USB network. Is it possible?

So, I have 4 computers in one room and I want persons in each computer
to save files into a single place, which everybody can access to modify or
copy, etc.

So, is it possible to get a big 1 terabyte USB, connect it to a USB router, and
from there connect each computer?

Thanks,
-S-

Originally posted by Seitse
So, I have 4 computers in one room and I want persons in each computer
to save files into a single place, which everybody can access to modify or
copy, etc.

So, is it possible to get a big 1 terabyte USB, connect it to a USB router, and
from there connect each computer?

Thanks,
-S-

Originally posted by hopscotch
Theoretically, anything is possible, but I'll just answer very simply with:

Don't do it.

By "1 terabyte USB" I'm assuming that you mean a flash disk, flash memory is unreliable, it's fine for short term or unimportant things, but for business you don't want to store your important data on it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage

Probably not much more than a plain drive these days, but worth the extra for what you want.

Edit : Get a barebones one, and stick you own drive in it if you have to.

Originally posted by Russ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage

Probably not much more than a plain drive these days, but worth the extra for what you want.

Edit : Get a barebones one, and stick you own drive in it if you have to.

Originally posted by Seitse
Dear Dr. Ruth,

The box in the shop says "1 terabyte" hard disk.

Is hard disk the same as memory stick?

What options do I have to do by myself something like what I described above?

Thanks,
-Clueless in Noob Town-

Like this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buffalo-Drivestation-External-Hard-Drive/dp/B001ER6CIW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258552504&sr=8-1

No. Like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buffalo-LinkStation-MultiMedia-Attached-BitTorrent/dp/B001FNYWFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258552657&sr=1-1

Wait, are these computers even connected to each other?

You could run a simple network and have your 1tb drive on one of the computers as a shared drive. Less fuss in the long run. It'd be cheaper than buying the station for the 1tb drive, and data transfer would be faster.

Originally posted by hopscotch
Wait, are these computers even connected to each other?

You could run a simple network and have your 1tb drive on one of the computers as a shared drive. Less fuss in the long run. It'd be cheaper than buying the station for the 1tb drive, and data transfer would be faster.

But the computer that the 1tb drive hangs off of would have to be on in order for the others to access it. Any of these solutions will require an Ethernet network of some kind.

Some routers support an external HD; most don't.

Originally posted by sbacat
But the computer that the 1tb drive hangs off of would have to be on in order for the others to access it. Any of these solutions will require an Ethernet network of some kind.

OK, a NAS device has its own network connection port, so the other PCs see it like a server. So long as it's on the network, any PC can see it and access files from it.

In the scenario where you buy a USB external, it hangs off an individual PC, which then shares the drive on the network. If somebody turns off the PC that is physically connected to the USB drive, nobody on the other PCs can see the files because the PC that's hosting the shared drive is off.

You're still speaking computer to me, dude.

Does this mean that I buy that amazon link you sent, and then I connect that
thing into the router? Or do it connect it through a USB split to each and every PC?