Fastest way to move files around within the NAS?

xeltros wrote:
...Windows moves files when they are in a single partition (pointer update), copies them and delete them when they are on 2 partitions. I believe linux uses a similar pattern. Windows explorer being only an interface to the Linux box, it asks to move the files, seing them in a single share it choses to update the pointers I guess...

Yes, and I think Macs as well.

Within any computer, if you are moving between devices (USB to C drive, or C to D drive, SD card to USB, ...) then the move has to be broken down to a copy + a delete. If you are moving within the same device, then the move can be done more efficiently.

Basically the same rule applies when you are accessing network shares. Different shares appear to the PC as different devices, so the move across shares becomes copy+delete Accessing the entire volume (as described) treats the entire volume as one share.

In the case of OS6/BTRFS, the shares are structured so that trick doesn't work, but you are sticking with OS4, so that isn't relevant.


As xeltros says, you also can do this from SSH (using a command line interface similar to a Windows CMD box). Personally I don't do that very often.

I don't think its worth your time to install ssh and learn linux for this - though if you want to learn linux for other reasons, you will need to master the basic commands involved. If you do mess with ssh stuff, it is even more important to have current backups. It is quite easy to brick your NAS or destroy your files if you don't know what you are doing (and sometimes even if you do :) )