Is my backup solution viable?

[NixieFreak]

Hello friends,

I have recently built my first system [ https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/BDVpnn ], and now I am trying to come up with a reasonable bakup strategy. The following comes to mind:

 

• A backup HDD, capacity around 2-5TB should be fine. Any recommendations which ones to get? Does it make sense to go enterprise grade?
• Which backup software? I have been using Acronis True Image for a year now, and it seems nice becaue it allows both local backups as well as cloud backups.
• Does it make sense to have two backup HDDs in Raid 1?

I am very grateful for any comments on this, since this is the first time I built a system. I have lost some data some time ago (by dropping my one and only backup HDD), but fortunately it could be recovered. Now I want to be more careful.

 

Best wishes
Jens

[brob]

As long as the storage is external to the system(s) being backed up, what is used doesn't really matter. For a single station, an external hdd works well. I've used Seagates in the past but found that they tend to fail after a couple of years. (I'm about to try a WD My Book to see if that is any better.) RAID 1 is not really worth the cost. After all backups are not archives, their useful life is measured in weeks or months at best.

 

I love all the options offered by Acronis True Image. Being able to automate backups and have it manage storage consumption is great.

[NixieFreak]

Well, I am more afraid of SSD drive failure (which is why I want to include a HDD backup). I do not recommend any of the WD "Cloud" devices, the UI is absolutely horrific and not practical at all. I purchased a MyCloud Mirror and was thoroughly disappointed. Go with Linus' advice and build one yourself using Unraid (if you're up to it), otherwise stay clear of that stuff (imho).

 

I have periodic manual backups that I store on external HDDs (Seagate Slim 1TB) that I encrypt using VeraCrypt and that I store in various safe locations around town. I was just wondering if there is a specific HDD type that is recommended for that kind of backup.

 

Regarding Acronis: it is a good service, but it is definitely pricey... I am still on my 2016 license (with unlimited cloud storage), but soon they will force me to update to the 2017 version which only has 1TB of included cloud storage. They did not mention that the unlimited offer would no longer be available (to anyone!) starting 2017.

[brob]

SSD are actually more reliable than hdd, especially if they are being transported. 

 

I don't bother with cloud backup. Given the amount of data involved it just isn't a good choice for me.

 

 

[NixieFreak]

I ended up using two Seagate BarraCuda Pro 6TB in Raid 1 (via Windows 10's so-called two-way mirror), this should do the trick for the next couple of years. Thanks!