Bill,
With all due respect to Eric, you not only need to go back to the drawing board, you need to get a bigger one and new markers.
When you use something for which it was not intended, you run into problems. There is a term in IT called "Best Practices." Like EBM, you don't have it for everything but, when you do, you want to follow it.
Putting a live database on an NAS is not recommended. NASes, as the name implies, are designed primarily for file and backup storage. It is pure and simple Network Storage. While the Netgear unit you mention is a good unit, it is basically external hard drives. There are some high end, very expensive iSCSI NAS units for businesses that actually run server OS where you can install SQL on them. Keep in mind that SQL Server generally cannot be installed on an NAS but would need to be installed on a server. The data files could then be moved to NAS, but I am not sure why that would be useful.
An NAS is not designed for high availability nor high performance. They are far slower and more burdensome to deal with than a server. You will run into noticeable slowdowns and issues whether you use Gigabit cards or not. The speed of a network is always due to the slowest component just as a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Also, GB networks do not run at 1,000Mbs but more in the 350Mb range. Think of a hydroelectric car. It doesn't matter whether it is on a rural road or an Interstate, it can still only go 35MPH.
SQL Express and MySQL are different and can be installed on XP/Vista.
Every once in awhile there is a thread that talks about the use of NASes for the database in place of a server. I think the time to think of an NAS is when you are using a PC as a server on a workgroup or a server in a domain setting and you realize that you are running out of room for files, etc. Rather than add another drive or redo the RAID or whatever, you may decide to go with a storage option such as an NAS. Or maybe your PC that you are using does not have RAID and you wish to put your data on an NAS that uses RAID. Also, obviously, it can be used for backups.
If you find yourself having to find a different database solution, then consider an SAN rather than a NAS.
Given that the Netgear NAS mentioned runs about $900, why not go ahead and get a relatively inexpensive HP server for a little more than double that. Yes, you can get one for that with RAID and with 4GB of RAM. You would have to purchase an OS and CALs, but if you were to go with SBS 2003, you would end up with a real server, Exchange Server, Sharepoint, Active Directory and all of the other benefits of having a domain.
An networking guru once told Adam and me in reference to using XP Home on a business network, "What is it about xp HOME that you don't understand?" I think the same goes for NAS. What is it about Network Attached Storage that you don't understand. (That is for a clear emphasis on the above -- not intended to be insulting).
