Standard backup solution for my Apple devices [closed]
I have a few Apple devices (iMac, MBPs etc) in my home. All my devices are SSD backed and therefore I had to sacrifice in capacity. It occurred to me that I could have a secure central data storage machine that could be accessed over the network in home and it could be HDD backed, and therefore not so pricey.
A HDD backed device could keep all my movies, code, software installers, tutorials etc. and keep my "interface" devices' drives free.
Essentially, I'm looking for a device that would be:
- always up and network accessible;
- be secure (maybe by password protection); and
- work as central data repository for my home.
AirPort Time Capsule looks like such a device but its primary function is to serve as the storage space for backup of a computer. Additionally I thought I could buy a Mac Mini and connect it to my network and just use it as a data server. Am I thinking along right lines?
Can someone help me to find an appropriate device for my use case?
Solution 1:
While iCloud is what Apple touts as the answer to your use case, a Network Attached Storage, aka NAS, is what could serve your needs in a way that gives you more control over your data and is also cheaper.
Fortunately, there are many NAS manufacturers that provide you with solutions that simultaneously act as central data storage (their primary function) and as the backing disk for Time Machine, effectively abstracting out the complexity of two devices from the user.
These devices can be connected directly to your router by an ethernet port. Depending upon the manufacturer's provided interface, you can set up a password controlled central repository for all your data and can keep a publicly accessible common data folder.
Both iCloud and NAS are hard drives in the end, but if you go with NAS it is up to you to care of the cons of NAS. The following cases are possible:
- NASes drive can fail.
For this, the solution is simple - get a dual drive NAS. That way you have two copies of your data on the NAS itself and the chance of losing your data (which will happen when both drives fail) is reduced significantly.
- NAS may be slow.
The solution is straight-forward - use SSD backed NAS. But, since you have already mentioned that you have SSD in your devices and only need a central data repository for legacy and/or static data, going with a HDD may be good enough for you. Also, other reasons why NAS may be slow is because of encryption of data on NAS, firewall on NAS, too much traffic on your home network, a slow device in your computer to NAS connection (eg. slow router).
- NAS can get full pretty soon with all your data.
Make a generous estimate of your space needs and purchase it correctly upfront. Remember that when purchasing dual drive NASes, often the actual capacity you get is half of what is mentioned by the manufacturer because second half is used for creating the replica.