Home server user asks if personal and heavy NAS work should be split
The poster says they currently run one NAS with four disks in RAID5. The same NAS has one shared folder for personal files and another shared folder for projects. The project shared folder is mounted on several servers and laptops, and it has much heavier read and write activity. The poster asks whether personal backups and photos should be kept on a separate NAS from heavy project work.
Key points
- The current setup uses one NAS for both personal files and project files.
- Personal use includes desktop backups, family photos, and old backups.
- Project use includes programming and video editing work across several machines.
- The project shared folder has much higher read and write activity.
- The main question is whether a second NAS would improve reliability or be unnecessary overkill.
Quick term guide
- shared folder
- A folder that other computers can open over a network.
- backups
- Extra copies of data kept in case something breaks or gets deleted.
- Mac mini
- A small desktop computer made by Apple.
- home server
- A personal computer setup at home used to run services or store files instead of regular daily use.
- project files
- Files connected to an AI tool so it can use them as context.
- desktop
- The main screen and file system on your personal computer.
- reliability
- How consistently a tool works without failing or behaving unexpectedly.
- liability
- Legal responsibility for causing an accident or damage.