[NA]Ext HDD[NA]

Reliable storage (RAID) does not meet the need for a backup. Your storage device can be working perfectly, and then your application corrupts a file, or YOU do something stupid and corrupt/alter/delete data.

RAID makes it so that in the event of a hard disk failure (and disk failure used to be the most common failure mode) you can keep operating and pop a new disk in and get back to your previous level of reliability. But nowdays drives are a lot more reliable and in some cases the RAID controller or another component is what fails, and in THOSE cases you can find yourself stuck waiting for a replacement component, or your data can be... gone.

And that's where backups come in. A backup device is to allow archival and recovery of data. That's all. You don't really need RAID on a backup device. The best storage strategy for folks who have a "I always need my data and I can't ever delete anything" is a RAID based NAS or SAN, with a pair of disk-based backup devices (which may or may not have RAID), one on-site and one off-site. Data gets written to storage, and is then written to the two backup devices. Data is deleted from the backup devices whenever it's retention period expires.

The cost to do it this way is expensive... mainly for the software (like NetBackup) that manages everything.

For personal/small business use, I recommend a RAID file server or NAS, with daily backups to a removable hard disk. Once a month, swap out the hard disk with another and store it off site.
 
I still have the TRS-80 Model 100 I got from my grandfather for a high school graduation present. Ran on 4 AA batteries, had a 6 line by 40 char LCD display, 24 KB of RAM, and a 300 baud modem. I was the envy of other students at BU because I could write my Pascal and Cobol in my dorm room by dialing into the mainframe rather than schlepping down to the computer center where the terminals were.
 
TMetzinger said:
I still have the TRS-80 Model 100 I got from my grandfather for a high school graduation present. Ran on 4 AA batteries, had a 6 line by 40 char LCD display, 24 KB of RAM, and a 300 baud modem. I was the envy of other students at BU because I could write my Pascal and Cobol in my dorm room by dialing into the mainframe rather than schlepping down to the computer center where the terminals were.
Click to expand...

Those were still in high demand by reporters in undeveloped areas of the world (Associated Press had a fleet of them well into the 90s) because of the acoustic coupler modem at 300 baud could get through any terrible phone line and the reporters could meet deadlines. You can still find specialty shops that sell and service them online. Or you could a few years ago.
 
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