Although I use bulky Proxmox workstations for my virtualization and LXC-hosting needs, I consider my Network-Attached Storage server an essential part of my home lab. After all, it’s responsible for everything from archiving old media files to housing backups from the rest of the computing devices in my arsenal. And as my home lab started to grow, so too did my reliance on my NAS.

However, I realized early on that using just one local NAS is a recipe for disaster. Since I didn't want to waste hundreds of dollars to get multiple TB of storage space on cloud platforms, I ended up repurposing a cheap system as a secondary backup server. With a little bit of Tallscale wizardry, it’s enough to act as the linchpin in my 3-2-1 backup workflow – one that ensures I won’t lose essential files if things go wrong.

Relying on a single NAS for backups is far from ideal

A single catastrophic failure could wipe out all my files

Let’s make this clear: having a centralized backup server is better than not possessing any redundancy measures for your paraphernalia. If you’re a fledgling tinkerer, adding a home server at the heart of your makeshift home lab can take a lot of anxiety away when you’re experimenting with tools that can potentially break everything. Likewise, a NAS is just as useful when you want to escape the clutches of expensive, privacy-intrusive cloud environments.

But gaining sovereignty over all your data is a double-edged sword, and a single NAS setup just isn’t enough to safeguard the essential files on your system. Even on a setup that focuses on error recovery like RAID 6, losing two drives at the same time can render the backups unusable. If you opt for high-end mirrored setups with dozens of HDDs, there’s always the possibility of accidental wipes, floods, theft, or other disasters (okay, maybe the first one isn’t a catastrophe, but you get the idea) making data recovery impossible.

Sure, these disasters might be edge cases, not something that happens every month. But when you’re managing your own files, it’s better to go overkill on the backup provisions instead of leaving everything up to your fate. Fortunately, you don’t need to shell out thousands of bucks setting up a backup pipeline – all you need is a cheap NAS and an offsite location (with constant power and Internet access) where you can leave it without fear of external tampering.

I added some redundancy via a remote secondary server

Snapshot replication works wonders for a 3-2-1 backup pipeline

I use TrueNAS’ snapshot replication functionality to send data from my primary TerraMaster F4-424 Max storage rig to its cheap 2-bay F2-425 counterpart, with the latter stationed at a relative’s house hundreds of miles from my goblin cave. If that sounds unfamiliar, snapshot replication captures point-in-time copies of my datasets before transferring them to a remote TrueNAS machine.

I’ve configured the secondary node to pull snapshots of essential files from my primary NAS every fortnight, while less important data gets synced every month. I’ve also set the retention policy to six months on my remote server, so I have the option to recover old data if things go catastrophically wrong with recent snapshots.

As for connecting my nodes, I rely on good ol’ Tailscale to do all the heavy lifting. It’s a lot more secure than forwarding ports on my router and works well even on my CGNAT-afflicted setup. I’ve got a central OPNsense firewall/router configured as a subnet router via the Tailscale plugin in my home lab, while my remote NAS hosts Tailscale as an app. I’ve been using this setup for years, and it hasn’t let me down yet.

But you can also use cheap rigs to maintain extra copies of your backups

Even a Raspberry Pi is good enough for a secondary storage server

Although I use another NAS for my snapshot replication needs, you don’t necessarily need a bulky ZFS-powered setup to add an extra layer of protection for your data. Most NAS distributions and home server platforms support remote backup functionality in some form or another, be it via snapshot transfers or basic rsync operations (or both, in case of TrueNAS). I’d go so far as to say you don’t need a conventional NAS for your 3-2-1 backup pipeline.

If you’re unable to afford one with the RAM apocalypse in full swing, mini-PCs, thin clients, and Single-Board Computers can work as secondary backup rigs. Just make sure you’re selective with the snapshots you wish to send to your budget-friendly offsite node; otherwise, you might run out of space if you try to cram everything in there. But if that’s still too expensive, relying on cloud platforms remains a viable solution for essential files, and you can use encryption tools like Cryptomator to ensure large firms can’t get their grubby hands on your data.

With the right power-saving settings, a cheap remote NAS’ energy consumption would be in the 10-20W range, and you can cut down its contribution to your electricity bill even more by running it only for snapshot replication tasks.