Advertisement Throughout most of the 90s and 2000s, most computer-owning families only had a single PC with a single hard drive. If you needed to store things beyond your hard drive’s capacity, you typically burned it to a CD. But that was slow, cumbersome, and a waste of physical space.
Around this time, external drives (like the WD Passport) gained traction and became the norm, and surged in popularity once more when SSDs overtook HDDs. For a long time, external drives have been the method of choice for consumers with large data storage and data transfer needs. But as multi-computer, multi-device, multi-user households become the new norm, good ol’ external drives won’t cut it anymore. Network storage is the future, and there are four main types to consider: cloud, NAS, DAS, and SAN.
That was a bad surprise to get to know that 'single-bay models cannot migrate hard drives to multiple-bay models and vice versa' Now the question remains what is the fastest way to migrate from a single-bay model (in my case DS112+) to a multiple-bay model (in may case DS415play with just two discs).
Understanding Cloud Storage Cloud storage is extremely trendy right now. It fulfills a lot of the same needs as external drives, all while offering more features and conveniences. In short, cloud storage is when you store your data on a (“the cloud”) which are accessed through the internet. Instead of keeping an external drive plugged into your system and taking up precious workstation space, you just create an account. No hogging of USB ports. No extra energy usage. And if your house burns down, on the remote servers.
Most cloud storage services offer automatic syncing, which is even more convenient. Image Credit: Rawpixel.com via Shutterstock. But cloud storage has its flaws.
Single/double Bay Nas For Macbook
If your internet connection cuts out, you lose access to your data. USB transfer speeds are much faster than most internet connections, so uploading and downloading to the cloud is comparatively snail-paced next to external drives. And privacy is a huge concern. Are cloud storage services peeking at your data? Or even selling your data? We can’t know for sure. For many, the convenience outweighs the risk.
That’s why services like Have you changed the way you think about cloud storage? The popular options of Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive have been joined by others. We help you answer which cloud storage service should you use. Are so popular right now.
Free plans are abundant, but if you need a lot of space, plans can cost anywhere from $2 per month to $100 per month. Understanding NAS Storage If you love your external drives and can’t be bothered to give them up, allow me to present to you network attached storage (NAS). This is what you’d get if you took an external drive and made it accessible to more than one device at a time. Sounds great, right? On the surface, a NAS looks like an external drive except bigger and flashier. But instead of plugging into one device at a time by USB cable, it mounts itself on a local area network.
Ethernet is the most common and preferred way, but some can mount themselves with Wi-Fi too. Image Credit: via StackExchange Functionally speaking, you interact with a NAS just as you would an external drive. Once it’s connected to your network, you can access it in much the same way (except instead of going to This PC in File Explorer, you’d go to Network instead).
But the real benefit is that anyone on the network can access it! And if you Whether you want to crank up home network security or connect to your home network remotely, you'll need your own VPN. Here's how to set one up for free using DD-WRT., you can access a NAS from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection, effectively replicating cloud storage functionality without the privacy-related downsides. For more details, see our External hard drives are great for data storage, but there are many more benefits to using a network-attached drive instead. Here's everything you need to know. NAS devices can cost anywhere from $150 to $600 depending on what kind of advanced functionality you want. Note that a NAS is just a “shell” so you’ll have to buy drives separately and insert them yourself.
A good entry-level option is the. Or consider NAS stands for Network Attached Storage. As Windows became easier to use with network attached devices, and hardware prices fell, this term started to be used in the consumer market.
Today there’s a wide variety.! $362.61 Understanding SAN Storage What happens when a single NAS doesn’t provide enough capacity? One option is to build an army of NASes, but this can be inconvenient in some cases since each one operates independently with separate IP addresses and separate settings. Another option is to use a storage area network (SAN). Like a NAS, a SAN offloads data storage from desktops and server machines to dedicated storage devices. But whereas a NAS is an independent device, a SAN is a network of interconnected storage devices. Both are accessed through the local area network to which they’re connected.
Image Credit: via Wikimedia. The biggest difference is that SANs are lower level than NASes. The data on a NAS is managed by the NAS itself and thus presented as “files,” whereas the data on a SAN is raw and accessed as “blocks.” Practically speaking, NASes appear as “file servers” while SANs appear as “disk drives.” And instead of using TCP/IP, SANs use other network protocols like Fibre Channel and iSCSI. Seeing as how modern NASes can store It is easy to see that 500GB is more than 100GB. But how do different sizes compare? What is a gigabyte to a terabyte? Where does a petabyte fit in?
Let's clear it up!, it’s unlikely for a regular home user to need a SAN. Just add a second or third NAS and you should be good. For this reason, plus the need for non-TCP/IP connectivity, SANs are mostly used by businesses, data centers, and other large organizations. Understanding DAS Storage Now we circle back to where we started.
If you want to steer clear of all the network-based storage options above, your only alternative is direct attached storage (DAS). As implied by the name, a DAS needs to be physically connected to any device that wants to access its data. You use DASes every day. Hard drives, CD/DVD drives, flash drives, and external drives are all examples of DAS. In fact, the term DAS was created after the advent of NAS and SAN to differentiate between networked storage and non-networked storage. Image Credit: Boibin via Shutterstock These days, DAS refers more and more to a special kind of business-class, non-networked storage cluster.
For example, the fits 12 disk drives and starts at $2,249 while the fits 12 disk drives and starts at $2,799. Think of them as massive external drives. No wonder they’re nicknamed JBODs (“just a bunch of disks”). But consumer-level DAS options do exist. The fits up to five data drives and connects with USB Type-C.
Just don’t expect it to deliver business-class DAS transfer speeds, which use SAS connectors instead of USB. I would only recommend a DAS if you need RAID is an acronym for Redundant Array of Independent Disks, and it’s a core feature of server hardware that ensures data integrity. It’s also just a fancy word for two or more hard disks connected. Which Type of Network Storage Is Right for You? For regular home users, only two of these options are viable: cloud storage and NAS storage. While NAS storage is objectively superior, it’s better suited for users who are tech-savvy. The setup is a little more involved than simple plug-and-play, and it requires routine care and maintenance if you want it to last a while.
It’s also cheaper in the long run when compared to paid cloud storage plans. But cloud storage is easier. Just install some software and you’re good to go.
No setup, no maintenance, and if you don’t have that much data, no fees. If you’re willing to risk your privacy, and if you don’t mind lack of access when your internet goes down, and if you’re okay with the chance that any cloud storage service could disappear overnight, then cloud storage can be great. Where do you keep your data stored? Have you used a NAS yet? Or are you still relying on external drives and/or the cloud? Share with us below!
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I decided it's time to upgrade to a NAS so I've been doing some research. Initially, I thought about getting the.
The reviews are mixed but the price was right. But can you put a price on keeping your data safe?
So then I thought about buying either a QNAP or Synology NAS. From the posts & articles I've read/researched, it's mostly subjective but many like the Synology NAS, which I did too. Now, since I'm new to the world of NAS, I really wasn't sure if I need the 1 bay or 2 bay model of the Synology DiskStation, DS110j vs DS211j. This is for my home network so do I really need RAID? It's mostly to store my media files, backup my MBP, store torrents, remote access, etc.
If I get the single bay, is it easy enough to upgrade/expand to a multi-bay later and just copy the files over? Or should I just save a little more and the the 2 bay now? I was looking at the WD Caviar Black 1.5GB HDD to put inside it. It seems to be reliable. Your advice is greatly appreciated. Yes, you can.
I started off with a 2 bay DS210J with a single 750GB drive. I then wanted to move to a mirrored 2TB solution, so I added the first 2TB drive.
The NAS asked me if I wanted to mirror the existing volume onto the new one, which I did. I then pulled the 750GB drive and added the other 2TB drive and it asked me if I wanted to use it to replace the missing half of the mirror, which I did. It then told me there was unused space on the drives and it could extend the volume to fill it. End result was a data migration from a single 750GB disk with no loss of data and no need to copy the data off the original disk first. Can you tell I like my Synology NAS? Yes, you can.
I started off with a 2 bay DS210J with a single 750GB drive. I then wanted to move to a mirrored 2TB solution, so I added the first 2TB drive. The NAS asked me if I wanted to mirror the existing volume onto the new one, which I did. I then pulled the 750GB drive and added the other 2TB drive and it asked me if I wanted to use it to replace the missing half of the mirror, which I did.
It then told me there was unused space on the drives and it could extend the volume to fill it. End result was a data migration from a single 750GB disk with no loss of data and no need to copy the data off the original disk first. Can you tell I like my Synology NAS? Click to expand.212j and 213j are both two bay drives (hence the 2 at the beginning of the model). 12 / 13 represent the tear. 213j is the more recent version.
Both will run exactly the same software though. I didn't look up the hardware changes between the two. Personally, I would go with a four bay unit even if you only populate it with two drives to start. I might even populate all four bays with smaller drives so that you can start out with a RAID5 solution. RAID 5 is the happy place for Home NAS - sufficient protection from drive failure at acceptable loss of capacity (one drive dedicate to redundancy).
RAID0 - no redundancy - actually increases the chance of data loss - improved read/write speed RAID1 - 50% total space dedicated to redundancy - protection from a single drive failure - slight drop in write speed RAID5 (with a four drive unit) - 25% space dedicate to redundancy - protection from a single drive failure. Good not great performance RAID10 - 50% dedicated to redundancy - improved read/write - protection from a single drive failure RAID6 (with a four drive unit) 50% space dedicated to redundancy - protection from two drive failure. Similar to RAID5 performance. I have a RAID0 set that I use for a scratch disk (fast write), but for general storage purposes, RAID5 makes the most sense. RAID1 is not the same thing as a backup - it's really intended for mission critical systems where you can't afford to have the server down. With RAID1, if you accidentally delete the file, it disappears from both drives - it's not a backup. It's not very likely that you have a system in your home that needs RAID1 protection.
Anyway, Synology devices are very easy to use and work well. Any of their devices are a good choice to get your feet wet. More drives are better. 212j and 213j are both two bay drives (hence the 2 at the beginning of the model).
12 / 13 represent the tear. 213j is the more recent version. Both will run exactly the same software though. I didn't look up the hardware changes between the two.
Personally, I would go with a four bay unit even if you only populate it with two drives to start. I might even populate all four bays with smaller drives so that you can start out with a RAID5 solution. RAID 5 is the happy place for Home NAS - sufficient protection from drive failure at acceptable loss of capacity (one drive dedicate to redundancy). RAID0 - no redundancy - actually increases the chance of data loss - improved read/write speed RAID1 - 50% total space dedicated to redundancy - protection from a single drive failure - slight drop in write speed RAID5 (with a four drive unit) - 25% space dedicate to redundancy - protection from a single drive failure. Good not great performance RAID10 - 50% dedicated to redundancy - improved read/write - protection from a single drive failure RAID6 (with a four drive unit) 50% space dedicated to redundancy - protection from two drive failure.
Similar to RAID5 performance. I have a RAID0 set that I use for a scratch disk (fast write), but for general storage purposes, RAID5 makes the most sense. RAID1 is not the same thing as a backup - it's really intended for mission critical systems where you can't afford to have the server down. With RAID1, if you accidentally delete the file, it disappears from both drives - it's not a backup.
It's not very likely that you have a system in your home that needs RAID1 protection. Anyway, Synology devices are very easy to use and work well. Any of their devices are a good choice to get your feet wet. More drives are better. Click to expand.Hi, I appreciate the well thought out response. I have been breaking my head over the past couple days just trying to figure out of all of this, and the different directions that I can go. I kind of was leaning toward a RAID1 (not for a fullblown backup) but for storage of video for streaming purposes to my iPad, iPhone, and Raspberry Pi/HDTV.
Is there much that can go wrong just storing video, malware etc? Is this not a good idea? I wouldn't mind that a file would get accidentally deleted on 1 drive and carried to the other. Hopefully rare but say both HDDs were to crap out on me, it would suck having to rip movies again with a big collection but I could live with that. I am just tired of having to hook up an external to the Pi, disconnecting/connecting to my iMac to add content in which my iMac doesn't have a lot of space dealing with HD video, and then hooking it back up to the Raspberry Pi.
It's a lot of hassle. Now, I have a 1TB iMac that has all my music (good size iTunes library lots of rare stuff tape rips etc would hate to lose this), photos (not much not a big photo guy don't take a lot of them), and documents (hardly any). I currently do manual backups monthly via CCC to a 1.5TB External HDD always making sure its bootable and I keep it off site. This is working okay for me now so I was thinking of just continuing to do this.
The iMac is not even halfway full data wise and if I don't store video on it instead placing them on the RAID1 I don't see myself filling it up anytime soon. I figure once I max out my storage years down the line I'll deal with that then. What are your thoughts on going this route? I could always do a manual backup of my RAID1 which has my video to an external and store that w/ my iMac CCC clone offsite as well right-in case something mucks up on the NAS? Going RAID5 with a 4 bay looks awesome but unfortunately its out of my price range, as it is I'll be getting the NAS first and HDD at a later time.
I am not a HUGE power computer user either all my data compiled together is probably around 1.5TB. I look forward to your input.