NAS for a Computer Club: Storage for IZI Boot Images
NAS for a Computer Club: Storage for IZI Boot Images
Section titled “NAS for a Computer Club: Storage for IZI Boot Images”A NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a drive or server that every machine on the club’s local network can reach over a standard file protocol. In a gaming club its core job is storing the reference disk image — a complete, ready-to-go snapshot of a gaming PC including the OS, installed games, and the IZI client. When IZI Boot resets or restores a workstation, it pulls that image from the NAS.
Without local storage the image is fetched from the internet. At 20–50 GB per image that means 2–4 hours of recovery time per machine and a saturated external link. With a NAS on a gigabit LAN the same restore finishes in 15–30 minutes, and the external channel stays completely free for players. Full network setup guidance is in Club network: how to configure for IZI.
Why a club needs a NAS
Section titled “Why a club needs a NAS”Every gaming PC in a club runs disk protection: on reboot all session changes are discarded and the machine returns to a clean baseline. The clean baseline comes from the reference image. That image lives in one of two places:
| Local NAS | Cloud / external server | |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery time (30 GB image) | 15–30 min | 2–4 hours |
| Load on external link | 0 | Full |
| Parallel reset of multiple PCs | Yes | Practically impossible |
| Provider dependency | None | Yes |
When 3–5 machines need to be restored at once — after a power cut, on patch day, or before a tournament — no local NAS means hours of downtime and lost revenue.
Technical requirements for a NAS used with IZI Boot
Section titled “Technical requirements for a NAS used with IZI Boot”IZI Boot supports two file protocols for reaching the storage:
- SMB/CIFS — the standard Windows network share protocol. The most common choice.
- NFS — typical on Linux-based systems and most dedicated NAS appliances.
Minimum specs:
- Network interface: gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbit/s). This is a practical requirement, not a suggestion. Fast Ethernet (100 Mbit/s) pushes recovery time back above 2 hours and defeats the point of local storage.
- Capacity: image size × number of versions + 20% headroom. With a 30 GB image and two stored versions that means at least 72 GB free.
- Uptime: the NAS must stay online and responsive throughout the entire restore procedure. If it sleeps or reboots mid-transfer, IZI Boot cannot complete the image deployment.
What to use as a NAS
Section titled “What to use as a NAS”A dedicated NAS appliance is not required. Any of these options works:
Old PC with a shared folder. Any computer with a gigabit NIC and a spare hard drive. Set up an SMB share — IZI Boot treats it as network storage. Upside: free. Downside: higher power draw, no built-in RAID.
Dedicated NAS device (Synology, QNAP, or equivalent). Compact, low-power appliances with built-in data redundancy (RAID) and a web management interface. Upside: reliability, easy maintenance. Downside: upfront cost.
Existing club server. If the club already runs a server for billing or DHCP, a dedicated partition on that machine can hold the images. Saves hardware, but adds load to a single node.
NAS placement in the club network
Section titled “NAS placement in the club network”The NAS should sit in the same network segment as the gaming PCs — ideally the same VLAN, connected to the same switch. Every extra hop between a PC and the storage cuts transfer throughput.
Typical layout: hall switch → gaming PCs + NAS in one segment → router → external internet. With this topology, IZI Boot traffic between PCs and the NAS never leaves the switch and never competes with player internet traffic.
If you use VLANs to segment the network, make sure the gaming VLAN and the NAS VLAN have a routed path between them — otherwise IZI Boot cannot reach the image at all.
Related
Section titled “Related”- Reference image — what exactly is stored on the NAS and how the image lifecycle works
- IZI Boot — how IZI Boot uses the NAS image during PC reset and restore
- Club network: how to configure for IZI — full club network infrastructure layout including NAS placement
- Disk protection — the mechanism that makes a NAS necessary
Frequently asked questions
What is a NAS in a computer club?
A NAS (Network Attached Storage) is a drive or server that every PC on the club's local network can reach over a file-sharing protocol. In the IZI ecosystem its primary job is holding the reference disk image — a snapshot of a fully configured gaming PC. When IZI Boot resets or restores a machine, it pulls that image from the NAS rather than the internet.
Do I need a dedicated NAS appliance?
No. Any PC with a gigabit network card and an SMB or NFS shared folder works fine. Dedicated NAS devices (Synology, QNAP, etc.) are more convenient for reliability and power consumption, but they are not required — especially for smaller clubs.
How much storage do I need for disk images?
A typical image weighs 20–50 GB. Keeping 2–3 versions gives you a rollback option. Formula: image size × number of versions + 20% headroom. With a 30 GB image and two versions that is a minimum of 72 GB free space.
How much faster is local NAS recovery vs. cloud download?
With a 30 GB image over a gigabit LAN: 15–30 minutes from local NAS. Over a 100 Mbit/s internet link the same image takes 2–4 hours. The difference is compounded when resetting multiple PCs simultaneously — local traffic stays inside the switch and never competes with player internet usage.