Workiing 'redundant' Storage Solutions for small business'??work

Hey People,

Getting pretty sick and tired of having to go back and forth fixing STUPID problems with simple RAID configurations and External Devices (mostly stand alone internal RAID 1 Mirrors) that just don't seem to work! The INTEL RAID software certainly has 'compounded' issues with 'BACKUPS' and even while using 'Enterprise Quality Drives', I STILL get broken mirror arrays and 'odd' data integrity issues.
Oddly, I've had as good or better results with secondary drives installed while using ACRONIS or related 'BACKUP' software. I've also had some success with a few Dlink 323 NAS devices that have been running for over two years with only the need for the occasional required re-boot. Of course these particular units have no SATA/USB port and are 'HORRIBLY' slow over most Networks. I'm At my wits end!

My questions is this;

I seem to be at the MERCY of the Computer Hardware of the individual user, so I'm looking for something that can be used as a external device for a SINGLE desktop AND a similar setup that has the ability to be used as a FAST 'working' storage device over a network for multiple users (3 to 8 maximum..usually).

I guess what I'm looking for is a 'RELIABLE' 'WORKING' RAID 1, 5 or 10 configuration that is 'External' to the users 'Stand-Alone' Workstation (Perhaps an added PCI controller (SATA II / III) w/ external box?) and of course the option to use something SIMILAR over a Local LAN (connected to the HUB or router?).
I suppose the other question is WHICH DRIVES tend to work best in these devices as well! (I've had 'Brutal' experiences with the Seagate drives and 'even' some of the Western Digital Enterprise units!) Hard Drives seem to be 'Critical' and if drives don't 'error correct' and and eventually 'time out', they constantly come up with errors and/or then break the array and as such, then they're pretty useless for the aforementioned purpose.

I need some input and Any and ALL suggestions (especially those who are having success with same issues) would be GREATLY appreciated!

Cheers,

/J...

We tried messing with solutions like you mention in the past. Gave up.

We now only use high quality drives in high quality NAS devices on gigabit networks.

Nothing is perfect, yes even a linux box needs rebooting from time to time, but overall it can be an excellent solution for you.

Note that with a NAS the more you spend the more you get. A DNS-323 is a nice little unit for home use but will not blow the doors off anything.

QNAP will blow the doors off everything including your budget. That's why we USUALLY - not always - pick from the Netgear ReadyNAS lineup.