Local drive to backup three machines.
Discussion
A solution:
You need a NAS attached to your router. Map the NAS on each machine as an external drive, then use backup software on each machine to backup to the NAS.
Depending on whether your machines have wired or wireless connections to the router, and what else is connected to the router, you may need a switch between the router and the NAS. It depends on whether you have a spare port on the router and are happy having a NAS sitting next/close to it.
You need a NAS attached to your router. Map the NAS on each machine as an external drive, then use backup software on each machine to backup to the NAS.
Depending on whether your machines have wired or wireless connections to the router, and what else is connected to the router, you may need a switch between the router and the NAS. It depends on whether you have a spare port on the router and are happy having a NAS sitting next/close to it.
Edited by BlackTails on Sunday 16th March 13:19
ATG said:
Without a bit more information than "all of the files" there's really no point suggesting solutions.
W7 machine with old word docs, excel and Jpegs.W10 machine with some of the above. Onedrive account that I'd like to backup locally.
Macbook with some jpegs. I cloud account with lots of photos.
Synology is a good solution providing you can schedule the backups when you know your machines will be powdered on.
Synology NASs come with Active Backup for Business app on them. You create shares on your computers, then point Active Backup for Busines at them. I set each PC up as a "File server" in the app. Cant remember why but for me it worked better than the "PC/Mac" alternative.
Mime backs up every Thursday and I get emailed a report. If it failed I turn on the PC and then trigger the backup again as it was off when the backup ran, if it says "partial success" then I close outlook and trigger the backup again as I know it cant backup outlook.pst when outlook is open.
This makes it a partially manual process but it gets done, and the emails are pretty much reminders.
I do incremental and they take leas than a min. I backup all of my docs, outlook, photos.
I also auto run hyper backup (software Inc on the NAS again) to copy the backups to a small USB had which I take out the property when im away for over a week.
There are a miryad of ways to backup but this is one of them.
Synology NASs come with Active Backup for Business app on them. You create shares on your computers, then point Active Backup for Busines at them. I set each PC up as a "File server" in the app. Cant remember why but for me it worked better than the "PC/Mac" alternative.
Mime backs up every Thursday and I get emailed a report. If it failed I turn on the PC and then trigger the backup again as it was off when the backup ran, if it says "partial success" then I close outlook and trigger the backup again as I know it cant backup outlook.pst when outlook is open.
This makes it a partially manual process but it gets done, and the emails are pretty much reminders.
I do incremental and they take leas than a min. I backup all of my docs, outlook, photos.
I also auto run hyper backup (software Inc on the NAS again) to copy the backups to a small USB had which I take out the property when im away for over a week.
There are a miryad of ways to backup but this is one of them.
As already asked, can you give some more data?
Captain_Morgan said:
How much do you need to back up?
How often will you back up?
Is the plan to automate the backup or manually copy?
Will this be a full or incremental?
Are you planing to backup to - a network drive or direct attach storage?
What price did you have in mind?
How often will you back up?
Is the plan to automate the backup or manually copy?
Will this be a full or incremental?
Are you planing to backup to - a network drive or direct attach storage?
What price did you have in mind?
Another vote for Synology, get a 2 drive NAS and then you have a backup inside your backup. (2nd disc mirrors the first, they do die occasionally).
Synology have their own photos app, which you can install on your phone, and automatically backup images directly to the drive from where-ever you are.
It's not the cheapest thing to set up, by the time you've bought some drives and the NAS it's a few hundred quid, but the peace of mind and no ongoing subscription are worth it IMO. Also quite powerful if you want to run other applications directly from the NAS, which might not appeal now, but in future could be handy.
Synology have their own photos app, which you can install on your phone, and automatically backup images directly to the drive from where-ever you are.
It's not the cheapest thing to set up, by the time you've bought some drives and the NAS it's a few hundred quid, but the peace of mind and no ongoing subscription are worth it IMO. Also quite powerful if you want to run other applications directly from the NAS, which might not appeal now, but in future could be handy.
I've got an IT chap on board to help me.
We have, I think, decided that I am going to run an iCloud backup and I've ordered one of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CDQ61K4W?ref=ppx_yo2...
Any reason why not?
No reason why not, but people will say that you should have a duel disk NAS in case your one disk fails (or rather, when your one disk fails).
That said, if your documents are backed up on the cloud and elsewhere then should your NAS HD fail you can easily copy over the files.
If you get a bit nerdy your NAS can do all sorts of things, beyond just storing files. It's an always on PC.
That said, if your documents are backed up on the cloud and elsewhere then should your NAS HD fail you can easily copy over the files.
If you get a bit nerdy your NAS can do all sorts of things, beyond just storing files. It's an always on PC.
Condi said:
No reason why not, but people will say that you should have a duel disk NAS in case your one disk fails (or rather, when your one disk fails).
That said, if your documents are backed up on the cloud and elsewhere then should your NAS HD fail you can easily copy over the files.
If you get a bit nerdy your NAS can do all sorts of things, beyond just storing files. It's an always on PC.
This is my thinking, thanks.That said, if your documents are backed up on the cloud and elsewhere then should your NAS HD fail you can easily copy over the files.
If you get a bit nerdy your NAS can do all sorts of things, beyond just storing files. It's an always on PC.
Craikeybaby said:
More disk slots gives more flexibility, even if you don t use them. For example, you run out of storage, you can add another disk, either to expand what you have, or to replace it, but the copying of data happens automatically inside the machine.
They are great bits of kit though.
It was something like 1.5 the price for two slots. This, for an office that I am winding down.They are great bits of kit though.
Bit of an update on this.
We bought a Synology NAS.
We've set it up like it is our own cloud storage. So any device can access files from anywhere.
The data from the three main machines is now all on the NAS, as well as Onedrive and iCloud.
Next week, we are going to streamline the current cloud backup and sack Onedrive completely, using only iCloud as backup.
We got in an IT bod to help, who was very good and not super expensive. But even he struggled with unpicking some things, so I am pleased I employed him. It saved time and hair loss.
The difficulty, to try to explain this as a layperson, is that Microsoft and Mac (probably Google too) want you to use them exclusively, so tie you in and make it difficult to escape. When you bite the bullet, it's like removing a cancer and finding that it has metastasized; you've got to remove bits that you weren't expecting to.
So far, it seems that there was little collateral damage. Some contacts had become inextricably linked to email addresses or maybe Outlook. I've known my wife for twenty-five years, but after migrating away from Outlook she became just a phone number on my iPhone. One of my children too.
We bought a Synology NAS.
We've set it up like it is our own cloud storage. So any device can access files from anywhere.
The data from the three main machines is now all on the NAS, as well as Onedrive and iCloud.
Next week, we are going to streamline the current cloud backup and sack Onedrive completely, using only iCloud as backup.
We got in an IT bod to help, who was very good and not super expensive. But even he struggled with unpicking some things, so I am pleased I employed him. It saved time and hair loss.
The difficulty, to try to explain this as a layperson, is that Microsoft and Mac (probably Google too) want you to use them exclusively, so tie you in and make it difficult to escape. When you bite the bullet, it's like removing a cancer and finding that it has metastasized; you've got to remove bits that you weren't expecting to.
So far, it seems that there was little collateral damage. Some contacts had become inextricably linked to email addresses or maybe Outlook. I've known my wife for twenty-five years, but after migrating away from Outlook she became just a phone number on my iPhone. One of my children too.
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