First NAS - share the process - good results

[evetsmd]

My First NAS: supporting 3 clients running Win7 (home use)

Put together a new Synology DS213 with two 2TB WD Red Drives WD20EFRX
Installed DSM 4.2....
Setup the 2 drives in Raid 1 (outcome single Volume - 1.79TB)
created 3 new shared folders in Vol 1: documents - music - photo
setup 2 more users beside admin and set read/write options for each
installed: Antivirus Essential, audio station, photo station, survelliance
station, plex media server.
Installed Replicator 3 on the admin client PC
setup the NAS with a static IP address...all the clients can talk to the NAS
attached external USB 2.0 1TB drive

began to move data from clients to shared folders on NAS (good opportunity to
clean things up and get rid of duplicates. Started to point programs to
new storage locations, so far no problems.

Raid 1 gives me the mirror should one drive fail, next step is to do a BU to
the external USB drive and critical file BU agn to a memory stick.

For BU, I've used MS SyncToy (Echo mode) in the past with good results, had to use Task Scheduler to automate
the process....plan to do the same with the NAS and external drive.

Haven't tried anything else....wanted to get this new storage box functional
and make sure I had a good BU plan.


Could use some observations from you experienced folks:

anything I've missed or should do in the process that's gotten me to this point?
SyncToy is old but it works...anyone have a better backup suggestion?

Thanks to all for the help that has gotten this 1st time NAS user to this point.
Open to any ideas or suggestions.

 

[stevech]

I have a DS212. I decided not to use RAID1 because it doesn't protect me from accidental file deletion or from file system corruption. I configured for two volumes and run Time backups to to keep versions on key folders, and simple copy on others.

But, that's just my choice.

Also beware NAS electronics failure.. so you can pull out a drive and read it on a new NAS or a windows PC. For that, I use USB3 in NTFS format for critical backups.

I really avoid storing data on PCs.. just the NAS. When I do store on a PC, I use SecondCopy to back automatic backups.

What do you think of DSM 4.2? I have 4.0 and elected to skip the risk of using 4.1 (if it a'int broke, don't fix it).

 

[evetsmd]

I have a DS212. I decided not to use RAID1 because it doesn't protect me from accidental file deletion or from file system corruption. I configured for two volumes and run Time backups to to keep versions on key folders, and simple copy on others.

But, that's just my choice.

Also beware NAS electronics failure.. so you can pull out a drive and read it on a new NAS or a windows PC. For that, I use USB3 in NTFS format for critical backups.

I really avoid storing data on PCs.. just the NAS. When I do store on a PC, I use SecondCopy to back automatic backups.

What do you think of DSM 4.2? I have 4.0 and elected to skip the risk of using 4.1 (if it a'int broke, don't fix it).

Wish I could give u an opinion on 4.2 that was worth something.....this is my first NAS, I'm starting with 4.2. All seems to be working well but I'm early into the process....

OK on ur Volume strategy..understand ur reasoning, it makes good sense.

Quote "Also beware NAS electronics failure.. so you can pull out a drive and read it on a new NAS or a windows PC." is this really true, I can understand the new NAS part but to read the drive on a Win PC, how do u do that? maybe some software solution....the drive format is not NTFS.

Yep good idea for the USB3 ext ntfs backup....my approach is the same except my box is only USB2

sometime when u have a chance, try MS SyncToy. Two ver. x32 or x64. Use it with task scheduler and it's all automatic. I've been using it for years, no problems. Best part it's free.

appreciate ur comments! Thanks

 

[stevech]

In a crisis, there are device drivers for Windows that can mount and read an extfs (Linux) drive. I've not used one though.

RAID1 mirror would be less of a problem than if the electronics in the NAS failed and you have a RAID5 set of disks.

That's also why I backup essential files to a USB3/NTFS drive.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
How fast is USB3/NTFS connection? I have 2x2TB Raid 1, eSATA expansion connection and it is very slow when I tried back up using data replicator.

 

[evetsmd]

slow bu to ext drive

Hi,
How fast is USB3/NTFS connection? I have 2x2TB Raid 1, eSATA expansion connection and it is very slow when I tried back up using data replicator.

I can't speak to actual speed but I did try Data Replicator with a USB2/NTFS external drive and found it very slow.....the best solution I've found so far is
Allway Sync together with windows task scheduler and my backups have been working well.