Non-ECC for a FreeNAS backup??

[NineFingers]

I've just placed the order for a proper FreeNAS server for home... X10SL7, ECC, 6x2TB Red drives, etc. Then I got to thinking about the backup portion of my architecture. Would it be verboten to install FreeNAS on a non-ECC machine (cheap, and already have) to receive periodic backups for my primary FreeNAS? I know the ECC preferences for the primary, and I agree. I'm just wondering if non-ECC could be considered an "acceptable risk" for the backup portion?

Dave

 

[cyberjock]

Depends on if you are okay with your backups being trashed if your RAM goes bad. We all know what Murphy's Laws say about that... ;)

 

[mjws00]

Heh. I wondered if he'd touch this one. ;)

The risk is that you will wake up one day and find you need your backup. When you go to restore from it, you find out it has been corrupted. So you felt safe, and end up hosed. Heaven only knows how to put a statistically valid level of risk to that. However, if it saves you even once from a disaster with the main pool, and the hardware is already there... can an additional copy possibly be a bad thing?

The real risk is relying on it as the ONLY FAILSAFE, and getting too comfortable. If you have a proper verified offsite backup, a non-ecc box may be a rational solution to a quick local restore. It's never gonna be ideal, but it may also lead to a simple hardware swap-out that contains ecc at a later date. A 4 core ecc avoton is only gonna get cheaper...

That may not add much, but I'll hit enter anyway.

 

[NineFingers]

ya.... I thought it was probably a stupid idea............ a recovery is only as reliable as your backup.

So... now it's on to research the best backup method for a FreeNAS system.

Thanks guys!

 

[Z300M]

ya.... I thought it was probably a stupid idea............ a recovery is only as reliable as your backup.

So... now it's on to research the best backup method for a FreeNAS system.

Thanks guys!

Surely the best backup for a FreeNAS system is a second FreeNAS system.

 

[NineFingers]

Via replication? Via snapshots? Something else? I'm wanting to protect myself from an accidental file deletion.

 

[enemy85]

For what i understood the best and faster is replication of snapshots

 

[mjws00]

The very best is snapshots and replication. My thought was if you had the process nailed, and periodically checked your non-ecc backup. It is trivial to replace the hardware. Or just start with the good stuf ;). The challenge many, even myself, run into is with very large datasets it is expensive to duplicate that freenas box. Not too mention it should be duplicated offsite as well. Anything > 10TB starts to become a nuisance or cost a lot. Not to mention very few ISP's are ok with 10TB uploads ;).

It's a tricky game managing big pools at home, or for small business. Very easy to skip one level of protection and end up in trouble.