Recommendations on a NAS for Backup Only?

Opaquer on 01/06/2023 - 15:51

Hey guys

So, I've been looking for a good NAS to use as purely a backup solution. I've already got a dedicated machine for plex/home assistant/other things, so I don't need anything that can transcode or play videos or anything. I'd be looking ideally for a 4 bay, but could get away with a 2 bay. My backup solution is going to be backing everything up from all devices (all phones and computers) to a cloud storage solution and also backing up everything to the NAS. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good way to do this? I think iDrive might be the way to do it, but not sure if there's better options or not?

I've heard good things about synology and qnap, but I'm not sure which one would be best for backup only. I'd also like it to have the functionality to create shareable links of stuff on the NAS so I can share photos and videos with friends and family as needed.

I've also seen recommendations to make my own NAS - unfortunately though I am not good when it comes to tech stuff, so would prefer to buy something off the shelf.

If anyone's got any recommendations, that would be appreciated, and thanks in advanced!

Computing NAS

Comments

  • Bredo on 01/06/2023 - 16:09
    +3

    Both Synology and qnap are good, but Synology tends to be a bit more polished/user friendly. So probably look at Synology.
    Since you want 4 bay, and don't need anything fancy, you have 2 options the DS423 and DS423+ and if you want a little more room for growth then the DS923+ may be your thing

    • Opaquer on 01/06/2023 - 20:02

      Thanks for the advice, I'll check them both out!

  • localhost on 01/06/2023 - 18:32
    +2
    1. Simple 2 bay with RAID1 - disk mirroring with 2x10TB drives (for example).
    2. Single external HDD (same size) for copying data once monthly/weekly and moving offsite (parents house).
    3. Cloud backup.

    Also make sure important data are encrypted.

    • futureminime on 01/06/2023 - 19:02
      +2

      Following above from localhost:

      When you say 'backup', do you intend to keep the data on your other devices? or will you delete stuff of your phone/pc when they are short on storage? The standard statement is: "If you're storing your data on your NAS and nowhere else, then your NAS isn't your backup." You've already mentioned you're planning on the cloud backup as well so you're maybe already thinking this way. Thought I should spell it out for anyone else playing along at home.

      Your data stored in the cloud is one copy that has pretty good redundancy. The NAS (regardless of if you go 2 bay or 4 bay) is a 2nd copy, RAID will give you increased redundancy in case of a partial failure. Having RAID1 and 4 copies in a 4 bay NAS protects you if 3 HDD fail at the same time but not from a house fire.

      The 3 step suggestion above is pretty bulletproof if you have a safe offsite location for another copy. A variant would be to get a smaller external HDD and only create an additional copy of the most important files (family photos are always the big on that comes to mind for me).

      • Opaquer on 01/06/2023 - 20:05
        +1

        So some stuff would be kept on other devices, but some wouldn't - as an example my wife's phone is full of pictures so once we had this in place we could delete those pictures from her phone if we wanted to. And with the backup plan, I'm looking at doing the cloud backup portion through iDrive, which offer cloud storage for multiple devices all on one account. Then there'd be the physical NAS to store things on as well.

        And having another HDD for the important stuff is a good idea, but the house fire case is a little concerning - it could wipe out a NAS and small HDD at once

    • Opaquer on 01/06/2023 - 20:02

      The problem is the offsite one - I don't have a way to do that sort of backup as often as monthly, so not sure how I would handle that way?

      • localhost on 01/06/2023 - 21:15

        QNAP has a feature to encrypt external disk. Just get the disk and keep it in the office. Every Monday bring it back home, do a backup and on the next day again in the office.

        • Opaquer on 01/06/2023 - 21:40

          Unfortunately I don't have the ability to leave it at the office, even encrypted

          • localhost on 01/06/2023 - 21:42

            @Opaquer: Friends/relatives? You will need it once a month to get it for 1-2 days to sync latest data.
            Even with bigger interval (2-3 months) you will lost only small amount of data in case of theft/fire in your house.

            • Opaquer on 01/06/2023 - 21:50

              @localhost: I could probably do it once every 2 months or so - I'll check it out, thanks!

              • localhost on 01/06/2023 - 21:59
                +2

                @Opaquer: Since I can't edit my first comment, more to add:
                1. RAID1 - this is made in case of disk failure. If one disk fails - replace it and rebuild array. Better to get disks same size from different manufacturers like: WD and Seagate. In case of controller/NAS failure just buy a new one and add/import disks there.
                2. Offsite backup is in case of theft/fire in your house. I know QNAP can encrypt external drives, but check other, Sinology should be able to do it. This is in case someone steals the disk from your relatives or decide to plug it and check the latest photos :)
                You can put a label on that one with your contacts. Worst case here will be - stolen or damaged. Just buy new one, encrypt and sync data.
                3. Cloud storage - ONLY very important files, encrypted as this is not a cheap option. Use reliable storage like Amazon/Google/etc. Not any cheap lifetime subscriptions.

                Hopefully that is helpful and always think for the worst when preparing backups :)

              • futureminime on 02/06/2023 - 11:20

                @Opaquer: The ability to keep offsite backups is a modern luxury. With the number of floods and fires in some parts of Australia even this has risks. If you get burnt down, your family could as well. Nothing is risk free, the aim is to find a level of risk that is palatable for you. The level of redundancy you run is up to you. It should be a mix of how important the data is, and what you can afford/works in your circumstances.

                The average person isn't going to lose the data from your NAS anyway. The odds of a house fire or any of these things happening is quite low, just that the results can be catastrophic. - How many HDD failures/data loss scenarios have you had? How many house fires have you had?

                For a lot of things I don't run a backup. If I lose the photo of the something random at the supermarket I'm not going to be too upset. We are generating more and more data, and a lot of it is not useful or valuable past the time we generate it.

                Work out a schedule that works for you. Even an annual backup offsite reduces the risk significantly if its for data you can't/really dont want to lose. The main one I have is family photos split between the houses. I've only had 2 HDD failures and of course it was the first one where I lost data. The second one I had maybe 10% of the data backed up and didn't lose anything I cared about. I've had a couple of family members with data failures that I've been holding the backups for. They have lost minimal data, but on one occasion there were some photos they thought they'd put in the backup but they hadn't. It was really a result of not having things organised and just copying everything again with each backup and hoping you've got everything and in the last copy we didn't add the some of the new data.

                If you have family or friends who would be interested you can do an encrypted HDD swap, just make sure you (and the friends) don't lose the encryption keys. Every 6 months or even yearly to add on the next lot of important photos, tax related documents etc.

                Edit: For clarity, you don't have an off-site backup if its not something that will work for you. Work out what suits your needs.

  • jizmo on 01/06/2023 - 20:28
    -3

    If you don't know how to use a NAS, you're files are going to hell. Say Bye bye

    • Opaquer on 01/06/2023 - 21:09
      +2

      That's why I'm asking here - to find a good NAS and work out how to use it so I can keep all my files safe

    • ihfree on 02/06/2023 - 00:29
      +3

      You can keep your files safe without a NAS. Weird FUD.

  • Gros21 on 07/06/2023 - 06:21

    I have a 4 bay Synology nas spare sitting at home it's a 4 bay. Its in the play series so I think it's made for transcoding (double check) but I had it populated with 4 X 8tb I grabbed a mates Synology nas and expansion bay so its surpless to requirements.

    No powerhouse but user friendly and does the job.

    Pm me if you want.

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