Setting up Synology DS213 w/ 2 3TB drives

[bodean]

Going to be installing my first NAS in the next 24 hours. Synology DS213 with 2 WD 3TB Red drives. What is the best method for setting up the drives?

I want to use them for backing up my pc, moving over all my MP3's/Itunes library, and moving over movie files that I will stream to my xbox 360 and boxee box.

 

[stevech]

(Others here have read this before, apologies)...

Here's what I elected to do with my DS212 (2 drives).
Setup each drive as a separate volume and don't use RAID (including RAID-0) in a small 2 drive NAS.

Setup NAS to backup some or all folders on volume 1 to volume 2, every 24 hours or some such, automatic.
Setup NAS to backup all or some folders to a USB3 drive, manually when you bring that drive out of hiding and plug it in - like once a week.
Setup DSM's Time Backup so vol2 has a 90 day (or so) history of all file versions in VIP folders (in case you delete by mistake, or honk up a file).

These strategies protect from burglary, corrupt file system (RAID won't prevent that), drive failure, NAS electronics failure, and human error.

And mine sleeps each day while I do.

 

[bodean]

Wow,thanks for the response. I was thinking RAID is the way to go for redundancy and backups, but now see there are other options.

 

[stevech]

The by-word is "RAID is not a backup". I think it's sensible in larger disk arrays where the chance of disk failure is higher due to numbers.

Especially if you look at my calamity list above and rank them by probability in your world. In mine, disk drive failure isn't #1.

in my job, the rather pricey VM service I use just had a RAID fail. After 3 days of down time, I (and I assume dozens of other customers) didn't get our data back from them. The RAID rebuild failed - as is often heard. Fortunately, the paranoid me had a disk image backup I made a month prior, and copied to my own local NAS. That plus a daily backup of small files saved my butt. Their apology was on month of free service. Wow.

I do NOT want this to happen to my family photos and extensive personal financial records.
I also have my NAS copy all my V-VIP folders to a big SD card that is plugged into the NAS. Quadruple backup, and hidden from burglars backup. Automated, because I get lazy.
And I use SafeHouse (freeware) to create a 750MB virtual drive on my NAS - entirely encrypted, and that's where the my-eyes-only data goes. Never left unlocked unless I'm using the data.

 

[bodean]

When I first install the Synology, it asks if I want to create a synology hybrid raid (SHR) volume after installation (recommended)

with how you advised me to setup my 2 hds, I assume I do not want to enable this...

 

[stevech]

I chose not to use SHR or RAID. Two independent volumes as discussed above. If you choose RAID or JBOD or other scheme with just ONE file system, be sure to backup to a different drive/file system frequently.

RAID / JBOD / Spanning one volume on n drives - has that corrupted file system issue.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
I implemented a similar scheme. Very robust idea. I appreciate it.

 

[bodean]

stevech:

Do you tend to put all your stuff then on Volume 1, and use the Volume 2 as a backup from Volume 1? Trying to figure out the best way to ORGANIZE on the drives using your strategies.

 

[evetsmd]

How to change from SHR to separate volumes

stevech: I run a 213 w/2 HD in SHR....ur separate volume approach makes more sense.....everything on Vol 1, then use Vol. 2 as ur backup + ur other external BU redundancies.....I'd like to do this

can u recommend an easy and safe way to transition from SHR to (2) separate drives each as standalone volumes. I'd want to use the existing HD's

Would I need to prep the drives in any way.....I use a win7 environment, doing it this way (in case of future failure/problem) could windows read the drives directly or would I still need a linux driver to be able to look at these drives.

Thanks for ur help!

 

[stevech]

stevech:

Do you tend to put all your stuff then on Volume 1, and use the Volume 2 as a backup from Volume 1? Trying to figure out the best way to ORGANIZE on the drives using your strategies.

Yes.
All files on Volume 1. Shared folders the LAN are from volume 1.
Volume 2 has two things: a destination for backup of key/VIP folders on volume 1; and also the destination for the Time Backup of selected folders so I can revert. Also on Volume 1 is a folder of drive image backups from PCs on my LAN - done by Acronis running on PCs.
And USB3 - manually run backup once a week or so, of all of Vol 1.
And the SD card - auto backup of VIP folders - 32GB card.

Other folks would have other strategies.
I feel that RAID will fail and be non-recoverable, eventually- as happened to me from a commercial data center. They lost it all. I had backups.