FAQ

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h1. What is Aurinoco's NAS service?

Aurinoco's NAS service provides networked file systems such as Windows shares.

h2. Features

* Provided by monitored servers in A/C rooms with UPS backup and Diesel generators

* Primary and standby servers.

* Synchronisation to standby via snapshots.

* Backup via snapshots, retained for 28 days

* Space in increments of 100 GB, max 80% utilisation.

* Group and user administration

h2. Cost

The NAS service requires disks and associated servers.  Thus it has a real cost in hardware that has to be bought outside Auroville.  So Aurinoco must charge.  Prices were calculated to cover actual cost only.

  * Rs.6 per GB per year, increments of 100 GB

  * Rs.24 per GB per year contribution to server costs

  * Free buildings, AC, de-humidification and UPS

  * Free systems administration

h3. Cost comparison with a commercial offering

Direct comparisons are impossible because:

* Typical commercial offerings do not include a standby server or backup.  

* Remote commercial offerings are accessed at Internet speed rather than Aurinoco's in-Auroville network speed.

For example, a Hetzner "storage box":https://www.hetzner.com/storage-box is cheaper than Aurinoco's NAS service.  In Aug 2018 and ignoring any currency conversion cost:

* Hetzner BX10 has 100 GB for Eur 2.90 pcm > Eur 35 pa > Rs.2,881 pa.  Aurinoco's NAS service for 100 GB would be 3,000 pa.

* Hetzner BX30 has 1 TB for Eur 7.90 pcm > Eur 95 pa > Rs.7,990 pa.  Aurinoco's NAS service for 1 TB would be 30,000 pa.  That feels like too much.  Maybe the simple "Rs.30 per GB per year" needs reviewing. 

h1. Supported networked file systems

h2. CIFS share (previously SMB share, commonly known as Windows share)

Implemented.

h2. NFSv4

In development.