What to do with extra HDDs

Hey guys, I'm setting up my NAS (openmediavault) and very much enjoying it! It now runs my Nextcloud and a couple of services. I got a mirror ZFS setup of two 8TB drives.

I got another two 8TB drives and am doubting whether I should add them as an extra mirror vdev, or create a new pool for extra backup. I'm not sure if that extra backup is necessary though, since I got a cloud backup already every day. My drives are only used 14% so I'm not even sure if I should already put them in the pool. What do you guys think?

20 points · 10 comments · view on lemmy.world

10 Comments

watson387@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 2y

WTF is an extra HDD?

netburnr@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 2y (2 replies)

A mirror array is not a backup. So therefor I would use at least one of those extra drives for a weekly backup of your data. You want some sort of not real-time backup in case you get cryptoed for example

jh0wlett@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 2y (1 reply)

That is true, but I was indeed not counting it as such, I currently just have the cloud as a backup.

netburnr@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

If you've got cloud backup you're good, keep the drives in a drawer as spares or have another use?

Efwis@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 2y (3 replies)

Primary rule of thumb is 2 physical backups and one offsite backup(cloud). Remember physical medium can fail or degrade

jh0wlett@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 2y (2 replies)

I understand, but I was thinking, since I have a cloud backup, if my drive(s) fail I cam still always recover, correct?

Owljfien@iusearchlinux.fyi · 2 pts · 2y

Cloud service may also decide that they're tired of being in business and close without notice. Unlikely, but possible

Efwis@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 2y

What if the cloud server corrupts your data in transfer or worse shuts down its server without notification. It can and has happened.

For example, I had a cloud backup went to get it and the server could no longer be found. That was with Dropbox mind you. I lost 10gb of important files because of it. Never trust just one source of backup. Always have a secondary just in case.

Reverendender@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Is it ok to ask what sort of data you have?

jh0wlett@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 2y

Yes definitely! It is personal data like family videos, photo's and documents mostly. I'm using this nextcloud for the whole family.