Help deciding on Backup/Storage Strategy

[B0L0]

Not sure if this is better in Storage or Systems, but here goes.

I'd like to get some some opinions and suggestions on a back-up/storage strategy.

I'm starting to get the feeling that one or more of my computer hard drives is about to go, call it a 6th sense or just anticipating a visit from Murphy but I'm feeling the need to get a back-up/storage strategy in place. I've been doing a bunch of research and there are three main directions I feel like I can head in.
Data to be stored is primarily important documents/records, and some photos/videos, nothing crazy just personal collection. I think my media collecting days at University are behind me, with Spotify, Netflix, and Kodi boxes I don't see myself storing vast amounts of data. So current storage needs is around the 1.5Tb mark.

The way I see it here are my options:
1. Subscribe to a cloud storage service like Sync.com
Pros: Easy setup, 24/7 mobile access, no upfront investment,
Cons: More expensive long term (although arguable depending on frequency of hard drive replacement for other options), limited max storage.

2. Install 2 new hard drives in my existing computer in a RAID array for data redundancy.
Pros: cheapest overall solution
Cons: Computer is too power hungry to keep on 24/7 so mobile access wouldn't be an option. Time consuming setup and ongoing maintenance (this would be my first time setting up and maintaining a RAID array so I anticipate some hiccups along the way). Not the easiest to expand.

3. Buy a standalone NAS
Pros: most robust, and long term solution (would probably go for a 4 bay system(. Cloud services would allow for 24/7 mobile access
Cons: Highest upfront cost, setup and maintenance likely to be easier than option 2, but still could be time consuming for troubleshooting. Would likely mean changes to my home network setup to make room for the NAS.

4. Other suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions/advice!

 

[derekullo]

I use Crashplan which for $10 a month gives me unlimited backup storage, currently have 8 Terabytes backed up.

I also use a custom NAS4FREE server for storing files that I assembled from parts bought from newegg.

One of the best features of NAS4FREE is the snapshot feature which periodically, you can set when, takes a snapshot of your file system and all files in it so that if you accidently delete a file you can go back to a previous version of it and bring it back.


Also raid is not backup.

Even if you mirror your current setup to a new raid it still isn't backup.

If you accidentally delete a file from your main hard drive or a virus deletes/encrypts it that deletion/encryption will get copied over to the raid.

 

[BadAsAl]

I like to have cloud and local backup. Cloud in case of flood, fire, theft etc. but also local for ease of recovery.
I only backup crucial stuff to the cloud so I don't have to pay for that as the storage with One Drive is enough. I also have an external USB drive attached to my router that Windows backs up everything to periodically.
As long as you have cloud, you can install a second hard drive in your PC without RAID and just use Windows to backup to that.

 

[seagate_surfer]

NAS and either backup to another NAS/external drives/cloud would probably be a really solid solution here. Whatever specific media you go with, the 3-2-1 method is the mantra of keeping your data safe. 3 copies of your data, on 2 different mediums, with 1 offsite to protect against disaster.

It will represent a significant investment up front, but it all starts sounding more palatable when you're staring a professional data recovery quote in the face.

 

[B0L0]

I use Crashplan which for $10 a month gives me unlimited backup storage, currently have 8 Terabytes backed up.

I also use a custom NAS4FREE server for storing files that I assembled from parts bought from newegg.

One of the best features of NAS4FREE is the snapshot feature which periodically, you can set when, takes a snapshot of your file system and all files in it so that if you accidently delete a file you can go back to a previous version of it and bring it back.


Also raid is not backup.

Even if you mirror your current setup to a new raid it still isn't backup.

If you accidentally delete a file from your main hard drive or a virus deletes/encrypts it that deletion/encryption will get copied over to the raid.

NAS and either backup to another NAS/external drives/cloud would probably be a really solid solution here. Whatever specific media you go with, the 3-2-1 method is the mantra of keeping your data safe. 3 copies of your data, on 2 different mediums, with 1 offsite to protect against disaster.

It will represent a significant investment up front, but it all starts sounding more palatable when you're staring a professional data recovery quote in the face.

What NAS would you recommend at this point?

what would be the pros/cons of getting a NAS, vs just setting up a RAID array as a backup set within my existing computer? I would double up with cloud storage for the important documents, but more thinking about pictures and videos. I could keep a copy on my main drive and backup on the raid set?

 

[seagate_surfer]

NAS and either backup to another NAS/external drives/cloud would probably be a really solid solution here. Whatever specific media you go with, the 3-2-1 method is the mantra of keeping your data safe. 3 copies of your data, on 2 different mediums, with 1 offsite to protect against disaster.

It will represent a significant investment up front, but it all starts sounding more palatable when you're staring a professional data recovery quote in the face.

What NAS would you recommend at this point?

what would be the pros/cons of getting a NAS, vs just setting up a RAID array as a backup set within my existing computer? I would double up with cloud storage for the important documents, but more thinking about pictures and videos. I could keep a copy on my main drive and backup on the raid set?

You could essentially use your computer equipment on-hand to create a NAS with what you already have and adding hard drives to it, in fact for many people, creating a NAS out of spare/on-hand computer equipment is a go-to if you've either got the know-how to set it up and manage it, or if you're willing to invest the time and effort to watch/follow tutorials and learn how to do it. One of the biggest pro's in a dedicated NAS unit, however, is just the convenience and ease-of-use. They often have very user-friendly interfaces that guide you in how to do just about whatever it is that you'd like to do with a NAS. As far as vendors go, there are many good NAS vendors out there, a few examples of popular ones would be Synology, QNAP, ASUSTOR (ASUS' NAS storage division), and Thecus. If you do go with RAID/NAS, just make sure to use NAS-grade hard drives. These drives are meant for 24/7 use and have both hardware and firmware considerations to protect the health and performance of a NAS or RAID system that standard, desktop-grade hard drives just don't have.

Just remember that RAID in-and-of itself is not a backup. A backup is a separate, second (or third or fourth or fifth, depending on the importance of your data and your level of paranoia) copy of your data that, if a drive fails, you can go grab and restore your data from. A RAID on the other hand, is to prevent your system going down in the event a drive fails. It is ideal for a situation where downtime = lost money. Envision a server running credit card transactions for your hypothetical website. If a hard drive goes down, and your server goes down, every second lost is burning a hole in your wallet and represents lost money. A RAID prevents this by making it so that you can leave that server live and just hot-swap the drive out for a replacement one, so the server keeps on going.

If it's just protecting your data from getting lost that you're worried about, then it would likely be more cost-effective and better to just have some sort of solution that looks like: internal drive - backs up regularly to an external USB drive - also backs up regularly to either a cloud service such as Backblaze, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., or backs up to another external USB drive that you then store somewhere other than your main residence/office, like at Grandma's house, which has 2 main benefits: If a meteor strikes your house or it burns down or something, your data is still safe, and you also get brownie points for actually going to visit granny.

 

[derekullo]

Learning how to use Freenas Or NAS4FREE would allow you to build a better NAS with more features than any you could buy off the shelf at Best Buy.

Instead of an Atom/Celeron with 2 gigabytes of ram powering the Best Buy NAS you could put in an i5 or even a Xeon with 16 gigabytes of ram or more.

There is a learning curve to setting it up, but once you are comfortable with it there is literally 0 reason to buy an off the shelf NAS.


Having said that, if all you need is a NAS for backup purposes and are not interested in learning NAS4FREE/Freenas/ZFS I would recommend something like a 2 bay NAS and 2 - 4 terabyte drives using raid 1.

This gives you enough space to more than double your current usage.


Synology DS218j Network Storage DiskStation $169.99
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822108688

For a raid 1 or 0, it is fine to use normal desktop hard drives.

https://support.wdc.com/knowledgebase/answer.aspx?ID=996


WD Blue 4TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM $99.99 each or $200 total

WD Red 4TB NAS Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM $124.99 each or $248 total

The price difference between the 2 is relatively small.

Might as well go with the Reds if you can afford the $48 in case you end up needing to make a raid 5 or 6 in the future.


I also recommend a subscription to Crashplan Business for $10 a month for unlimited backup storage.

You don't need to be a business to subscribe.

 

[USAFRet]

Have a read through here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3383768/backup-situation-home.html


I use a Qnap TS-453a for my NAS box.