Jump to content
  • 0

File Placement vs. Duplication


Edward

Question

I've replaced a failing 2tb drive (nearly 10 years old :huh:) with a new 8tb drive. I previously removed the failing drive from my DrivePool.   

I would like to have essential folders/files currently in my pool duplicated to the new drive. This is so that I can be confident that in the event of a failure of any current drive in my pool failing or the DrivePool software failing I have one clean whole copy of those essential folders/files to use (either in the existing machine or elsewhere).

How do I go about this please?

I've looked at the File Placement options and Duplication options. It is not clear which I could use for my purpose.  In both cases it *seems* that I can't be assured a clean whole copy being on the new drive. 

Or do I need to investigate creating a second pool, adding my existing Drivepool and the new drive to the new pool? And then from there doing some sort of placement or duplication?

Cheers  :)

Edward

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

You *could* use Hierarchical Pooling but as the new drive ages as well and so at some stage you'd want another HDD to serve this purpose, I don;t think it is tenable long-term. Not sure what you mean by "(either in existing machine or elsewhere)". If you want transportability of certain files or drives then it becomes even harder I think.

I would say the whole idea of duplication is that you need not worry about which drives contain which duplicate. Just have a decent backup solution and it should be almost perfect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Many thanks.  I'll have a closer look at Hierarchical Pooling to see if that serves my purpose.   

I had hoped that by using a balancer or file placement rule (or combination) that the new drive could simply be a clean backup of certain folders/files that reside in the existing DrivePool such that that backup could be used 'in the existing machine or elsewhere' - for example if the machine breaks. 

I want to have confidence that if the existing machine fails (as it did some time ago) I can simply grab the backup drive and use that quickly in a spare machine rather than having to source a machine that can hold many drives, rebuild pools etc. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

So to be sure, duplication *is not a backup*. But I think I get what you mean.

Yeah, Hierarchical Pooling could help in the sense that you could have one underlying pool with just clean/new/trustworthy disks and be certain that they contain exactly one duplicate of (more than x1) duplicated files. The thing is, once a Pool grows larger and has more disks, the "clean/new/trustworthy" property becomes opaque over time so such a setup would require management (not that much, possible to plan but still).

If what you need safeguarded fits on a single HDD then I would suggest to consider actual backup-solutions. You could even rotate such backups offsite. Then, not only do you have pretty good protection against drive failure but theft, fire etc. as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 0

Thanks again.  Yes, to be sure, I understand the difference between backup and duplication.  Apols if I was sloppy.

I've yet to dig into hierarchical pooling. For now I'm simply doing a sync of essential files approximating 2tb. 

Ideally I want to implement a set and forget solution.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Answer this question...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...