NAS Use Cases

[tom_uk]

I’d welcome some advice on possible NAS use cases/configurations.

I currently have an iMac as my main computer, with a 512Gb SSD. Hanging off the iMac are two separate USB 2Tb HDDs. One is my Time Machine drive, the other (‘Images’) holds just over 700Gb of Lightroom files, a 50Gb Apple Photos library, and a bit of other stuff - total in use, about 800Gb. I’d like to make the files on the Images drive available to other devices I have, e.g. iPad, iPhone, TV, and a MB Pro. Of course, unless I wake up the iMac and share the external disk, that doesn’t happen. So I’m looking at a NAS - my computer room is already wired.

I’m undecided between getting a very basic, 1-drive NAS (e.g. Synology DS120J) as a simple replacement for the Images USB HDD, and a larger, 2-drive (mirrored) setup. At the moment I’m including the Images external HDD in my Time Machine backups; in fact, by far the largest part of the Time Machine files are from Images.

Here are the my questions: a) how do people feel about relying on a NAS with mirrored drives as a backup? Or should I continue backing up the files on the new NAS to the Time Machine HDD?; b) I could also get a bigger (8Tb - i.e. 4Tb x 2) NAS and use it for both file storage and Time Machine (probably via different volumes). How sensible is it to do this?

 

[barbu]

Would it be too much to just keep the iMac on and serve your files that way? My imac has been on for eight years

 

[theSeb]

a) how do people feel about relying on a NAS with mirrored drives as a backup? Or should I continue backing up the files on the new NAS to the Time Machine HDD?

RAID (mirrored drives) is not backup, so continue to keep a backup elsewhere. If you delete or overwrite a file by mistake, that change will be immediately reflected in the mirrored drive.

b) I could also get a bigger (8Tb - i.e. 4Tb x 2) NAS and use it for both file storage and Time Machine (probably via different volumes). How sensible is it to do this?

Not the best idea. You could end up in a situation where you lose both the data and the backup.

If you really want a NAS, then set up a NAS. Whether that is mirrored for data redundancy or using other forms of RAID is up to you. Then you need to have an offline backup and a backup routine that you adhere to religiously. By offline backup I mean something that you plug in, or power up and do a backup and then switch it off again. Really you should have a second backup that you keep in another location in case of a disaster, or theft, but that's probably a step too far for most home users.

 

[satcomer]

I would wait and get a a 4 port Synology NAS to save your picture/videos/ media all on the external this way you can upgrade in future by just a SATA cable that Synology itself sells!