AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

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spottedsalamander
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AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

Post by spottedsalamander »

Hello,

I will prefix this by saying that I am not an expert, so please answer this in a non-technical manner (especially regarding networking features such as ports).

I found the backup options that come with the Nimbustor somewhat redundant, and so I was wondering if you could help me differentiate between when and why one would need a full-backup vs. a screenshot, as well as, which automatic file backup systems work best. (Also is there any reason one would want to backup program files, or is it always adequate to only save the resulting files - i.e. game saves vs. the actual game; Word files vs. Microsoft Word)

I am currently using the folder sync option (EZ Sync) and so far I am happy with it, but it does seem to possibly be a bit buggy (occasionally fails to update folders) / I am wondering if it is tripping up when I shut down my computer. This syncing suggests a specific cloud permission, that I did not yet grant. - Can you tell me what the benefit of allowing this is and if it is secure / under what conditions it remains secure? (Ports, etc.)

Naturally, the real question here is, which systems should I use and at what time intervals to create a solid backup security without completely filling the drive with redundant duplicates and old information... In general, it's nice to know that I can set the limit of Snapshots for example... but what happens when this number is reached? Does it just stop taking snapshots? Does it rewrite the old ones in kind of a loop from old to new... or how should I best understand this? - Naturally I wouldn't want the most recent backups to be overwritten with the new backups since in the case of file corruption this would defeat the whole purpose of doing these backups in the first place... And what happens when something in storage becomes corrupted and then you don't realize it till a year or two later? - Will I have any old copies to turn back to? Or does everyone manually go through their stuff "just to make sure" all the time? I just don't really understand how this is supposed to be practically manageable...

Do you have any tips in general regarding keeping backups organized and non-redundant?

Also, I am currently under the impression that I still need a separate rebootable drive for a operating system backup. Is this true? - Do you have any suggestions regarding this?

Thank you very much in advance for your advice regarding this topic!
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orion
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Re: AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

Post by orion »

If you think there are important snapshots, you can simply mark those snapshots as locked. NAS won't delete those locked snapshots if the total count of snapshots reach the limit.

Two options for scheduling snapshots: Stop or Remove old...
https://www.asustor.com/images/kindedit ... _96928.png
spottedsalamander wrote: Also, I am currently under the impression that I still need a separate rebootable drive for a operating system backup. Is this true? - Do you have any suggestions regarding this?
It's totally new for me. Where do you read this article? At least, I don't prepare this "separate rebootable drive for a operating system backup".
Last edited by orion on Tue Aug 17, 2021 2:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
AndyM
Posts: 94
Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2020 11:57 am

Re: AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

Post by AndyM »

I too am starting to have a harder look at what is the best backup approach. Currently I just copy all the files to an old harddrive I have, surely not the best approach. In a perfect world saving and restoring should not turn into major events. I confess I have not read the collage info yet (I will) but I look forward to hearing what others are doing. I am using an AS6604T.
Cheers
Andy
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Nazar78
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Re: AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

Post by Nazar78 »

Snapshots are great for rollbacks but I'll only use it for certain scenario like a shared space where multiple users have read/write access on some projects or for repositories.

My current backup plan is like this, it's not perfect but I have been doing it for a long time and it did saved me from quite a number of mishaps:

1. Schedule in Backup & Restore utility to nightly backup for only important stuffs to an external usb enclosure. The source of this backup is a mixed of user/data folders and pre-backed up NAS config, tars, drive images, sql dumps etc.

2. Schedule an off-site rsync from the same destination before the previous backup no. 1 runs.

This way I'll have two days of copies in case I need to rollback for whatever reason. Worst case if the NAS and usb enclosure both gets horribly damaged, I still have an off-site backup albeit two days off sync. And to restore them on a similar NAS I would just reinitialize, reinstall the apps, restore the NAS backup settings and data which would take awhile.

Also with this approach, I was able to migrate all my data, apps/sites then up and running from my old dying wd 4tb nas (lots of bad blocks) to this current nas within a couple of days.
AS5304T - 16GB DDR4 - ADM-OS modded on 2GB RAM
Internal:
- 4x10TB Toshiba RAID10 Ext4-Journal=Off
External 5 Bay USB3:
- 4x2TB Seagate modded RAID0 Btrfs-Compression
- 480GB Intel SSD for modded dm-cache (initramfs auto update patch) and Apps

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AndyM
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Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2020 11:57 am

Re: AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

Post by AndyM »

So the external "usb enclosure" would be the standard run of the mill hard drive like I am using now? The back up and restore facility you refer to - is that covered in the college topics?

My quick read of the college;

252 Snapshot
Uses existing NAS space? Might be a short term solution. What if drive holding volume and snapshot gets corrupted?

253 Backup Plan
How to back up the PC to the NAS; NA

255 My Archive
Looks like it could work but I see two disadvantages; 1) Original and back up in the same physical location and 2) uses NAS bays needed for future growth.

257 FTP Backup
"Students are expected to have a working knowledge of FTP" Well that lets me out.

259 Remote Sync
Seems like a good choice but is it novice friendly? See the dmtparker thread on the problems an obviously experienced Unix user is having. I have zero Unix knowledge.
Are all USB drives RSync compatible. Is a second (inexpensive) NAS a better option than a USB drive? What about the expansion units used as a backup device? Could a drive from the expansion just be plugged into the NAS to replace a failed drive?

I have ignored the cloud stuff - no interest.

All comments welcome - I am learning.

Cheers
Andy
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father.mande
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Location: La Rochelle (France)

Re: AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

Post by father.mande »

Hi,

For my own request, I use Syncthing
adv. :
very simple to configure
encrypted
simple one way possible (master to slave ... so like a backup) or synchronous (any change in one side reported to the other side) SO NO Master
supported on multiple O.S. Linux/Unix Windows, MacOS, IOS (T.B.C. I never use it), android
sync. can be based on file change (notify) so immediately after a write ... or on schedule basis.
separate folder (or share) can have backup on same or different target.
multiple target are supported (even through Internet and not only local)
cons.
If large folders ... first sync is long and use I/O and CPU, but after only difference are synchronized
target for backup must be on line ... or frequently up.

My Usage :
for small/rare change folder (ex. video, photos, sound ...) I use schedule (each Hours); It's ~400 GB
for frequent change (ex. my developer structure) with lot of small files ... I use notify (so immediate sync.) It's ~4 GB (thousand of files) ... in this case with another NAS.

BUT I think for larger size other solution can be used (ex. external USB 3 Box, etc.)
and choosing a solution based on your knowledge is always the best.

Philippe.
AS6602T / AS5202T /AS5002T / AS1002T / FS6706T
AndyM
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Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2020 11:57 am

Re: AS5202T - Difference Between Backup Types

Post by AndyM »

Thanks for the input - I will see what I can find on it - and if it's something us simple folks could use!
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