The original post: /r/datahoarder by /u/iavine on 2025-07-23 11:02:34.
I am an old techie who hasn't kept up with anything recent and I am currently planning a new system* to keep my family's data safe-ish.
There are 4 laptops; aside from mine, they are used by non-tech kids. I plan to have an external ssd for each that will get differential backups made to them. Software tbd; they run windows, I run linux. I want to have a solution to backup those ssds that is minimum hassle/action required.
Key point: we will be travelling in a caravan so we have power and space limits and whatever it is will spend most of it's time powered down and carefully packed up to minimise risk. I am going for ssds for the first backup line as they do not need an external power source. Also, there won't be a reliable internet connection so cloud anything is right out.
Currently, I am thinking a mini PC with a appropriate size das that auto-runs a sync whenever one of the ssds (or a memory stick/card) is plugged into it. Is there an enclosure that already does this? Or any suggestions for a better method? I am wanting to have a setup where a) the kids just plug their ssd into their laptops semi-regularly (and their backup software does it's differential thing) and then b) I semi-regularly boot up this system and plug in their ssds (and it does it's sync thing). If the mini PC is the go, I am fairly sure I can navigate finding the right distro and automating the sync but any pointers are welcome.
* right now, backups are haphazard for all of us as the risk of losing or damaging our computers is fairly low. When we move into the caravan, I reckon the risk profile changes a lot though! I have a stack of old hdd with close to two decades of data-hoarding that need to be consolidated but most of that will be into offline mode and left with family for the next year. I probably don't neeeeeeed my stash of early noughties miscellanea when travelling, right? Right?