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[FredL]

Hi all,

First post here. My DNS-323 has recently reported a Degraded RAID1, and I'm busy copy my data from the device before rebuilding the array.

This has got me thinking about backups. I'd considered RAID1 as a kind of backup (if one disk fails, the other keeps running) but from reading posts on this forum I'm fairly convinced that I should keep a separate physical data backup of the DNS-323.

I'm wondering how other users approach this. Do you backup to an external USB drive via your PC? Do you use D-Link's online backup service? Or is there another approach to take? (two NAS boxes would be overkill for me - this is a home setup).

Many thanks,

Fred.

[dosborne]

It has been said a thousand times here, RAID is not a backup. It simply protects you from a single failure type.

Even in my home setup, I have numerous NAS devices (3 x DNS323). It all depends on how important the data is to YOU.

Some I backup to a second disk in the same NAS, some I also backup to a second NAS, some I write to DVD. Some I write to an external USB drive and keep offsite.

Nobody can decide what it is worth to you except you.

[ivan]

Yes, you need a tested backup, RAID 1 is for disk redundancy as you have found - it is NOT a backup and never will be.

That being said, there is no reason why you shouldn't use a USB disk of suitable size to backup what you have and it should work using the USB port on the unit.  

Two of our DNS-323s are set to backup each other overnight, the others backup to the storage array - not your typical home use but you should be able to setup the overnight backups.

[JavaLawyer]

DNS ShareCenter - Data Backup vs. Redundancy

[FredL]

OK, thanks for your replies so far. Here's a list of possible options:

NAS to NAS
NAS to USB drive via PC
NAS to USB drive via DNS-323 port
NAS to online backup

The one which looks the neatest solution is to use the USB port on the back of the DNS-323; however I thought this could only be used for reading data, not writing. Can anyone confirm?

edit: actually, NAS to online backup would be the best, but that's a bit too expensive for me.

[fordem]

That being said, there is no reason why you shouldn't use a USB disk of suitable size to backup what you have and it should work using the USB port on the unit.  

Have you actually tried this?

To the best of my knowledge, with D-Link firmware, the USB port on the DNS-323 supports a printer or a UPS, but not storage - there is an installable shareport application which can be used to share storage attached to the USB port, but this does not allow the USB storage to be accessed by the DNS-323.

[ivan]

Fordem, sorry if I might have mislead anyone, I was going on what one og my repair department guys said - he used a USB stick to get the drivers we have stored on the NAS in that department for a repair machine. 

I have just gone into the lan and it appears that DNS-323 does not have the standard firmware on it.  I will check more closely in the morning - 10PM here.

[fordem]

Y'know - the USB stick is how he moved the drivers, and the NAS is where the drivers were stored - doesn't mean he put the USB stick into the NAS, in fact, since there's no interface on the NAS for him to select what files he wants to transfer, it's highly likely that he put the USB stick into a PC and used the PC to select the files he needed.

Just saying - as a repair department guy, how I would do it ...

[FredL]

OK, so the options are:

NAS to NAS
NAS to USB drive via PC
NAS to USB drive via DNS-323 port
NAS to online backup
RAID 0 disk-to-disk

[dosborne]

NAS to USB drive via DNS-323 port

If you are willing to run 3rd party software, then this is an option.

[ivan]

Y'know - the USB stick is how he moved the drivers, and the NAS is where the drivers were stored - doesn't mean he put the USB stick into the NAS, in fact, since there's no interface on the NAS for him to select what files he wants to transfer, it's highly likely that he put the USB stick into a PC and used the PC to select the files he needed.

Just saying - as a repair department guy, how I would do it ...

How am I supposed to know such things, especially late at night I only deal with the clients servers (and own the company) as well as letting them get on with their jobs - it makes for a much happier workforce if the boss isn't breathing down their necks.

Anyway, it is a non standard setup - they have several 'extras' on there - so I am assuming the standard firmware doesn't allow that, although it would be a very helpful addition if it did (D-Link please take note).

[JavaLawyer]

Anyway, it is a non standard setup - they have several 'extras' on there - so I am assuming the standard firmware doesn't allow that, although it would be a very helpful addition if it did (D-Link please take note).

To D-Link's credit (and although this information doesn't help with this particular user's issue), USB port functionality/support was subsequently improved on the newer DNS-320, DNS-325, and DNS-345.

[FredL]

If you are willing to run 3rd party software, then this is an option.

Which software do you use?

[dosborne]

Google "DNS323 FFP"

[hdd_oedipus]

I plan to use the incremental copy feature on a nightly basis instead of RAID 1, to avoid compatibility problems with large capacity hard drives.

Is the incremental copy feature on the DNS-32x devices the same as rsync / deltacopy?  I ask because I understand that's the backup method that's best for hard drive longevity (because it minimizes writes).