RAID is not a backup: the 3-2-1 rule, honestly — Homelab the Right Way
chartmann1590.github.io
What actually counts as a copy under the 3-2-1 rule, why a RAID mirror or a snapshot only protects against one kind of failure, and the one-page inventory that exposes the gaps.

What actually counts as a copy under the 3-2-1 rule, why a RAID mirror or a snapshot only protects against one kind of failure, and the one-page inventory that exposes the gaps.

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Disclosure: this is my own article (Charles Hartmann, Homelab the Right Way). Written with AI help and edited by me; the setup described is mine.

  • Homelab the Right Way@lemmy.worldOP
    1·
    5 days ago

    Totally get that. You don’t have to back up everything, just the stuff you can’t replace: photos, documents, configs. That set is usually small enough for an old USB drive plus a cheap or free offsite option. Rebuildable stuff (media, ISOs, containers you can redeploy) can skip it. Imperfect backups of the important 5% beat a perfect plan you never get to.

    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
      1·
      5 days ago

      Problem I have is so much of my data is “projects” where like, only god and my client know what random shit they’ll ask for.

      • Homelab the Right Way@lemmy.worldOP
        1·
        4 hours ago

        That’s the hard case. When you can’t predict what a client will ask for, backing up the whole project folder is simpler than trying to pick files, and moving finished projects to an archive keeps the active set small.