists.
Maybe I could hang something off of the main router? But then it’s just another machine acting as a file store, like a NAS, but it needs to be really simple and just look like other mounted drives, like how we used to see drives on file servers 20 years ago (F:, G:, H:)
But if I plug it into the switch in my office that’s also plugged into the main router (via wire) then that’s the same thing.
Are there any appliances that fit this use-case that don’t cost very much? Or could one be built fairly easily?
-David Schwartz
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