Storage / Backup Solution

[Jester888]

Hi, new to this forum but hoping for help. Average, not technical user.

I have a MacBook Pro running OS X Lion, and have realised that the two external storage devices (a Buffalo NAS drive and a Lacie external - both a few years old) I use are no longer supported and thus cannot even be mounted on my laptop. I have tried a number of work aorunds, but have accepted that I will have to upgrade my external storage.

The NAS drive was used to store all of my music, which I access via a wireless music system. The other external drive I used for Time Machine back-ups. I dont have massive storage needs - about 150GB for music & 200GB for the Mac - but I'd also like to be able to make a bootable clone of my internal hard drive.

I have a couple of questions:
- Can anyone suggest a new storage solution to achieve all the tasks above, but maybe using only one, preferably wireless, drive? I have heard that it is not possible to partition the Time Capsule unit.
- How can I now access the music on my Buffalo NAS that I can no longer see with the MacBook? Or is there an easy way to copy the music to my new drive, remembering I can't see the old drive on my computer?

Any help appreciated, thanks!

 

[skorpien]

I can't help with your second question but I recommend the Synology DS211j. It's a NAS, supports Time Machine backups, and can be partitioned. It's also compatible with Lion and I believe the manufacturer is usually prompt with releasing updates.

 

[whitenoise]

hmmm, don't you have a friend with Snow Leopard? or even a pc? you could always borrow a laptop for a few hours to get it done.

How about making a Virtual Snow Leopard/Windows machine on your Lion MBP?

Apart from that, hurry up and get the backup done! In my experience NOW will just be the time something strange happens and you lose half your data. (something to do with sods law, I think.)

 

[blueroom]

I've also got a Synology NAS and it works great with Lion.

 

[Fishrrman]

"- How can I now access the music on my Buffalo NAS that I can no longer see with the MacBook? Or is there an easy way to copy the music to my new drive, remembering I can't see the old drive on my computer?"

How old is the Buffalo NAS? Is it out-of-warranty? Can you open it?

Can you spend $25?

Consider getting one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=usb+sata+dock&x=12&y=23
(many items shown, they all work the same, just pick one you like that's cheap)

You can then connect the USB/SATA dock, open the Buffalo, take the core drive out, and mount it in the dock and access it.

And you can do this with any other SATA drive you have around.

You can boot from the dock as well, after creating a cloned drive using CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.

A USB/SATA dock may not be as stylish on your desk as a snazzy hard drive enclosure, but it will become one of the most useful pieces of hardware you ever buy (and remember, cheap, as well)....

 

[skorpien]

The issue with a USB dock or enclosure is the format of the drive(s) in the NAS. Not sure what format the Buffalo uses but there's a high possibility it could be something not read by OS X. Additionally, if the NAS contains more than one disk and the data are striped across multiple disks, I don't think the data will be easily accessible with a dock.

The easiest solution would be to borrow a PC laptop when you have your new NAS as whitenoise suggested.

 

[Jester888]

Thanks all - some really helpful thoughts / advice!

Skorpien - the NAS is a Buffalo Linkstation HD-H250LAN, probably about 4-5 years old, single 250GB drive. The format of the drive worked previously with Snow Leopard and would have been the one Buffalo suggested for Mac use. If I take the core drive out into a dock, I guess it will take away the server environment problem that is conflicting with Lion?

Also - if I get say a Synology DS and plug my non-readable drives (one NAS and one normal external drive) into the USB ports of the new NAS, would that enable them to be read by Lion - or I am being too optimistic?

Lastly - if I hook up the Buffalo NAS to a PC, will I be able to get the data (actually music) out and put it onto a new drive in a format readable by Lion, again via the PC?

Thanks again...

 

[blueroom]

The Buffalo is most likely EXT2 or 3 both readable by the Synology NAS (uses EXT4).

 

[Jester888]

thanks blueroom - just to clarify, and excuse my ignorance, does that mean that if I plug the Buffalo into a Synology unit then the OS of the Synology unit will in some way "override" that of the Buffalo, allowing me to access the data via my MBP?

 

[skorpien]

The USB on the Buffalo is probably used to connect other USB devices to share. I doubt it can be shared through the Synology's USB port. You may be able to put the hard drives of the Buffalo into the Synology and access it, but I would use a PC connected to both and transfer the files from one to the other.