ReadyNAS Duo Backup Main disk to Redundent disk

Are you using the default X-RAID or Flex-RAID?

I'd recommend using X-RAID.

Using X-RAID or Flex-RAID RAID-1, the data is automatically mirrored across the two disks. Please do note that RAID is not a backup. If data is stored on just one device it is not backed up. So in addition to using RAID (a high-availability/redundancy) solution, backups e.g. to a USB disk, another NAS, another computer on your network, the cloud or some place else are strongly recommended. Have a read of Preventing Catastrophic Data Loss

Thanks for your quick reply. I'm using X-RAID. As I said i'm new to all this. When I put the new second disk in it to hours and hours to be ready. does that mean that if the first disk went down I could just put the second disk in the first bay and still be able to access my data from it if its showowed already?

Thanks

pipcool wrote:
Thanks for your quick reply. I'm using X-RAID. As I said i'm new to all this. When I put the new second disk in it to hours and hours to be ready. does that mean that if the first disk went down I could just put the second disk in the first bay and still be able to access my data from it if its showowed already?

When you add a disk it has to be synced into the array. The drives have to be synced sector by sector. If a disk (e.g. disk one) fails you should not reorder the disks. If disk one fails, disk 2 would remain working fine in bay 2 and you could replace the dead disk with a new disk in the first slot, there would be a resync and redundancy would be restored.

If both disks failed or some other mishap (such as those mentioned in the article I linked earlier) if you have a backup (e.g. on a USB disk) you could put two new disks in the ReadyNAS and then restore the data from your backup (e.g. USB disk).

thank you for your help. I know now that all my files will be safe now as it stands and it's unlikly both disks would go down at the same time. I will back them up to usb at some point as well though. My next task is to be able to access my nas from any pc through IE, but thats a different section of the forum and will address that a differend day.

Thanks again

Can I just ask then. When I add files to the nasduo are they automatically now shadowed on the 2nd drive or do i need to resync every now and again?

Thanks in advance

In simplified terms, when you write a file to the NAS with mirrored disks, the data will always be written to both disks. There is no need to do anything manually to keep the disks in sync.

This also means that if you modify/delete a file that change is synced immediately. There is an optional Recycle Bin feature for Windows (CIFS) shares which you may wish to use. Do note that If a file gets corrupted somehow that is synced on both disks automatically as well. Whereas a backup is a copy you've made to another device e.g. a USB disk. A copy on a USB disk would be updated e.g. when the backup job is run (you can run Frontview backup jobs on a schedule).

Both RAID (mirroring in this case) and backups have their uses. What I was trying to point out is that they are two separate things.

Thanks you for your help much appreciated