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Forum Discussion
Soon to run out of capacity and do i need a back up of a backup?
I have a ReadyNAS 212 with 2TB HDD. I'm slowly filling it up so i need to expand. I also thought that the ReadyNAS would work as a server and backup through the RAID thingy. Is this a novice mistake ...
I use the NAS as a server to keep the laptop free of documents and photos. I also use office 365 fo document cloud storage on OneDrive. I will at some point need to back this up to the NAS.
Would you agree to this as being my best approach?
Purchase a 4 bay NAS (advice on best type would be greatly appreciated) and use two slots until i require more space
Purchase a USB HDD (what is quickest? USB or SATA?) and backup what's on the NAS. store this HDD at my parents for safe keeping.
Crofty7 wrote:
- Purchase a 4 bay NAS (advice on best type would be greatly appreciated) and use two slots until i require more space
- Purchase a USB HDD (what is quickest? USB or SATA?) and backup what's on the NAS.
- Store this HDD at my parents for safe keeping.
It's a good approach. Using two USB drives might be a small improvement - doing more frequent backups at home, and then swapping it with the one at your parents periodically.
The RN214 is a good entry-level NAS. You could also go with the RN424 (about $150 more expensive at the moment).
As far as the drive type goes a USB 3 drive is a good option. Get one that has it's own power adapter. I'd format it as NTFS, so you can read the files with a PC.
Your current NAS is also a suitable backup device, at least till you run out of space. Put ZeroTier on them and you can even put the backup NAS off-site (a relative's house, for example). I have local backup, but my most critical files are also backed to my brother's house in N. Carolina, where a hurricane that hits Florida is unlikely to go.
Sandshark
if i purchased a new NAS (assuming they are the best home server system out there) and used the RN212 as a backup could i use the two existng HDD as individual HDD rather than in the RAID format? I'm guessing i would have to manually split the file structure for the backup as at some point i will have more than 2TB's worth of data on the new NAS and the current NAS is 2 x 2TB.
Utilising my current NAS with 2 x 2TB of backup storage would be my prefered option as it saves me having to purchase external HDD.
Crofty7 wrote:
could i use the two existng HDD as individual HDD rather than in the RAID format?
Yes. This is "jbod". You'd need to switch to flexraid, destroy your current volume and create new one(s).
Crofty7 wrote:
I'm guessing i would have to manually split the file structure for the backup as at some point i will have more than 2TB's worth of data on the new NAS and the current NAS is 2 x 2TB.
Ideally the two 2TB drives are independent (each have their own file system). You can join them into a single 4 TB volume, but I don't recommend doing that. The reason is that if either disk fails you'd lose all the data on both. So it is better to have two volumes. Then use one backup job per share.
The downsides:
- You need to balance the storage manually (putting some shares on each drive, and keeping approximately even free space on each).
- Expansion isn't as easy. Increasing the storage requires deleting a volume, installing a bigger disk, creating a new volume, and then doing a full backup of those shares from the main NAS.
This is a mode I use myself on one of my backup systems. The downsides are definitely managable.
Crofty7 wrote:
my prefered option as it saves me having to purchase external HDD.
I get the cost argument. But in my opinion the more compelling arguments are
- The backups can be fully automated.
- Backup disk maintenance (including periodic disk testing) can also be automated.
- In my experience internal disks are more reliable than USB disks (debatable perhaps).
- If your internet speeds are fast enough you can put the backup NAS in a different location
FWIW, if you go with a 4-bay NAS you don't necessarily have to go with 2x10TB drives. 2x10TB costs about $600 (US amazon pricing) at the moment. For the same money you could get 3x6TB.
So I'd put 2x6TB+2x2TB in the new NAS, and a single 6 TB drive in the RN212.
You still get a 10 TB volume in the new NAS, and you get a full 6 TB jbod volume in the RN212 (with an open bay for expansion later). And you will need to expand your backup storage before you expand the storage on the main NAS.
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