LinkStation 4TB - do I need to backup if in RAID 1 ?

[metafizx]

   

hi,

 

We have a bunch of smaller LinkStations 750G, and do USB backup daily, however this takes a long time.

 

If we get the 4TB LinkStations, the USB Backup would be really too long, so wondering if RAID 1 (mirror) will be enough protection?

 

thanks in advance...

[rinthos]

   

Depends what you're trying to protect against...

If all you are trying to protect against is a drive failure, Raid 1 is great.

 

But, corrupt data, linkstation unit failure, accidental deletions, file revisions, and other related areas are NOT protected by Raid 1, so the usb-backup (or other backup method) would be advised.

 

Remember, Raid 1 is not intended to be a backup, it's intended to protect against drive failure, nothing more.

 

Hope this helps.

[metafizx]

   

ok, thanks, that certainly makes sense.

 

although accidental deletions are still a problem with the type of backup we use, unless of course you catch the mistake prior to the nightly backup !

 

it's just the time to do those USB Backups...

 

[rinthos]

   

Yeah.  I can say I've not tried the 4TB Linkstations, but with other Buffalo products, I've noticed the LAN backups are much faster than the USB backups....

 

I.e. backing up from a Terastation to another Terastation on the same 1gig LAN seems much faster than USB.  Not sure why though given the ports are supposed to be Usb 2.0, and the terastations can't come anywhere near maxing out 1gig...

 

Might be something worth trying out, and if it works, might be a better alternative.

[davo]

   You should never depend on one device as you main file storage (even if it comes raided) RAID only protects against a HDD failure (bare in mind the linkstations use a software RAID and NOT a hardware RAID) If the raid goes then your data is gone, always always always backup to another device.