OT: Home backup strategy - NAS, DAS, Time Machine

weaponsgrade · #1 10-22-2024, 07:52 PM

My 2-bay WD MyCloud NAS device crapped out on me. I'm working on trying to recover what I had and will probably make another post for help, but for now I wanted to check if my new backup strategy for network attached storage and direct attached storage will work.

I've got 4 Mac computers that need to be backed up. My plan is to get a NAS (looking at the Asustor Drivestore 4 AS1104T) to serve as a backup target for the 4 Macs. I then plan on backing up the NAS to an external hard drive. Asustor says one of the backup options is to an external hard drive.

But, does that mean I can simply take that external hard drive, hook it up to any computer, and see my files?

C40_guy · #2 10-22-2024, 08:24 PM

Maybe. Depends on how the backup is done. When I back up my NAS to my backup NAS

I do a simple one way file update. The backup NAS is fully functional, has live copies of all my files and is just a small version of my 5 drive RAID NAS.

I use GoodSync to do something similar from my Macs to the NAS, then replicate between my Mini (desktop) and my Air.

And I run TimeMachine.

Overkill, yes, but I've been in tech for a long time.

A few key files - mostly photos - are also replicated to a cloud provider.

shadco · #3 10-22-2024, 09:00 PM

Time Machine to a Synology with mirrored drives. Synology to another Synology with a removable drive. Monthly swapping the removable drive with another that is kept in a safety deposit box at my bank.

.

bigbill · #4 10-22-2024, 09:25 PM

I'm writing a thesis and I do a manual backup at the end of each day to a Seagate External 4 TB SSHD. I have a smaller Imation 1 TB that I take when I travel.

banananutz · #5 10-22-2024, 09:52 PM

2nd the synology. Have a ds723+, and before that a 212+. Both have been without issue. Had a drive go bad, hot swapped a new drive and it rebuilt the mirror automatically.

Highly recommend.

9tubes · #6 10-22-2024, 10:32 PM

Time machine to a 2-bay Synology, plus Backblaze. Just in case of ransomware I also do a full drive clone twice per month to an external drive and then disconnect it.

.RJ · #7 10-23-2024, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9tubes

Time machine to a 2-bay Synology, plus Backblaze. Just in case of ransomware I also do a full drive clone twice per month to an external drive and then disconnect it.

What does the cloud storage cost you?

polyhistoric · #8 10-23-2024, 10:00 AM

Also a Synology, 2 bay raid system here. Works fine with TimeMachine.

Gsinill · #9 10-23-2024, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadco

Time Machine to a Synology with mirrored drives. Synology to another Synology with a removable drive. Monthly swapping the removable drive with another that is kept in a safety deposit box at my bank.

.

I do precisely the same as described in the first two sentences.

spamak · #10 10-23-2024, 12:36 PM

I'm new to the forum but meticulous about backups ...

Another vote for Synology via Time Machine, using something with mirrored drives (I have DS220j), which makes copying to external drives off the NAS unnecessary ... AND a separate service for cloud backup. I use Backblaze. It's a good strategy is to have backups in 2 different physical locations.

blew · #11 10-23-2024, 12:55 PM

+1 for Synology, have a 2-bay unit as well that has worked fine

weaponsgrade · #12 10-23-2024, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spamak

I'm new to the forum but meticulous about backups ...

Another vote for Synology via Time Machine, using something with mirrored drives (I have DS220j), which makes copying to external drives off the NAS unnecessary ... AND a separate service for cloud backup. I use Backblaze. It's a good strategy is to have backups in 2 different physical locations.

Seems like lots of happy Synology users here. I'm thinking I'll get the DS220j too. All I need is central place to store multiple Time Machine backups. I won't be doing any kind of streaming, running VMs, etc.

Even though I had my WD NAS set up in a mirror mode (RAID 1), I can't just pull one of the drives, stick it in a generic enclosure and connect it to my computer. As I understand it, the NAS device layers over some additional software. So, while your data may still be there, it's going to take some work to recover it. It's especially hard for Mac users, because most of the recovery tools I've come across are Linux and Windows-based. There's a recovery program called r-linux that seems to offer a GUI recovery for a RAID 1 drive. I've managed to get Linux Mint Xfce booting from a USB on my Mac and so hopefully that r-linux program will work.

I want to backup from the NAS to an external drive to avoid this problem in the future.

C40_guy · #13 10-23-2024, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weaponsgrade

I want to backup from the NAS to an external drive to avoid this problem in the future.

Yes, backing up the NAS is useful. I back up to a second NAS (both QNAP). Given the capacity available these days, backing up the NAS to a simple drive in an enclosure might be easier/safer...

rkhatibi · #14 10-23-2024, 05:21 PM

Happy Synology user as well. Got 8 years out of the first one before I passed it to a friend after the recent upgrade.

I'd recommend determining which 2-3 devices make sense base on price and size. Then do the final selection on features. If you're tech savvy with a sysadmin background starting with ecosystem is easier. However if NAS/Storage is new to you, limiting yourself a few ecosystems (Asustor, QNAP, Synology?) to research is simpler.

Synology's ability to create a task to copy to USB attached drives might be useful. https://kb.synology.com/en-us/DSM/he...eral?version=7 I suspect other system allow for similar automation.

This is a good overview of what you get in the Synology ecosystem. https://dongknows.com/why-you-would-...gy-nas-server/ and I though their review of the DS1621 I eventually purchased was well done. https://dongknows.com/synology-ds162...server-review/

spamak · #15 10-23-2024, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weaponsgrade

Seems like lots of happy Synology users here. I'm thinking I'll get the DS220j too. All I need is central place to store multiple Time Machine backups. I won't be doing any kind of streaming, running VMs, etc.

Even though I had my WD NAS set up in a mirror mode (RAID 1), I can't just pull one of the drives, stick it in a generic enclosure and connect it to my computer. As I understand it, the NAS device layers over some additional software. So, while your data may still be there, it's going to take some work to recover it. It's especially hard for Mac users, because most of the recovery tools I've come across are Linux and Windows-based. There's a recovery program called r-linux that seems to offer a GUI recovery for a RAID 1 drive. I've managed to get Linux Mint Xfce booting from a USB on my Mac and so hopefully that r-linux program will work.

I want to backup from the NAS to an external drive to avoid this problem in the future.

I think I see your point and maybe getting over my skis a bit with a suggestion but if your raid is mdadm/software-based, as it is on synology, you can read the drive configuration and access your data from macs, no linux boot required. See here -

https://www.r-studio.com/Mac_Help/li...m-volumes.html