Ethernet/wired network setup with a basic NAS...

[Turbonium]

So I'm going to be building a basic NAS soon. The NAS rig itself will have 2 Ethernet ports (1 Gb, both integrated), and my main rig on the same network (which will be using the NAS) will have 2 Ethernet ports (1 Gb) as well (1 integrated, 1 NIC).

My network setup (without getting too detailed, as I'm frankly not that well-versed in the area) is:

main rig -> switch -> router -> ISP

How would I go about connecting the NAS to everything, from a physical standpoint? Do I just connect it to the switch and go from there? Or is it better to connect it to the extra/NIC Ethernet port on my main rig directly? Pros and cons, etc.?

My use for the NAS will be regular backups/storage of large files from my main rig, and regular access to them as well. I do also want to be able to regularly update the NAS software through the Internet directly as well, however.

 

[danb35]

Do I just connect it to the switch and go from there?

Yes.

Or is it better to connect it to the extra/NIC Ethernet port on my main rig directly? Pros and cons, etc.?

There really are no pros to this course of action. If the second port (on both the main rig and on the NAS) were of a higher speed, then there might be a slight advantage in speed, at the expense of complexity in setup.

 

[Turbonium]

Yes.

My Internet-access runs at around 750/750.

What happens if I'm downloading at full speed, while uploading, while sending/receiving with the NAS, all at the same time? It's only 1 Gb Ethernet, after all.

Is there any way to prioritize the Internet traffic? I don't want my Internet speeds or latency to suffer.

(Unless I'm missing something, everything will ultimately be going through the 1 Gb "switch to main rig" cable.)

Fwiw, I'm running a Pfsense router, and a managed switch.

 

[danb35]

What happens if I'm downloading at full speed, while uploading, while sending/receiving with the NAS, all at the same time? It's only 1 Gb Ethernet, after all.

Something's likely to give in that case, though bear in mind that gigabit Ethernet is full-duplex--you can simultaneously send and receive at 1 gigabit/sec. How often, and for how long, do you expect to be doing that? If your thought is that you're going to be downloading stuff (Linux ISOs, for example) and saving it to the NAS, consider instead how to download directly onto the NAS.

Is there any way to prioritize the Internet traffic? I don't want my Internet speeds or latency to suffer.

pfSense does support traffic shaping, so that's a possibility.

Fwiw, I'm running a Pfsense router, and a managed switch.

If you're using a managed switch, LAGG/LACP might help you, though there are lots of caveats there.

If you want lots of time with full-bandwidth downloads from the Internet, and full-bandwidth data transfer from your NAS, the real answer is to put a 10G NIC in each of your NAS and your desktop, get a small 10G switch (like, e.g., the Mikrotik CRS305-1G-4S+IN), and you're set. Plug the switch into your router with its single gigabit port, and your PC and your NAS each into a 10G port.

Do not stop at 2.5G, do not collect $200.

 

[Morris]

If you NAS is talking to local hosts, the NAS traffic should have little to no effect on the internet connection.

 

[nKk]

You can connect second NIC's of your PC and NAS to the switch and configure IP addresses from different network.
For example.
main NIC's (access to Internet) - 192.168.0.0 net mask 255.255.255.0
NAS NIC's (access to NAS) - 192.168.2.0 net mask 255.255.255.0

You use only IP address from 192.168.2.0 network to access NAS and will have 1Gb for Internet and independent 1Gb for NAS because the switch provide 1Gb per port.

 

[danb35]

You use only IP address from 192.168.2.0 network to access NAS and will have 1Gb for Internet and independent 1Gb for NAS because the switch provide 1Gb per port.

You can do this, but it's usually more trouble than it's worth.