NAS solution help for 50+ users (PC&Mac)

[JLHetz]

I am trying to setup a NAS system for the house I live in with upwards of 50-60 guys (maybe 10-20 accessing it at one time) to store movies, music, study files, and possibly some software for the house to be able to access anytime.

Right now we have 3 2TB 3.5" HDDs with the different files on them that I need to implement into a NAS.

I've been looking into freeNAS and unRAID but wasn't sure which is more preferred for this type of use or if there is something better out there. I'm also looking into putting the HDDs into a few year old server-tower that has been sitting around and wondered if I would need something more up to date for this many users. (I don't know the specs on the server I plan to use because I have to get it from a friend still)

So to sum this up I'm looking for:

1. Software to use

2. Possibly hardware recommendations

3. Any other possibility I haven't mentioned already

[cybertimber2008]

What's your budget?

[JLHetz]

Looking to spend as little as possible, but if something is needed to make it work smoothly than I will definitely be making purchases as needed.

[Vice]

I'd recommend using something that can do ZFS and stick a ton of memory in it. 50+ users will be a lot of work for the hard disks if they are all accessing files simultaneously, ZFS will try and keep as much data in memory as possible and will give you the best performance for your dollars without needing an exspensive RAID card.

I believe that FreeNAS does support ZFS but I'm not sure how broad its support is. I know that Solaris has full support however.

For hardware I'd recommend a LGA 1155 system with a motherboard that has a lot of PCIe slots so you can stick in a lot of HBA's or preferably a HBA with SAS which you can combine with an SAS Expander.

[wrack]

If you afford a proper hardware solution then have a look at the QNAP.