[SOLVED] NAS questions

[dreid21]

I'm new to the idea of using NAS. But now that one of the HDD's I use as a back up storage for my files I have failed, I'm considering using one. But I do have questions.

I'm currently considering either a Synology DS218j or a QNAP TS-228A, as these 2 are the ones within my current budget. I intend to set up 2x 3-4 TB HDD's in a RAID 1 configuration. This NAS will then be my archive/back up storage for file from my PC. Currently, my PC has 2x 2 TB HDD's for file storage, and SSD for system/OS. My plan is to transfer any files that I haven't used/worked on for over a year, but may still need down the line from the PC's HDD to the NAS.

So my question is, is it possible "partition" the HDD's that are in RAID1? I want to do this in order to keep the contents of the 2 HDD's separate (for file organization purposes).

 

[gmagdna]

RAID1 is mirroring so whatever you do on one drive will be mirrored to the other. You can set up multiple partitions in the RAID. Sounds like you'd be better off just creating a single volume of both disks and partitioning, or if you need the data on separate drives then just use them that way.

Are you wanting to create redundancy by using RAID for your back up volume?

 

[popatim]

You should consider keeping important files on more then one device with at least one copy not being on an always on/accessible device.

I would suggest only getting 1 drive for the nas and an external usb drive as your 2nd. This way you can have a 2nd copy of your files which can be removed from being accessed and from power (protection from voltage spikes) as well as being portable so you can take it with you in cases of emergency. Many users suggest a 3rd backup that is kept off site as well.

 

[USAFRet]

To start, read here, re NAS and backups:

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

forums.tomshardware.com

Can you partition a RAID 1? Yes. That is pretty much a waste, though.
There are better ways of doing that.
For instance, Macrium Reflect can do Images of each drive individually, to different folders in the NAS storage space. That's how I have mine.
Each system gets a folder, and each physical drive in the system gets a sub folder.

My routine is nightly, instead of your proposed yearly(?).


And of course, backups in depth. Data that exists on a single space can be said to not exist at all. RAID 1 counts as a 'single space'.
RAID 1 is physical drive redundancy, not data redundancy.