Idea what to do with old & functional PC

[de.das.dude]

i put mine in my parents place so i can game / work when i am visiting them

 

[Dirt Chip]

Yes, it does not include an incremental back up so if a file gets corrupted, so also is that which is copied across.

I like to keep an old machine around as a backup; if the main machine fails, say the power supply goes, one can still keep up with email and order a replacement. Better still, one can use the 'spare' power supply to see if that is really the issue.

How so? I just add the new stuff to the backup old PC, i`m not doing an all file rewrite each time. its mostly .DNG and raw video files. they do not change so no neet to copy all of them each backup period.

If you pose this question on Tom's Harware forums, you'll immediately be asked why you think RAID1 is a good idea. If you say it's to keep your data safe, you'll be told RAID1 (mirroring) does not guarantee file integrity and should not be regarded as a backup solution. I can attest to this fact because many years ago, I set up a twin 1TB hard disk bootable RAID1 Windows system. After several years, both drives started to develop bad blocks and different files on each disk were corrupted or missing. I had backups elsewhere, so nothing was lost, but it put me off RAID1 for general use.

Consider what happens if your computer is hit with a Ransomware attack. Since you're running a mirrored array, the files on both drives could end up encrypted. If you accidentally delete an important file on a mirrored array, both copies will be deleted. If your mirrored array depends on hardware and your motherboard dies, you may need to buy a similar mobo with the same RAID chipset, to restore the array (this happened to me with a 4-drive array).

Software RAID is a different matter, but trusting your data to two enormous 20 or 30TB drives in RAID1 is just asking for trouble. It's much better to keep the your 20/30TB drives in two different systems. That way, if one PC gets hit by ransomware, fire, flood, etc., with luck (and careful planning) you've still got a second copy of your data. Leaving a USB "backup" drive permanently attached to a PC will not save it from ransomware.

Well, I`v done my reserch right here in TPU in the early days of the current system build considering software/hardware backup/redundancy.
I`m awere for all the downsides of bios level RAID 1 (I think..)
I have no intenstion to use only one RAID1 setup- I`m curenttly considering setting up a new RAID1 in the old "Dirt Sheep" computer in addition to the current RAID1 in my work "silent sheep" PC (see system spec).
That is on top of having number of portable 5TB HDD`s I already have.
That new RAID1 in the old computer will be offline, no internet whatsoever and 99% of the time off the power grid (with the 1% is when I boot it up to add new stuff, then right back to deep sleep). Maybe I will even put it in a different geographical location, for the bed times whene the sky will fall down (as happens quite frequently in my home country..).
Any holes in that logic?

However, I will certainly look into RAID5/6 setup using smaller HDD`s if it can give me better redundancy at lower cost then 2*20-30TB in RAID 1. That's a very good advice

Turn it into a retro WinXP system. You'll only need 4GB of that RAM for that, but leaving the 16GB in won't harm anything XP just won't used anything above 4GB. Find a GTX670 or GTX960 GPU for it and have fun!

Some classic games don't run or don't run well on modern OSes.

I have no longing to WinXP, though I haven't find a way to properly run my all time favorite "chaos overlords" (the GOG version I have is non functional )

 

[ShiBDiB]

Definitely team use it as a NAS.

Also semi rant, it's absolutely INSANE how much purpose built NAS boxes are. No disks and you're gonna spend $500+ on an underpowered mini pc.

 

[lexluthermiester]

I have no longing to WinXP, though I haven't find a way to properly run my all time favorite "chaos overlords" (the GOG version I have is non functional )

There are a few games on both GOG and physical media that work best on XP. With that 256GB SSD you'd be golden. With the suggested GTX 670/960, XP drivers are easy to get. Only a suggestion though.

 

[Harlow]

Any holes in that logic?

Sounds good to me. You've got multiple copies of your data and keep some of them isolated from the internet.

However, I will certainly look into RAID5/6 setup using smaller HDD`s if it can give me better redundancy at lower cost then 2*20-30TB in RAID 1.

Drives can fail at any time. With a 20 to 30TB drive, that's a significant cost if it's outside warranty.

A 4TB Toshiba NAS drive failed in one of my RAID-Z2 arrays after only 6 days intermittent use. The other 5 drives are OK, but they were purchased brand new and I'd hoped to get more life out of them. Unfortunately the drive was outside warranty. I chucked the failing drive into a home media PC, but I could hear and feel it vibrating. 6 more bad sectors appeared and I've just replaced it with an ex-server pull with 1,957 days use!!! No guarantee it won't die tomorrow, but it's an Enterprise class drive and was free.

Although multiple small drives might be slightly more expensive than a few really big drives, they're cheaper to replace.

Also semi rant, it's absolutely INSANE how much purpose built NAS boxes are. No disks and you're gonna spend $500+ on an underpowered mini pc.

Agreed. I've just read a review of Synology and QNAP NAS enclosures and marvel at the slow CPUs and minimal RAM. You're getting a smaller (neater?) package than my second hand HP servers and obsolete tower PCs, but at much higher cost. I could build/buy a bare-bones PC for less money, let alone repurpose an old PC.

The spec for my HP servers is 52kg (114lb) with all drives and both PSUs fitted. I use a trolley to move them around and keep them on the ground floor in my home. Contrast this with a typical NAS box one tenth the weight/size and you can understand why some people prefer them.