TimTheSettler

I agree with ConnorVT that you should really have a new machine with the new drives. Start up the new machine, get used to it, slowly set it up the way that you want, and then copy your files over. Once you have two systems with the same data then turn off the old machine and use just the new one for a while. Once you're happy that it's working the way that you want it to then decide what to do with the old server. Move the drives over to the new server so that you have lots of space or re-use the old server as a backup server (archive). Do you only have one machine and this is your only option?

This is a great price for an 18TB Exos drive. I have 10 running in my servers and I bought a couple more as backups. https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/seagate-exos-x18-18tb-enterprise-hdd-cmr-3-5-inch-hyperscale-sata-6gb-s-7200-rpm-512e-and-4kn-fastformat-low-latency-with-enhanced-caching-st18000nm000j/15143598?cmp=seo-15143598&cmp=knc-s-71700000081849114&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7NPmwYvqgAMV0gqtBh1_9wVNEAQYAiABEgJrIPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I'm not aware of any special app that will do what you want but here's what I would do if I were you. Option 1 Build a new, cheap machine for about $500 and buy two 4TB drives. Each machine will have 1x4TB parity and 3x4TB data. One machine will be your main server and the other will be a backup server. The main server will use Vorta to back up all the files from that main server to the backup server. When the backup is complete store the whole computer in the basement. Possibly encrypt the drives in case the stored computer might be stolen. Possibly get a small case so that the backup server has a small footprint. Put the smaller drives in there. Easier to store. Use the SSD drives as backup drives or split them up and put two in each machine as cache drives. Option 2 Buy an 18TB drive. These are currently at a nice price. Connect it to the server as an unassigned device and copy all the data to there or use it as an archive for Vorta. One big array -> to one big HDD. Option 3 Use the SSDs as your backup. Copy everything from your server (the SSDs) to your current backup drives (the 2.5" HDDs) so that you have a copy there. Put the old 3.5" drives back into the array and use them like you did before. Leave the 3TB drive out (the one that is dying). This means you will have 1x4TB parity and 2x4TB data. Copy all data from one of the backup drives (2.5") to the server. Add that 2.5" drive (that you just copied) to the server. You would now have 1x4TB parity and 3x4TB data. Stop here or do the same with another 4TB drive. Add it as a data drive or parity. You would now have 1x4TB parity and 4x4TB data or 2x4TB parity and 3x4TB data. Stop here or do the same with another 4TB drive. Add it as a data drive or parity. You would now have 1x4TB parity and 5x4TB data or 2x4TB parity and 4x4TB data. Copy the data onto the SSD drives in logical chunks (movies, pictures, etc.) so that they each grouping fits onto a drive. This is what I used to do.

Syncthing uses encryption when syncing files. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/möbius-sync/id1539203216

I took a different approach. This is pretty easy to do. All phones are synchronized to unRAID using Syncthing. When you take a picture on your phone then syncthing copies that to unRAID. I then use Vorta (Borg) to back up those folders. Vorta runs each day and uses incremental backups so if nothing changes then nothing happens. If something changes then only the changes are backed up. If files move around then the new locations are noted as changes but the contents don't change (it uses deduplication). What to do: Install one of the Syncthing dockers in unRAID. Create one (or more) folder(s) in unRAID that Syncthing can see. This is where your pictures will be synchronized to. Install Syncthing on the phones. Link Syncthing in the phone to the unRAID Syncthing (as a device). Using Syncthing on the phone and on unRAID, link the camera folder on the phone with the folder you created in unRAID. Install the Vorta docker in unRAID. Set up an archive (another folder in unRAID). Tell Vorta when to run, where the source files are (the picture folder in unRAID) and where the archive will be (your new archive folder). Benefits: If the picture folder gets too big you can move files out of the folder to a backup or other folder. This will delete the files on the phone. You can also tell Vorta to use the picture folder as a source AND the other backup folder as a source. When you move files from one folder to the other one then Vorta simply notes the change but the archive remains the same size. If you accidentally delete a picture then you can recover it from the archive.

Hi Jagger. I'm not sure how Windows is related to unRAID or how having unRAID and Windows is a problem. I have some Windows machines and Android phones/tablets. All work with unRAID through shares or syncthing. And of course my TV and Roku using Plex in unRAID. Everything is compatible. Of course I don't have Windows 11 yet (trying to avoid for now). Is there something in Windows 11 that won't work with unRAID?

Can you elaborate on the following? How many HDDs did you have in the array before? What size of drives were they? Where are they now? How many HDDs do you have as your backup drives? What size of drives are these? How many SSDs did you buy? What size of drives are these? How many drives can you physically fit into the case? How many SATA ports do you have (how many drives can you connect to the system)? How much data are the hard drives holding right now (in total - across the board)?

Wow, it's been ages since I heard of a daughter card. Had one in my old 386. I'm always worried about switching from one system to another without some kind of backup in place. What I mean is that I would do one of the three following things with #1 being preferred and then #2 and finally #3 as a last resort. Buy some new hard drives and build a new system. Copy the data from one to the other so that you have two identical systems (from a data perspective). Use syncthing to keep both systems in sync. Or use Duplicati or Vorta to use one system as a backup for the other. Buy a couple new hard drives and build a new system. Copy the data from the old system to the new one. When a hard drive becomes empty in the old system (because the data was copied to the new system) then add it to the new system so that you have more space. Gradually all the data will "move" from the old to the new but everything will be protected by the parity drives. Unplug the unRAID USB from the old system along with the hard drives and plug those things into the new system. Away you go. Your new system will start up with the same settings (and hard drive mapping) as the old system.

One thing that I came across as a difference was the LAN chipset. I bought a motherboard with Intel I219V and I originally installed TrueNas. I then read that it's better to have the I219LM for something like TrueNAS because the OS was server-grade. In fact the spec specifically says, "Server operating system support" among a few other features. But, I have no idea what any of that really means. In the end my onboard I219V seems to be doing just fine with unRAID. https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/content-details/333229/intel-ethernet-connection-i219-product-brief.html?wapkw=I219LM vs I219V Maybe someone here can shed some light on the difference is between a desktop LAN chipset and a server LAN chipset.

I've moved drives around and I'm pretty sure that it uses the model + serial number of the drive to identify it. You should be able to take apart the computer and then re-assemble it and, assuming you have the original configuration, it should be able to just pick up where you left off. If you don't have the original configuration then, as Decto states, you'll need to identify the drives back into their proper place.

I use Vorta. I also use the Wireguard VPN in unRAID to connect the computers over the internet.

I wanted to write up an article on "Backup Strategy". As I state below, when you talk about "backups" you should really be talking about a backup strategy and "copying files" or "using parity" is only a part of that strategy. This is a work in progress and I welcome suggestions, critiques, and comments. Definition A person or thing that can be called on if necessary; a reserve. Computing: the procedure for making extra copies of data in case the original is lost or damaged. Why is data backed up? A backup is created to protect the original by duplicating it so a backup strategy should involve protection so as to avoid the need of creating, maintaining, and having a backup in the first place. How can files be lost or damaged? They can be lost by being stolen digitally (hacked or ransomware) or physically (computer or hard drive burgled). They can also be lost due to negligence (accidental deletion) or on purpose (virus or ransomware). They can be damaged by time (bit rot), deficient hardware (drive failure), or by physical means (fire or other “act of God” event). Backup Strategy When people talk about “backup” they mean a backup strategy. Copying your files to another location is the most simple form of backup but it’s really a part of an overall strategy. There are two main parts of a backup strategy and these are further split up into other areas. Protection Encryption Access Quality Hardware Location (Offsite/Lockdown) Redundancy RAID/Mirror/Parity Copies/Snapshots/Archive Prevention and Recovery As you develop your strategy it evolves into a more effective method of prevention and more consideration is put into the ease of recovery.

Is that good or bad...?

I'm not sure if this will help or not but this is what I've done. Let's say that we have two servers and on each server there's a share/folder called "documents". Use syncthing to synchronize the files in the "documents" folder. Any changes on one server would be synchronized to the other. Then, using Duplicacy, set up an archive somewhere on one of the servers and tell Duplicacy to back up the "documents" folder to that archive. I use Vorta/Borg and it runs each day taking a snapshot each day. If there are no changes then the archive remains the same size. If I move some files around in the folder that is being archived then the archive stays the same size because the file contents haven't changed but the archive records the change of location. The daily snapshot gives me a history of file movements if I need to track that. If a file was deleted or changed unexpectedly then I can recover it at any point. This setup solves the following problems or provides these features: Off-site backup. If any server goes down you can recover from the other server. Multiple synchronized file servers. Backup archive: Incremental recovery. File change history. Efficiency from deduplication.

Awesome video. Thanks man!