[lug] (Small) Network backup recommendations

[Maxwell Spangler]

On Mon, 2021-05-24 at 08:24 -0600, Mike Witt wrote:
> Any recommendations for a small network backup device?
> 
> I've got a mixture of two or three linux machines and one or two  
> windows machines. If I add up all the USB sticks I'm currently
> backing  
> them up to it only comes to about 5 TB.

I'd recommend a Synology brand 2 or 4 drive NAS unit like

* DS220+
* DS720+
* DS420+
* DS620slim

I've been running my own Linux based NAS units using 8 to 10 year old
hardware for many years now.  The advantage of this is low cost and
total control over the software but the disadvantage to this is total
responsibility for the software,  self-support in every way and no
user-friendly unified GUI for all services. Everything I do is command
line, but thats ok -- for me.

So about two years ago when some good friends needed a storage solution
and I wanted hands-on experience with a commercial NAS I bought them a
Synology DS218+.

I found the hardware to be 'good', completely acceptable and probably
typical of consumer NAS devices.  It's really an embedded computer in a
plastic shell with an external AC adapter.  The Intel Atom CPU based
model I got them is plenty of CPU power for reasonable NAS needs and it
has USB3 for external expansion and use of USB3 drives for offline
backups.  The only thing I was disappointed with is that compared ot
the HP MediaSmart server units I have, the Synology is like a light,
holly plastic case and seems to amplify hard drive noise while the
heavy, mostly metal HP units dampen noise.

The thing you're really after with a commercial NAS unit is the
software and I really enjoy the Synology here.  It has a user-friendly
browser interfact that looks and feels like a typical Windows/Mac/Linux
GUI desktop.  It's very easy to learn and common tasks to install
software, configure users, perform system updates and monitor system
health require little effort and are comfortable to perform.

It's very clear to me that for just basic services the Synology is a
far more user friendly experience.  What really impresses me is the
vast amount of software and functionality that is available via the
Synology 'app store' with just a point and click.  Many open source and
commercial programs such as Plex, full web servers, containers and
virtual machines are supported.

You can ssh into these systems which for power users like me is nice
because your familiar Linux tools like 'find' and scripting are still
present.  This lets you use the Synology as a headless server most of
the time, use the WebUI for regular admin chores and occasionally feel
empowered to do more advanced things behind the scenes if you have the
need. 

The combination of the command line for power users and the extensive
amount of easily installable software make me feel like this is far
more than an overpriced appliance and instead a well designed, polished
embedded computer focused on storage.

To replace an aging 1 drive NAS unit, I bought the 2 drive Synology
unit then purchased two 4TB HGST drives.  I run the storage in RAID 1
so that if one drive fails, the data isn't lost.  Soon we'll use an
external 4TB USB drive to make offline backups that protect against
loss of both drives, the Synology unit, or catastrophic failure like
lightning hit.

Total cost was under $500 and they are absolutely underutilizing its
capabilities.

I'm happy to recommend Synology in general and defintely they are my
go-to recommendation for anyone who is not a computer professional.
 Being a professional, wanting total control and enjoying re-using old
hardware is the only reason I don't use Synology device for my home.

Hope this helps.. happy to answer questions.

-- 
Maxwell Spangler
===================================================================
Denver, Colorado, USA
maxwellspangler.com
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