Topic: Home network configuration ideas? (network storage, XP, OSX, etc.)

[spott]

Figured I'd tap the knowledge database...

I've got the following at home:

Ubuntu 6.06 - Dell Dimension 8200, Pentium 4 - 2.0 GHz, 512 RAM, 80GB
WinXP Pro SP2 - Dell Dimension 4550, Pentium 4 - 2.0 GHz, 256 RAM, 100GB (60 GB / 40 GB)
OS X 10.4.6 - Macbook Pro 15", Core 2 Duo 2.16 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB
Linksys WRT54G with DD-WRT v23 SP2 (09/15/06) VPN Firmware

I've been toying with the idea of network attached storage, or perhaps a media server... After I made the switch to the Macbook, I'm really not using my desktops anymore (who'd a thought?).  My only complaint is that I don't have enough storage space on my laptop.  I'd like to have a central storage site for my FLAC's / mp3's and maybe even run one of my desktops to my Marantz PM7200 amp. 

First things first -  Are there any network storage devices out there that work with both XP / OS X? Something I could plug into the router and voila' - I could have 500GB of storage space?  Sharing freely between both platforms. 

Next, never thought I'd consider P4 machines as "old" but does anyone have interesting ideas on what I could use them for (they don't have a ton of RAM, but I could always get some more).  I've seen that people are really digging mythTV (the linux version of free TiVo), or maybe a media server of some description?

Is anyone doing something "cool" with older machines at home?

Thanks in advance,
Spott

[F.O.Bean]

all I have to say, while running a network over my ethernet cable, it was incredibly slow and painful, i would avoid that route at all costs

of course YMMV

[Lil Kim Jong-Il]

Dlink 323 NAS is a great solution.  I bought one and set it up as a .5TB RAID.  I have all my media on it now.  You can expose it as an FTP server though your router and it will act as a UPnP media server.  It shows up as a CIFS network share to my linux and winXP machines on the LAN.

I am in the process of looking at UPnP client software to listen to music from my laptop but if you have a mythTV system you can access the NAS via UPnP from that. 

[spott]

Cool, and +t for the thoughts... still doing research.