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[Closed] Not enough space. (NAS, USB HDD or...)
We've run out of space 🙁 WWSTWD?
Our laptop, which is now used as a desktop has a full SSD and we need to do something about it. I don't want to put a bigger drive in it because of future up-sizing, hassle of reinstalling everything and 1TB+ SSDs are relatively expensive.
The laptop currently backs up to a NAS drive in a cupboard and Carbonite cloud (overkill maybe, but there's a lot of photos I wouldn't want to lose).
Looking for suggestions as the best way to go
1. Quick and easy, plug USB HDD in - BUT the laptop gets used less and less and has to be kept on to allow access.
2. A new faster, better NAS. One that will back up to a cloud somewhere & to a USB HDD plugged in to it. And allow remote access over the internet. I'd then move everything on to it and use it as the working storage.
Our current WD Mycloud is a bit slow so the NAS would have to be reasonably quick without spending crazy money.
Cheers 🙂
Is your nas full? If. Not just use that and cloud for storage and clean the laptop out to what you actually need on there.
It's not full, but it doesn't work properly. I can either have it backing up nightly to the plugged in USB HDD (which is what it currently does) or I can have remote access working. It's a Firmware issue that WD didn't fix. It's destined to become just a media drive, it's currently full of music and a few films/videos and the laptop backup, which would move to the new NAS.
How about a RAID NAS? That way you move storage off your laptop and your storage device has redundancy. Of course depending how ultra safe you want to be you might want a secondary backup of the NAS.
OK so you need a new drive in the house of some sort. Are you doing a full image backup or something else for the stuff on the laptop?
I've got everything that can't be replaced in Google Drive so that is synced where ever I need it to be, not all folders are stored on my laptop these days as the older stuff stays in the cloud.
Windows and software can be reinstalled really quick if anything ever goes wrong so I've moved away from doing a full HDD/Image backup.
Looks like you can use some of the cloud features on some NAS to run a google drive type back up on there
https://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?t=80280
Obviously this solution relies on a decent internet connection to get everything synced!!
Are you doing a full image backup or something else for the stuff on the laptop?
No, just files. Mostly photos but a few important documents too. Not fussed about quickly restoring a computer so don't need image backups.
not all folders are stored on my laptop these days as the older stuff stays in the cloud.
I use Google drive but I wouldn't want it to be my only copy. What happens if Google suddenly crashes one day? Unlikely but....
I'll check out the Synology link cheers.
I use Google drive but I wouldn’t want it to be my only copy. What happens if Google suddenly crashes one day? Unlikely but….
Which is why you should have a full copy somewhere be that on a NAS or other device, just keep the laptop for working files.
I use a 6tb RAID drive plugged directly in our router (apple base statio) that automatically back up to ‘BackBlaze’, which is a cheap remote archive service.
The local raid has redundancy, so can replace a drive easily if one goes down, the off-site is just belt and braces.
Everyone on our network just uses the attached RAID.
Been working great for a few years now.
Which is why you should have a full copy somewhere be that on a NAS or other device, just keep the laptop for working files.
Ah I've misunderstood you then, I thought you meant the only copy of some of your stuff is in Google Drive.
How about a RAID NAS? That way you move storage off your laptop and your storage device has redundancy. Of course depending how ultra safe you want to be you might want a secondary backup of the NAS.
The important bit for me is to have a backup of the NAS on a separate drive and offsite. I don't think I need RAID if I can backup the NAS nightly, onto a separate USB drive.
The advantage of RAID (I think) is instant redundancy and being able to swap the dead drive and it "self heal". I think?
I use a 6tb RAID drive plugged directly in our router (apple base statio) that automatically back up to ‘BackBlaze’, which is a cheap remote archive service.
I'll check out BackBlaze cheers
The important bit for me is to have a backup of the NAS on a separate drive and offsite. I don’t think I need RAID if I can backup the NAS nightly, onto a separate USB drive.
To me that is where the cloud comes in, basically you are taking the chance that Google (or other) explodes all it's servers and the debris hit your house taking out your NAS while you drop your laptop into the river.
I think Euromillions are offering better odds
There are a couple of other benefits of raid on nas
Capacity increase: often you can replace drives with larger capacity ones in a live system and the data will be replicated to the new drives and then the file system expanded all done in the background.
Re building from a lost drive: minimal down time and no need to restore from your cloud backup or re-build the data from source means less chance of lost data / extended down time
E-buyer had 1TB WD SSD for sale today at just under £120. Not too bad a price at all, any use OP?
Capacity increase: often you can replace drives with larger capacity ones in a live system and the data will be replicated to the new drives and then the file system expanded all done in the background.
Re building from a lost drive: minimal down time and no need to restore from your cloud backup or re-build the data from source means less chance of lost data / extended down time
Yes, was going to say this. If you get a multi-bay NAS you can just shove whatever drives you have lying around in it, then replace them as they start to circle the drain or you start to run out of room. I had a load of old external drives of varying sizes which I cannibalised - but I've finally replaced the last of them with NAS specific drives.
I've been running a Synology since about 2011 and its fantastic - wouldn't be without it.