Cheepy Nas Box

The least expensive is to pick up a second Ultra 4 (RNDU4220-100NAS) with 2x2TB drives already installed. Newegg lists this currently at $717. The diskless Ultra 4 is listed at $560 but because of the shortage of drives, 2x2TB drives will cost you $400 plus. That would be $960. Even using the older NV+ v1 which is $330 (with shipping) you would spend more after putting the disks in.

Even a JBOD box such as the SansDigital 5 bay TR5UT+B (which I have) which includes the card to enable your PC to talk to it, with 2x2TB drives (not in a raid) would still be $700 +.

I use rsync to synchronize my NAS1 (NVX BE) to my NAS2 (NVX Pioneer) every night starting a midnight. It only takes minutes to run. The initial backup using NFS to copy the files over takes hours, but then you switch the backup job from NFS to rsync and after that only the changes to the files are transmitted over.

It the second Ultra 4 is not feasible for you, then perhaps a 2TB external drive or a 2TB internal drive mounted in your PC and back up manually. A 2TB external drive can be connected to the Ultra 4 and a back up job created, but it will take a while to copy all that data. Once I got over 1TB I was looking for a quick and easy way rather than an inexpensive way. That best way is NAS to NAS via rsync, I would never, ever want to go back. It is at times a stretch to get there initially, but once there, all is good. I also back up my critical files to a 160GB WD Passport (I have 2) and alternate them, with the most current stored off site. Initially it was in my desk at work, now that I am retired, it is in my bank SD box. But that is not a full backup (I have over 2TB of data currently).

It depends on what you are using it for. I'm doing my backups at night when speed doesn't really matter as long as you can use incremental backups. That way the backup-nas basically has only a few requirements:
- supports enough disks to place the backup on (for me that's <500GB, so that's not a problem)
- supports rsync
- doesn't destroy your disks

Nearly every nas supports these features these days, though you might have to fiddle a bit to get the rsync working.

True, but the current prices on disks because of the Thai flooding has changed a lot of formulas right now. Traditionally, an NV+ v1 diskless with enough disks added to cover the backup would be the cheapest route. But, right now, he can get the Ultra 4 with 2x2TB disks from Newegg for $717. The least expensive 2TB disk on their site is $200, so that make it an effective price of $317 for the Ultra 4 (w/o disks) which is $20 cheaper than the slower and less powerful NV+ v1. Of course, once the pricing on the pre-populated models catchs up, it will revert back to the other mode.

Or you can look at it the other way, you buy the Ultra 4, and the 2TB disks that are included are $78 apiece, but separately the will be $200 plus.

Currently the NV+ v2 does not support the NFS or rsync services normally used in NAS to NAS backups. Maybe because some of the low end competing products don't either.