how to avoid having automated backups fill up the disk

[buf00]

   

Buffalo LinkStation Mini

Model# LS-WS500GL/R1

Firmware: 1.04

Configured for RAID1

Questions about the built-in backup of this drive.

 

If I have a Disk Backup job (mode=Normal) running weekly, backing up the LinkStation's contents to a share on the same LinkStation or on another one, at some point it will fill up the destination disk.  I don't see an option to automatically delete old backups when they reach a certain size, cardinality, or age.

 

(Q1) If I want to use the built-in backup, is there a way to avoid accidentally filling up the destination disk?

 

(Q2) What will happen when the disk is full?  Will existing files be damaged?

 

I saw the suggestion here <http://forums.buffalotech.com/buffalo/board/message?board.id=0101&message.id=19&query.id=52695#M19> to use the bundled Memeo AutoBackup program.  I tried it and it is not useful for me because the source data must be on a local drive, whereas I plan to use the LinkStation as my primary source disk.

 

 

 

 

 

[daoswald]

   

Everyone's needs are different.  However, I just use the last backup-type option; the one where new or changed files are added, and deleted files are removed.  Incremental with deletes, I guess is how that could be described.  It doesn't maintain a history, but for my purposes it's sufficient.

 

Another solution is to use two backup drives, and two backup jobs.  Backup job one sends the backup to usbdisk1, and backup job two sends the backup to usbdisk2.  If both usb disks are twice the size of the linkstation, that gives you the ability to have four backups take place before you have to remove one.  If you do one backup per week, that gives you nearly a month of not worrying about it.

 

Of course the solution that I use (incremental with deletes) makes it unnecessary to ever remove the backup, and it's a quick enough task that I can have the backup occur every night, or even a couple times a day.