So I’m quite new to the self hosting world, and not the most tech savvy, but I’m looking for a way to expand and increase the reliability of my file storage. I used to just use cloud storage but got concerned about privacy and environmental impact and whittled down all of my data to about 200GB including all my music, photos, movies, backup files, etc. I have a laptop, phone, and mp3 player and currently use synching to sync all of my files across all three devices. This works great, I love how seamless, cheap, and automatic everything is. But I want to expand my storage abilities and include a backup that isn’t with me / in my apartment. I was thinking of getting a couple raspberry pis with m.2 ssds, one to leave at my sisters house (small and unobtrusive little plastic box connected to power and her wifi) and then one at my apartment to act as another node, freeing up space on my phone so that all my files are in at least 3 different devices (3:2:1 rule?). this feels like an fairly easy project to set up, but I have a feeling there is probably a better way to go about what I’m trying to achieve.
I didn’t miss it, but didn’t loop back. Apologies.
I disregarded that as a solution in my response to that, because it’s not really a solution to OP’s request. Yes, they are cheaper. No, they are not functional for this need due to lack of PCIe. Running SSDs on these devices is not a feature because of the bus speed and connection limitations.
Sure it’s possible. No, it’s not functional for the needs requested here, or even a good suggestion. If somebody wanted a RELIABLE backup target using SSDs, this is the last possible scenario I would even suggest, and only if working from a box of scraps.
I’m not discounting your point that it’s cheaper at all, but it’s like…okay…if someone asked me where to get steak, because they need steak for a recipe they are cooking for dinner, my response shouldn’t be “Well, you could get steak right there, but it costs $X, and you can get Chicken wayyyyyyyy over there. It’s not beef, and it’s not what your recipe calls for, but it’s cheaper and possible to get.”
You’re asserting a position into justification for an argument that doesn’t exist. OP isn’t asking what they could theoretically run backups to. That could be an esp32 board for even cheaper. It’s also an even worse solution than an RPi. It’s just not what they’re asking for is my point.
OPs request was could they do it with pis. Yes you could. HDD is max 120mbs, with SSD over USB interface you get a lot more even thought its not running on the pcie bus. It is totally functional as long as you aren’t streaming 4k to your TV. And it is more than enough for most people. As a reliable backup solution it works, but best if you use a drive enclosure that is powered, rather than relying on the USB power of the drive adapter.
You seem irrationally irked about a viable suggestion, to OPs orignal question. Sorry if I triggered your inner nerd 😀
PS. I’m not talking getting nvme speeds on USB, I’m saying if you use an msata ssd you get tons more bandwidth on USB than HDD
No. Just…no.