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Forum Discussion
Newbie - Novice requires Setup Advice
Hi, I'm a complete novice when it comes to NAS, Raid, etc, however have bought some kit, so would like some advice on the best setup for what I want to primarily use, which is: i) Media Stream...
I agree with dsm1212's advice - no more than 2 disk sizes in the NAS, and don't confuse RAID with backup.
In terms of your starting array size, that should be driven by how much storage you need now, and what you see happening later. You have 3.5 TB of external drives now, which suggests that you probably need more than 3 TB of storage now. If you have the money, adding a third 3 TB drive now is a good approach, and lets you use your current drives for backup. Leaving a slot free for future expansion makes sense to me, as adding a new drive is usually more cost effective than upgrading an existing one (when figured as $$$ per incremental GB). That is, if you replace a 2 TB with a 3 TB drive, you are paying for a 3 TB drive but only getting 1 TB more storage.
Whatever you do, make sure you have adequate backup in place from the beginning. As part of that, you should think a bit on data organization, as the "really critical stuff" you back up will need to be in its own folders. I decided some time ago that if it is worth keeping at all it is worth backing up - so I don't attempt to distinguish "critical data" from the rest. That required more investment in backup storage of course, but for me keeping it simple and effective was more important. There are lots of people here who handle this differently (which is fine) - my main point is to be intentional about it.
Also, if you are re-using disks with content on them, make sure that you have a copy at all times during setup (excluding the NAS itself). Sometimes bad things happen in setup and expansion. If something is only on the NAS it is at risk during expansion.
In terms of your starting array size, that should be driven by how much storage you need now, and what you see happening later. You have 3.5 TB of external drives now, which suggests that you probably need more than 3 TB of storage now. If you have the money, adding a third 3 TB drive now is a good approach, and lets you use your current drives for backup. Leaving a slot free for future expansion makes sense to me, as adding a new drive is usually more cost effective than upgrading an existing one (when figured as $$$ per incremental GB). That is, if you replace a 2 TB with a 3 TB drive, you are paying for a 3 TB drive but only getting 1 TB more storage.
Whatever you do, make sure you have adequate backup in place from the beginning. As part of that, you should think a bit on data organization, as the "really critical stuff" you back up will need to be in its own folders. I decided some time ago that if it is worth keeping at all it is worth backing up - so I don't attempt to distinguish "critical data" from the rest. That required more investment in backup storage of course, but for me keeping it simple and effective was more important. There are lots of people here who handle this differently (which is fine) - my main point is to be intentional about it.
Also, if you are re-using disks with content on them, make sure that you have a copy at all times during setup (excluding the NAS itself). Sometimes bad things happen in setup and expansion. If something is only on the NAS it is at risk during expansion.
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