First NAS

[hawkeye62]

I am about ready to take my first plunge into the NAS world with this NAS set up as RAID 1.

Western Digital My Cloud Mirror Gen 2

My use will be storage for photos, music and video. I would also like to store backup images from Macrium Reflect. I have a couple of questions. My home network has four Windows PCs and one Ipad Air 2. One way I could configure the NAS would be with a directory for each device. Another way would be with one directory for each user (with sub directories for each PC). I don't know if either option could be used on a NAS. Any advice will be appreciated.

As for backup images, I have no idea how NAS would handle that. I assume the NAS storage would show up as a place to store the Macrium image? Again, I would appreciate any advice about PC backup to a NAS HD.

Regards, Jim

 

[L&LD]

I would first recommend a proper NAS such as a QNAP or Synology model. This will give you the most flexibility in how you configure it, the most reliability, long term and the best chance of recovering when (not if) the drives or unit fails in the future.

I would highly recommend a 4 drive models of the makes above, even if you just populated a portion of those drive bays initially (up to 3 months or so).

Consider backing up to 'common' Document, Music, Photo, Video directories for all devices (even if you want to use subfolders by user within each main directory).

The final common directory can be Personal (or any other name) with subfolders for each user within. Note that with QNAP and Synology, you can have each subfolder accessible by the owner only, if that is what is required (same for the other subfolders in the other common directories).

A BUI folder (Backup Images) will handle the image backups you create.

To make this work, you would create users and assign rights to them to view the appropriate folders, for each, as needed. I'm not sure that the 'starter' WD My Cloud would handle that aspect (or if it can at all).

If you have Windows 10 on your PC's, use the File History feature to do automatic backups to the NAS shares (I would have another folder called 'FH' for that function).

I could also recommend FreeFileSync to do a manual backup from each computer to the NAS too.


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Most important? Don't forget that you need an USB drive or two to create a backup of your NAS too (with multiple USB drives, alternate them and keep one offsite at all times, if possible).

NAS is not a backup. RAID1 is not a backup.

A backup is a backup. (You've been warned).

 

[hawkeye62]

Thanks for the informative reply. With regard to NAS backup, would there be software on the NAS to backup the primary Raid 1 HD to an attached USB drive, or does the NAS HD and an attached USB HD show up in Windows Explorer so I could use a Windows 10 app to do the backup?

A NAS with four drives seems like overkill for my home network, especially since I will be keeping back ups of the NAS HDs. Downtime of the NAS will not be a major concern, so swapping hard drives or even repairs to the NAS would not be an issue for me.

Regards, Jim

 

[L&LD]

Thanks for the informative reply. With regard to NAS backup, would there be software on the NAS to backup the primary Raid 1 HD to an attached USB drive, or does the NAS HD and an attached USB HD show up in Windows Explorer so I could use a Windows 10 app to do the backup?

A NAS with four drives seems like overkill for my home network, especially since I will be keeping back ups of the NAS HDs. Downtime of the NAS will not be a major concern, so swapping hard drives or even repairs to the NAS would not be an issue for me.

Regards, Jim

You're welcome.

The 'software' is available for the two recommended manufacturers. Here is QNAP's;

https://www.qnap.com/en/family_apply_v2/con_show.php?op=showone&cid=3


When you get your first NAS, 4 drive bays does seem like overkill. I also understand that repairs and downtime isn't an issue for you now either. But as you use the NAS and become dependent on it, those ideas will change (and in my experience, quickly).

What 4 drive bays allow you to do is: setup two RAID1 Arrays on the single unit. Use the first array to host the NAS 'os' (this saves you from the loss of use of the NAS because of a catastrophic HDD failure). Use the second array for your data (exclusively). While you can setup the NAS like this with different sized drives for each array, I recommend you use the same sized drives instead. This allows you to use the two arrays within the single NAS to backup each other (for your very important data) and also do some level of data/drive maintenance when the data array is (almost) full by offloading that data to the first array.

You can save a few hundred dollars by getting an 'entry level NAS' now. Or, you can spend the money once and have it done 'right', instead. Keep in mind that this NAS (not necessarily the hdd's you buy initially) will be useful for a decade or more. Skimping today is false economy.

 

[thiggins]

A dual-bay WD NAS makes a fine first NAS. I've been using single drive MyBookLive / MyCloud for years and it does the job for the basic chores you're looking for.

The backup utilities that come with the WD NAS are actually pretty good.

Macrium Reflect's blurb says "Macrium Reflect supports backup to local, network and USB drives". So should be no problem backing up to the WD.

 

[TonyH]

Thanks for the informative reply. With regard to NAS backup, would there be software on the NAS to backup the primary Raid 1 HD to an attached USB drive, or does the NAS HD and an attached USB HD show up in Windows Explorer so I could use a Windows 10 app to do the backup?

A NAS with four drives seems like overkill for my home network, especially since I will be keeping back ups of the NAS HDs. Downtime of the NAS will not be a major concern, so swapping hard drives or even repairs to the NAS would not be an issue for me.

Regards, Jim

If possible, overkill is better route. Won't need upgrade for some time. If you get just what you need now, always sooner than later need for upgrade will come along.

 

[sfx2000]

I would first recommend a proper NAS such as a QNAP or Synology model. This will give you the most flexibility in how you configure it, the most reliability, long term and the best chance of recovering when (not if) the drives or unit fails in the future.

I would highly recommend a 4 drive models of the makes above, even if you just populated a portion of those drive bays initially (up to 3 months or so).

QNAP/Synology/Asustor - good choices - and perhaps as a starter, the ARM based products are reasonably priced.

WD/Seagate shared drives - NAS isn't their primary line of business, compared to the main NAS vendors...

Don't forget about Netgear - some of their stuff is pretty good... the ReadyNAS line...

 

[hawkeye62]

A dual-bay WD NAS makes a fine first NAS. I've been using single drive MyBookLive / MyCloud for years and it does the job for the basic chores you're looking for.

The backup utilities that come with the WD NAS are actually pretty good.

Macrium Reflect's blurb says "Macrium Reflect supports backup to local, network and USB drives". So should be no problem backing up to the WD.

Thanks for your reply. I have researched SNB ratings, several web "best of 2016" and several Amazon reviews. All of the four bay units and most of the two bay units cost more than I want to spend on a "trial run". I don't even know if I will continue to use NAS or just let it gather dust in a closet. So, I have just ordered a WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra 8TB at Amazon for $345.99. I think it will meet my needs for the foreseeable future. If not, it will at least give me the experience I need to make an intelligent upgrade choice.

Best regards, Jim

 

[L&LD]

I wish you all the best with your choice. Please update this thread with your experience with it.

 

[thiggins]

If possible, overkill is better route.

Tech moves fast these days and product cycles are faster and products move down the price curve quickly. The "overkill" route is not a smart use of money, at least not in technology.

 

[hawkeye62]

I wish you all the best with your choice. Please update this thread with your experience with it.

My WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra 8TB, RAID 1 is up and working perfectly. It was very easy to setup and is very easy to use. The only thing that was a little tricky for me was specifying the path to the NAS. But, it was really a piece of cake after the first time. I now have the NAS setup with a folder for me and one for my wife. My folder contains three sub folders for the three PCs that I use, and my wife has one sub folder for her PC. I used Macrium Reflect to make images of all PCs in the appropriate folders. And I used Macrium to make folder images for non-Windows system hard drives, all stored in the appropriate folders. On the two desk top PCs the backup image transferred at about 800 Mbps. On my two laptops, the image transfer over wireless was very slow, about 40 Mbps, so I used a USB to Ethernet adapter for the laptop backups. With the Ethernet adapter, the backup image transfer was about 400Mbps, plenty fast for the small SSDs in the laptops.

Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with my first venture into the NAS world.

Best regards, Jim

 

[sfx2000]

I used Macrium Reflect to make images of all PCs in the appropriate folders. And I used Macrium to make folder images for non-Windows system hard drives, all stored in the appropriate folders. On the two desk top PCs the backup image transferred at about 800 Mbps. On my two laptops, the image transfer over wireless was very slow, about 40 Mbps, so I used a USB to Ethernet adapter for the laptop backups. With the Ethernet adapter, the backup image transfer was about 400Mbps, plenty fast for the small SSDs in the laptops.

Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with my first venture into the NAS world.

Please make sure to include backing up the NAS as part of your backup strategy - too many stories of woe here when things go wrong on the NAS (HW or disk failures)...

 

[L&LD]

Having the same data on your main system(s) and the NAS are a good first step. As sfx2000 recommends; backup the NAS too to a third device/media (external USB drive, or, second NAS used only for 'backups').

USB wired to 'anything' is a painfully slow experience. But still beats WiFi .

Thanks for updating us on your progress.