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[melbri]

Is there any way to mirror one DNS-323 to another DNS-323?

I have 4TB in one box which I use as my primary device for accessing media and then manually copy to the second box for data protection.

Is there a way to set something up to automatically copy from one box to the other?  I use the scheduler to copy items.  If i set up the scheduler to copy nightly, will it copy over new files every time?

[fordem]

You should be able to use the built-in scheduler to copy the data - I don't think you can tell it to copy just the new files, it will copy ALL the data.

[melbri]

I do use the schedule for new files, guess I was hoping it would automatically copy new files.

[JavaLawyer]

Alternatively, once your two DNS-323 are synched for the first time, you can use a third-party application running off a PC to perform a nightly scheduled incremental backup between the two DNS-323s, which will only copy new files added to the source DNS-323. My personal preference is Syncback.

The primary downside to this solution is that the PC hosting the backup software must always be running, and the backup will take longer since the files are first copied to the PC's local memory and then pushed to the destination DNS-323. However, if you're only adding several GB a day (or week) and the backup is performed at night, then this may be a tenable solution for you.

[fordem]

I do use the schedule for new files, guess I was hoping it would automatically copy new files.

We seem not to be seeing "eye-to-eye" here ...

There's no way to set a schedule for new files, you can set it for a single file, a folder or a volume - if you set it for a folder or volume it will copy ALL the files contained, whether they are new or not.

[melbri]

My apologies fordem, that is what i do now, was just wording it wrong with the use of "new".  I manually set up the download from one box to the other after I add files to the first box.  the problem is I get lazy and sometimes forget to do that and eventually lose track of what I copy over.

[melbri]

Thanks JavaLawyer.  I'll look into that, but I'll need a Mac version.  No problem on your downside, I'll just set my Mac to wake from sleep just before the scheduled download.  I already do that for backing up my HDD to my time capsule.

[dosborne]

Since the DNS323 is not actively supported by DLink, you may want to consider RSync as a copy/backup method. It has the ability to determine if a file is new/modified or not. Google "FFP and RSYNC" for more info.

[JavaLawyer]

Thanks JavaLawyer.  I'll look into that, but I'll need a Mac version.  No problem on your downside, I'll just set my Mac to wake from sleep just before the scheduled download.  I already do that for backing up my HDD to my time capsule.

If you're looking for a good long-term, maintenance free solution, Dosborne's suggestion (albeit a bit more difficult to set up) is worth investigating.

[melbri]

Thanks guys.  I found a good site as per dosborne.

I am going to try an App I found from the App store first.

[jhtopping]

In a Mac environment, you may want to also look at the SuperDuper! software under OS X.  Only new or modified files are copied from the from the computer to the DNS-323.  You can run SuperDuper twice nightly, first to the first DNS-323 and then to the second unit.  SuperDuper does all the scheduling.

On my system, each backup takes about 20 minutes.

[fordem]

My apologies fordem, that is what i do now, was just wording it wrong with the use of "new".  I manually set up the download from one box to the other after I add files to the first box.  the problem is I get lazy and sometimes forget to do that and eventually lose track of what I copy over.

If you set the second box to copy over a folder from the first box at perodic intervals, let's say every morning at 1:00 am, it will do that, and if files are changed or added to the folder, thos changes or additions will be replicated across every morning at 1:00 am.

There are two flaws with this arrangement - files deleted on the first box will not be deleted on the second, and as the amount of data on the first box increases, the "backup" will take longer, because the entire folder is copied every morning.

Depending on how much data you have, this may not work for you, but it works for me - I have been doing it this way for a number of years - one advantage is that if the first box were to fail, I can do what I need to do from the data on the second box by simply remapping the drive.  I will lose any changes made since the last backup, but that's something I can live with.

[melbri]

Thanks for you help.  I am going try File Sychronizer as asoon as I find out from them ifI can syncone NAS to another.