SSD/HDD recommendations for library storage?

Wasn’t sure if this was the right place, but let’s try.

Currently I’m storing my library on a Samsung T5 Portable SSD attached to my 2014 Mac mini which is running Core, but I’m thinking I’d like to start using something a bit more secure with backup potential. This could be a RAID setup or just two separate drives that I periodically back one up to on the other. Any recommendations for reliability and fast access in a setup (drives and enclosure). I’m trying to not break the bank, so please no recommendations for a completely new Core setup or some bonkers NAS configuration.

… is not a backup. A RAID just and only improves the availability of your data, good or bad doesn’t matter. As it doesn’t looks like you’ve got a problem with that, this sounds like spending “Money for nothing”.

This sounds like a proper backup and a proper backup is what people usually need first/most before anything else.

You can also combine the two but for the use-case you presented, this feels like a waste of “Money, money, money”.

Your T5 SSD is a great solution - stay with that. Your audio files are mostly static, so you aren’t doing a lot of writing to the drive, which means that your SSD will be reliable for a long time.

For backup, my recommendation is to purchase two external HDDs and periodically connect them to your Mac and make a copy of your music collection, alternating between the two. Maybe keep one of your copies at work for off-site backup.

I personally have four copies of my music library on different drives (NAS, RAID, portable), using GoodSync to ‘sync’ my collection. I can even remotely sync my audio collection to my work located HDD using GoodSync remotely from my NAS box at home.

You can make this as complicated as you want to, but the important element is simple: use multiple devices for multiple backup copies.

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Thanks! I’ll just grab a larger SSD as this one is about to fill up.

I work as an archivist at a professional level, so I know about the 3-2-1 rule all too well :sweat_smile:. Do you have any recommendations for reliable HDDs? I’m thinking like a pair of Western Digital Reds or Blacks? The Reds might be nice as I can move them into a RAID configuration if I ever decide to go that route.

Also, any recommendations for dual-drive enclosures?

Sorry, I could’ve phrased that a bit better, but I know RAID isn’t technicially “backup”, but it does secure against potential data loss.

No it does not. Data loss means: The data is lost. A backup prevents data loss, allows you to restore the data (technically, the data wasn’t lost at all).

A RAID is just about availability of the data (potentially longer time-span until the storage device fails). A failed storage device is only one way you might loose data. Data can also be maliciously or unintentionally deleted, become corrupted, become encrypted by ransomware, … .

A backup always helps if you lose data, no matter the reason for it.

You’re being really pedantic and passive aggressive for no reason. I said “protect against potential data loss”, which a RAID array will do if one of the drives fails. I literally work an archivist for a living, so you trying to explain how data loss works is kinda funny. Thanks for the “help” though.

Sure… in 2022 I would say: all of them :grinning:

I used to work in the storage industry and unless you are buying in large quantities, you have no way of knowing if a particular vendor/model is have what we used to call a ‘quality excursion’.

For drive enclosures, I use a Drobo 5D3 with five 8TB WD Red drives. For NAS I have a WD MyCloudEX2Ultra with Seagate 8TB 10K RPM drives.

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I use 2 x 2TB WD passports connected to my mini and Carbon Copy Cloner to do a full backup every 3 days. Now over 32k tracks and would be heartsick at losing them.

BTW some RAIDs do protect against data loss. In my NAS I’ve had 1 drive in a RAID fail and the NAS sent me a notification to replace it. I replaced it with a new bare drive the NAS formatted it and restored the RAID integrity, nothing lost due to drive failure.

Wikipedia:
RAID 5 consists of block-level striping with distributed parity. Unlike in RAID 4, parity information is distributed among the drives. It requires that all drives but one be present to operate. Upon failure of a single drive, subsequent reads can be calculated from the distributed parity such that no data is lost.[5] RAID 5 requires at least three disks.

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Yeah, I’m thinking a pair of the Passports might be a decent idea, but I do like the idea of an enclosure as well. Decisions…

RAID is about high availability - losing one or more HDDs doesn’t make the data unavailable.

Data loss usually comes from user error (accidentally deleting/corrupting files) or subsystem failure (the device dies because the $0.59 cooling fan stopped spinning) or physical damage (e.g. fire or flood). RAID does nothing to help you with these issues.

RAID is good because a sick drive doesn’t stop the music playing, until you get around to replacing the dead drive.

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