The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/Blackstar1886 on 2024-07-27 18:44:21.
I am trying to come up with a sensible data management strategy and was hoping someone might be willing to weigh in.
PROBLEM
Have several external drives each on their own USB or network connection, separate power supplies etc...
There are 4 drives total:
- WD MyCloud 4TB - Unknown Filesystem (connected by network, but firewalled from the outside -- still not happy about the risk)
- WD MyBook 4TB - NTFS (connected via USB)
- WD Elements 12TB - NTFS (connected via USB)
- WD EasyStore 14TB - Mac OS Journaled (connected via USB)
I previously used the WD Elements 12TB as a "Master Backup" drive for the MyCloud and MyBook using SyncToy on Windows. The EasyStore is not well backed up right now.
I no longer have the Windows machine and want to make my Mac my primary driver. I had planned to simply reformat all the drives to Apple's filesystem and find a SyncToy equivalent, but Mac's have a known issue about sleeping external drives resulting in possible data loss from my understanding.
Note: I have never schucked a drive before and worry about the potential for damaging drives I can't afford to replace.
SOLUTIONS CONSIDERING
All the options involve moving things around to reformat the drives I'm assuming since the NTFS support on Mac and Linux isn't 100%.
- Keeping my Mac awake all the time so I don't have to worry about the drives getting ejected on sleep.
- Using a dormant Raspberry Pi 4 I have lying around as a NAS and connecting the existing drives to USB 3.0 hub.
- Trying to find a 4-bay NAS in my $200 budget and risking schucking the drives.
- Buying an old tower that can accommodate 4 hard drives via SATA, installing Linux, and risking schucking the drives.