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Forum Discussion
ReadyNAS 316 Worth Purchasing?
Newegg has a deal where I can purchase the ReadyNAS 316 and a 4tb drive for $558. This seems like too good of a deal to pass up. Currently I'm using a Dell PC as a media server (Plex/Kodi) and have ...
One last tip - if you use the NAS for primary storage, make sure you have independent backups. RAID is useful, but it not enough to protect your data.
Really? I thought that was the main reason for using RAID and giving up storage space to do so? Now I'm really confused. Why wouldn't I just make backups rather than using RAID? What's the benefit?
I think I need to go find RAID for dummies.
RAID is for redundancy. So if a disk fails, you can keep working without losing any downtime. Depending on the amount of data, it can be quicker / easier to recover from a disk failure. Just swap the disk, and wait for the resync. No need to track down the (offsite) backup, or wait for it to download from the cloud. You can continue with very little down time.
But a RAID array won't help you if your ReadyNAS unit dies, or if your house burns down, or if the entire unit is stolen. That is why you need a backup. A backup will also cover you if you have a disk die during a resync, or if you accidentally delete a file.
RAID and backups are complementary.
I agree, but have a couple comments.
meverz wrote:
RAID is for redundancy. So if a disk fails, you can keep working without losing any downtime.
Another way to say the same thing: RAID keeps your data available during routine disk replacements and during storage expansion. If you are running a business, then this is a critical feature - loss of availability is down time that costs you. For most home users, it is more of a convenience. However, it still is nice to be able to continue accessing data when manipulating disks.
But a RAID array won't help you if your ReadyNAS unit dies, or if your house burns down, or if the entire unit is stolen. That is why you need a backup. A backup will also cover you if you have a disk die during a resync, or if you accidentally delete a file.
Yes. Though I'd add that the OS6 snapshots can also give you protection from a file deletion.
RAID and backups are complementary.
Yes. Backups keep the data safe; RAID keeps it available. If you can only afford to do one, then do backups.Also - you can use a ReadyNAS for storage consolidation even if you don't care about RAID.
Ok, so I have to figure out what I want to do.
Right now I have at 5tb, 2x2tb and 2x4tb hard drives with media spread across them, my ReadyNAS will have one 4tb drive. My idea was to eventually get everything over onto the NAS and use RAID as my backup. So now that I have a better understanding, I'm going to have to figure out what to do and I'm thinking I'll use the NAS for disk storage, not for RAID and then figure out where to backup what I need to backup. As these are all media files, I've never worried about backing them up until this month when I've lost a few drives and all the data on them. Thankfully the data is not irreplaceable so it's not a huge deal... just a pain. I think it's the shear amount of data that would need to be backed up that freaks me out and stops me from doing anything. Enter the idea of the NAS and what I figured would be my solution.
Thanks for taking the time to educate me. I've learned a lot from this thread. Regardless of how I use it, I'm excited for my ReadyNAS to arrive. :)
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