Best external network drive for backups?

[Trippytiger]

Well, my family needs a good way for all of us to back up important files. And since there's gonna be four computers in the house once my sister gets a laptop of her own, I think that a network drive will be the best way to do that. Unfortunately, I'm having a tough time finding something suitable, because I'm not really sure what to look for.

I definitely need one that has an automated backup system that will take care of synchronizing all the files and folders without us having to do anything. I know nobody in my family, myself included, will bother to do it manually. However, I'm not sure what the best way to do this is! Does it make more sense to just get any old drive enclosure with a network connection and use the built in Windows solution or some third-party backup software (if so, what's the best option?), or would it be better to go all-out and get a whole package like the Mirra personal servers (kind of overkill for my needs, but certainly interesting)? Is there some sort of middle ground that would be better suited to what want to do?

Hopefully someone out there has some information or advice for me!

 

[WackyDan]

Netgear has an interesting little NAS that looks like a toaster, and spins down the drives when not in use, and will mirror one drive to the other.

The only thing that's not ideal about it is that you do have to install a client on each PC you want to access the NAS.......But different strokes.....

I like it as it spins down the drives.

Not sure about the backup included with that one, but I use SyncBack to back up all my systems to my current NAS setup. It's free, and for purchase, but I find the free version does what I need it to do.

I'll try and come back and edit with links later.

 

[Trippytiger]

I guess there's not really an easy way to avoid having software on the computers themselves, eh? It's something that kind of worries me, because it means more programs running in the background and more things to go wrong. My sister might be getting a Mac, too, so that could pose a problem as well.

That Netgear unit is kind of neat. Thanks for suggesting it; I hope you can get back with some links soon.

 

[Madwand1]

If there's a desktop computer that can be left on pretty much all the time, then it'd probably be best to add a big drive or two to that and share it. It might not seem to be as cool as a separate computer with cute cosmetics, etc., but in reality it'd probably work as well if not better -- assuming you're willing to leave it on, which you'd have to anyways with a separate NAS box.

 

[beatle]

I use a backup server with a spanned volume (multple disks of different sizes accessed as one logical disk). I use a program called ViceVersa to synchronize everything. It's pretty user friendly, and it won't break the bank. It's easy to add more storage, too. Just plug in another drive and add it to the volume.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: Madwand1
If there's a desktop computer that can be left on pretty much all the time, then it'd probably be best to add a big drive or two to that and share it. It might not seem to be as cool as a separate computer with cute cosmetics, etc., but in reality it'd probably work as well if not better -- assuming you're willing to leave it on, which you'd have to anyways with a separate NAS box.

But the NAS box uses much less power.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: Trippytiger
I guess there's not really an easy way to avoid having software on the computers themselves, eh? It's something that kind of worries me, because it means more programs running in the background and more things to go wrong. My sister might be getting a Mac, too, so that could pose a problem as well.

That Netgear unit is kind of neat. Thanks for suggesting it; I hope you can get back with some links soon.

The NetGear is the only unit in it's price range that I know of that spins down the drives to reduces temps and extend drive life.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: WackyDan
The NetGear is the only unit in it's price range that I know of that spins down the drives to reduces temps and extend drive life.

This is of course something that any desktop computer can do. But drives often fail during spin-up, so it's not a good idea to have them spinning down often. Drives should also be cooled well by the box itself, and not rely on shutdown for cooling!

Moreover, drives sometimes state a max temperature change spec, in addition to the operational temperature range. If the box doesn't do a good job of cooling, and is spinning up and down often, it's also breaking the temperature change spec often. It's not that hard to break this spec -- e.g. drive has a 20 C/hr temp change spec, and room temp is 22 C, the drive will break the change spec during startup at any temp higher than 42 C, although it might be within the operational temp limit of say 50 C. Most published consumer drive specs don't go into this much detail, however that doesn't mean that it doesn't matter nor that there aren't equivalent specs internally.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=37&threadid=1791773&enterthread=y
http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsales/enterprise/tech/1,1084,655,00.html

 

[Trippytiger]

Thanks for the replies, everybody.

The issues with drives spinning up at high temperatures is interesting, but I don't know if that's a huge concern. The box itself probably keeps the drives cool enough to avoid that problem anyways, and it's certainly the most appealing option after the Mirra. I guess I could set the desktop up with another hard drive and use it as a backup server, but I can't always be sure it's going to be on, and it's just not as cool that way...

 

[Madwand1]

Good luck, and post your findings back if you will. I won't bite, promise

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: Madwand1

Originally posted by: WackyDan
The NetGear is the only unit in it's price range that I know of that spins down the drives to reduces temps and extend drive life.

This is of course something that any desktop computer can do. But drives often fail during spin-up, so it's not a good idea to have them spinning down often. Drives should also be cooled well by the box itself, and not rely on shutdown for cooling!

Moreover, drives sometimes state a max temperature change spec, in addition to the operational temperature range. If the box doesn't do a good job of cooling, and is spinning up and down often, it's also breaking the temperature change spec often. It's not that hard to break this spec -- e.g. drive has a 20 C/hr temp change spec, and room temp is 22 C, the drive will break the change spec during startup at any temp higher than 42 C, although it might be within the operational temp limit of say 50 C. Most published consumer drive specs don't go into this much detail, however that doesn't mean that it doesn't matter nor that there aren't equivalent specs internally.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=37&threadid=1791773&enterthread=y
http://www.seagate.com/cda/products/discsales/enterprise/tech/1,1084,655,00.html

Over rated. These simple NAS boxes are made to use consumer grade drives, not server. Leaving them on 24/7 is in fact worse than spinning up and down for what may only be a few times a day.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: WackyDan
Over rated. These simple NAS boxes are made to use consumer grade drives, not server. Leaving them on 24/7 is in fact worse than spinning up and down for what may only be a few times a day.

Based on random assumptions about usage patterns and a straw man on leaving it on all the time, and ignoring the fact that desktops can do this just as well, you may have a point.

OK, that was argumentative. I'd love to see some hard data on this subject though -- the best I've been able to do is HD mfg specs, so that'd be good enough for me.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: Trippytiger
Thanks for the replies, everybody.

The box itself probably keeps the drives cool enough to avoid that problem anyways

It certainly should. Whether or not it does, you can determine with 18-th century technology. To be clear: I'm not saying that they don't. A small amount of airflow can do wonders for HD's. I'm just advising you to check that these small boxes don't in fact let the HD get too hot.

Here's a quote from Maxtor:

Ambient air temperatures of 95°F (35°C) or greater and poor ventilation from the smaller case designs of Shuttle boxes, LAN party boxes, racks, cabinets, and drawers, can shorten the life of your hard disk.

 

[WackyDan]

Originally posted by: Madwand1

Originally posted by: Trippytiger
Thanks for the replies, everybody.

The box itself probably keeps the drives cool enough to avoid that problem anyways

It certainly should. Whether or not it does, you can determine with 18-th century technology. To be clear: I'm not saying that they don't. A small amount of airflow can do wonders for HD's. I'm just advising you to check that these small boxes don't in fact let the HD get too hot.

Here's a quote from Maxtor:

Ambient air temperatures of 95°F (35°C) or greater and poor ventilation from the smaller case designs of Shuttle boxes, LAN party boxes, racks, cabinets, and drawers, can shorten the life of your hard disk.

The issue with the NetGear is heat. It was a box that got bad press until they came out with a firmware revision that allowed the drives to be spun dow after x amount of inactivity.