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Forum Discussion
How much Redundancy for safety?
My ran into "Corrupt root" issue with my ReadyNAS. I have 2 x 2TB disk in X-RAID2. I am praying that I do not lose any data due to this. Does it make sense to also have a online cloud backup? If...
vfpeter wrote:
If so than what's the purpose of RAID? Isn't RAID configuration for scenarios like this?
As I mentioned above, the main primary is availability. Secondary purpose: expandability.
RAID alone is not enough to keep your data safe.
vfpeter wrote:
Does it make sense to also have a online cloud backup?
For a long time I've used a three-copy rule - keeping 3 copies of all my digital data on three different devices (including the original). The reason for three copies is that I've sometimes found the backup to be unreadable when I needed it.
That "three-copy" guideline predates my ReadyNAS and any use of RAID. But I've chosen to keep it in place. Over the years I've used this rule I've never lost data to disk failure or device failures. Today I implement the three-copy guideline using 3 ReadyNAS. That's not the cheapest solution, but I find it convenient and reliable.
Since I was keeping these copies in one place (my home) I decided to add Crashplan cloud backup for disaster protection a few years back. Cloud backup does require good internet access, and you do need to review the security/privacy information from the provider. So far I'm not counting the cloud backup as one of the copies, but that could change in the future.
Another approach is to use USB drives for backup, and rotate one off site (perhaps to a safety deposit box). That can be cheaper, but you do need the discipline to refresh the off-site copy regularly. A hybrid approach would be to use one USB drive with cloud backup for disaster recovery.
One thing to keep in mind - 2-way sync is popular, and some people try to use it for backup. That's risky, because file deletions and corruption propagates to the other devices. One-way sync is a better backup approach (and is basically what Crashplan is doing for me).
Thanks @StephenB and @Hochen.
StephenB, Is Crashplan better than dropbox or google drive. I see that cost wise it beats both the other cloud services.
Also, the reason I am using ReadyNAS is so that I have a centralized store for my images and other data fiels at home. I do not want to again have it on all the computers. Secondly, I am using RAID as you mentioend for High availabiity and also prevent ouotage due to disk failure. I did not factor in ReadyNAS going down.
So all I need is to now replicate my ReadyNAS on the cloud. Can Crashplan automatically backup ReadyNAS or does it only work with PCs/Laptops?
vfpeter wrote:
Can Crashplan automatically backup ReadyNAS or does it only work with PCs/Laptops?
CrashPlan is installed on my Pro-6 (running 4.2.31 firmware). It isn't the simplest package to install, and I did need to upgrade the memory on the pro to keep it humming.
If I ever need to re-do this, I will run CrashPlan on a PC, and map the NAS data volume to a drive letter. The "unofficial" solution titled CrashPlan app version 4.3 and later is simple to deploy ( https://support.code42.com/CrashPlan/4/Backup/Back_up_files_from_a_Windows_network_drive )
vfpeter wrote:
StephenB, Is Crashplan better than dropbox or google drive. I see that cost wise it beats both the other cloud services.
Frankly, I was drawn in by the price, and I still think its a great deal.
- It's terms of service explicitly allow NAS.
- Storage is unlimited
- Files are encrypted,
- Backed up files are versioned (so you can get back older copies if you need them).
It doesn't do sync though - if that's what you want you'll need to go with a different provider.
I've needed support a couple of times, and even though installing it in a NAS isn't supported by them, they still were able/willing to help.
Overall I've found it to be reliable, my issues were related to not having enough memory in the pro. It's file deduplication approach is efficient, but it is memory intensive. Though so far I haven't needed to do a full restore (though I have retrieved individual files).
Of course you do need a good uplink speed in order to make effective use of cloud backup (and no uplink data cap). When I started using it I think I had a 50 mbit uplink speed - which was enough.
vfpeter wrote:
Also, the reason I am using ReadyNAS is so that I have a centralized store for my images and other data fiels at home. I do not want to again have it on all the computers.
That's my reason too. I do back up our PCs to it also, but for most of our data the ReadyNAS is the primary storage.
StephenB wrote:If I ever need to re-do this, I will run CrashPlan on a PC, and map the NAS data volume to a drive letter.
I was thinking the same.
StephenB wrote:Frankly, I was drawn in by the price, and I still think its a great deal.
- It's terms of service explicitly allow NAS.
- Storage is unlimited
- Files are encrypted,
- Backed up files are versioned (so you can get back older copies if you need them).
It doesn't do sync though - if that's what you want you'll need to go with a different provider.
Thanks for sharing this StephenB
StephenB wrote:Of course you do need a good uplink speed in order to make effective use of cloud backup (and no uplink data cap). When I started using it I think I had a 50 mbit uplink speed - which was enough.
I have ATT GigaPower. I get 700 Mbps to 900 Mbps. So no worries here... ;)
How valuable is your data? That will decide how much backup you need. I have some of my Data backed up using Carbonite. Thisis stuff like Text files, and pictures and some ofmy paid for app's. Things like that. So it's not a tone of data to upload.
I have almost 14TB of storage space on my NAS, that's not going into the cloud. That would be so costly. But you could upload to another Remote NAS as a backup and off site. I have a 1TB CAP with Comcast. If I used all my Data to backup to my off site NAS, it would take almost 14 months. That's just silly. I guess I could pay another $50 a month to get unlimited service back again. Then Upload away.
I'm backing up to Bare HDD's, which I then pop into a plastic case and stick into my Fire Safe, which is bolted down. So someone can't just easily haul it away. Things can happen. You could be robbed and someone steals your NAS. Your Nas could break down, maybe curupt your data any number of ways. Maybe it catches file or your house burns down for some other reason. Being able to swap out a failed HDD doens't help with any of those other things.
So off site is a smart move. 1 or more backup copies. If for example, your job is a photographer, and you took wedding Pictures. There's no do over!!! You better make sure you have lots of backup solutions. A NAS lets you have access to a lot of Data in a single place. If a HDD does fail, you can still continue to use the NAS until you have a new HDD to pop in and be good to go full speed once again until the next HDD fails. That could be 1 month or 10 years. How much if the Data on your NAS worth to you, or your buisness?
I really don't think there's such a thing as to many backup's!!! My pictures for example as on my NAS, but they're also on Google and Amazon which is free to put my pictures on, and Carbonite is also backing them up automatically. That's at least 4 locations. I've lost some pictures in the past. No more!!!
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