2nd Ethernet Port

If you want to isolate the traffic, you could set a different Vlan ID on the backup ports, but you would then need a computer in the "backup vlan" to check on the status, unless you set up a static route for the range you set for your backup network

Slasky wrote:
If you want to isolate the traffic, you could set a different Vlan ID on the backup ports, but you would then need a computer in the "backup vlan" to check on the status, unless you set up a static route for the range you set for your backup network

You could certainly do this. You could also put the backup device behind its own router, and forward the rsync ports, and https for management (which would be a little easier for most home users than learning about VLANs).

But I am personally not seeing the need to isolate the backup device on a home network, so I am wondering about why this is desirable. Knowing the use case might help.

This is for home use. My desire was to avoid having the second NAS show up in every computer's OSX "shared" list (5+ computers). Already two items show up for each device (AFP and CIFS) and we don't want to have four. Also don't want the kids putting anything on the backup NAS (though I believe I can prevent that with permissions).

You could also put the backup device behind its own router, and forward the rsync ports, and https for management

I like it - I have an old router that I could use. Where would it go? In between the two NASs (i.e. the router WAN port not being used)? Or would this router hang off my GS108T switch and connect my second NAS? The downside of this option would be the constant current draw for the extra router.

Would have to do some research for the VLAN option.

A third option I just thought of is to hang the NVX off the second Ethernet port of my Mac Pro. Downside here is that I'd prefer it not to be in the same room as the Mac-Pro. Also not sure if this will work with rsync.

BTW, can rsync duplicate an entire NAS or is it done share by share? Sorry, no time to try these things as I've been spending the whole weekend trying to recover files.

Earl

Earl0101 wrote:

This is for home use. My desire was to avoid having the second NAS show up in every computer's OSX "shared" list (5+ computers). Already two items show up for each device (AFP and CIFS) and we don't want to have four. Also don't want the kids putting anything on the backup NAS (though I believe I can prevent that with permissions). StephenB wrote: ...You could also put the backup device behind its own router, and forward the rsync ports, and https for management I like it - I have an old router that I could use. Where would it go? In between the two NASs (i.e. the router WAN port not being used)? Or would this router hang off my GS108T switch and connect my second NAS? The downside of this option would be the constant current draw for the extra router...l

The second router is connected directly to your primary router, with the backup NAS being the only device connected to that. The router blocks incoming traffic, except for ports that you forward. IP addresses would be in a different range - that is, if you use 192.168.1.xxx on your main network, you'd use something else (10.0.0.x for example) on the hidden network. WiFi on the second router would be turned off.

If you want to access the NAS, you'd use the external address of the second router (which would be a 192.168.1.x address in my example). This is very similar to what you'd do to access your existing NAS over the internet. It would require a bit more power, but it is simpler than VLANs, and more versatile than connecting the second port to a PC/MAC. You can access the backup nas from any PC / mobile device you wish.

BTW if you really care about the power difference, it is possible to manage it. For instance, use a smart power strip that powers up peripherals only when the main device is turned on. Make the main device the NAS, and the peripheral the router. If the NAS wakes on schedule to do the backup, then the router is only powered on then.

Earl0101 wrote:
...A third option I just thought of is to hang the NVX off the second Ethernet port of my Mac Pro. Downside here is that I'd prefer it not to be in the same room as the Mac-Pro. Also not sure if this will work with rsync.

This is possible, but it requires some network savvy. Basically you are configuring the Mac Pro to act as a NAT router. It would require the Mac Pro to be on whenever you wanted to access the NAS.

Earl0101 wrote:
BTW, can rsync duplicate an entire NAS or is it done share by share? Sorry, no time to try these things as I've been spending the whole weekend trying to recover files.

It can be done either way. If you use the "home" share feature it is best to backup up the entire main NAS to a share on the backup.

There are two other ways to reach your goal [at least somewhat]. Neither requires any additional equipment.

-Set up the backup NAS power schedule so it is not on during your waking hours. Have it turn on after hours, do the backup, and then shut down again. You want to be careful on the schedule, because you need to ensure that the backups complete. My incremental backups on my Pro almost always take less than an hour, so there definitely maneuvering room on the schedule.

-You can enable RSYNC on the backup NAS, but don't enable NFS, FTP, CIFS or AFP. Then RSYNC is the only protocol that can write to the shares.