Question can Raid 1 work on both Mac and PC?

[purple buzz]

I am planning on getting 2 internal 2.5" HDDs (1TB to 2TB) for backup, and put them into a Raid Enclosure to set them up as RAID 1. planning on getting this one

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Bay-USB-...688831?hash=item5b55cf8aff:g:648AAOSwXcJcojAS

I have 2 questions:

1. if I format them both as ExFat, will they work on Mac and PC? if not, no biggie. I'll just use my Windows 7 or W10 laptop for backup as NTSF format
2. is it recommended backing them up using ExFat? if not, why?

I will go for whatever is more stable/reliable, as I want as little problems as possible. Plus, I am not even sure how long more I will be using a Mac.

I am just curious because I have never used RAID before, and I am getting extremely frustrated backing up on 2 HDDs manually each time. I waste houuuuuurs of making both disks look exactly the same.

 

[purple buzz]

#2 - Currently, your data lives in two places, HDD #1 and HDD #2.
HDD #1 is your working drive, and HDD # 2 is the backup of that. Correct?
You wish to make a RAID 1 out of these.
So then your data lives in ONE place.

Good luck.

(there are multiple ways to duplicate (actual backup!) between HDD #1 and HDD #2, that don't involve a RAID 1)

yes, that is correct. but am I not understanding RAID 1? yes, the data will live in ONE place, but it will be having a 100% backup, in case one drive fails.

i mean technically, i only see it as 1 file, but say if the HDD#1 dies, the file will still be there on HDD#2. correct? sure, i can copy files i want to another external drive to bring it elsewhere. but in theory. the files are all backed up in a MIRRORED way (i.e. HDD1 and HDD2). i just cannot move the drives neither can i move the files between them, since they are mirrored.

 

[USAFRet]

Backed up in the sense of a physical drive fail.
Not backed up in the sense of an accidental deletion or other data corruption.

 

[popatim]

You need to plan for lightning striking your house & killing all your plugged-in electronics. That's what a backup is.

As for your external raid adapter Amazon has this one that I got from your first 'still ships from China' link. If you have Prime you will have it by Friday. https://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-Enclosure-Aluminum-NST-271C31-BK/dp/B074NM3ZXS?th=1

 

[purple buzz]

You need to plan for lightning striking your house & killing all your plugged-in electronics. That's what a backup is.

As for your external raid adapter Amazon has this one that I got from your first 'still ships from China' link. If you have Prime you will have it by Friday. https://www.amazon.com/Vantec-NexStar-Enclosure-Aluminum-NST-271C31-BK/dp/B074NM3ZXS?th=1

so what is my other option? cloud? i just hate the monthly fees, and the slow upload speeds of my home internet connection.

 

[USAFRet]

so what is my other option? cloud? i just hate the monthly fees, and the slow upload speeds of my home internet connection.

There's a big difference between going to the cloud, and a RAID 1.

 

[popatim]

Whats your budget?
You already have two drives that would work well but you are irritated by the inconvenience. A more automated solution might involve additional costs.

 

[purple buzz]

Whats your budget?
You already have two drives that would work well but you are irritated by the inconvenience. A more automated solution might involve additional costs.

probably like $300. the problem is, i have 1TB 3.5" HDD and 1TB 2.5" HDD. and that's how i back them up, manually. i mean i also have 1TB 2.5" as well, but i recently found it in a "recycled" dumpster at work. i ran the chkdsk, and it checked out 100% ok and functional (i'm sure there is a better software out there to check, but i havent used it). im just not sure if i can trust this HDD to use as a RAID 1 drive. so, i thought i'd get two 2TB drives for this...

what is your suggestion?