Let me share my experience with Network Attached Storage (NAS) systems. I rely on NAS devices to store all the digital files my family has accumulated. As the biggest hoarder, I dislike depending on third-party services, especially those that involve a subscription. For example, I still download and store the digital media I purchase. While I use cloud storage services for critical backups and their convenient integrations, I also need significant storage capacity. Although I have two Storage Area Networks (SAN), I prefer the simplicity of NAS devices. It’s important to note that I’m not running applications or other services on my NAS; I use dedicated application servers for those purposes.

Over the past two decades of using NAS devices, I’ve encountered my fair share of problems and catastrophes. I have reported some of these issues here, but the three main challenges I’ve faced are disk, controller, and network interface card (NIC) failures. Disk failures occur frequently, so it’s essential to assume they will happen—especially with spinning disks. A RAID configuration can help mitigate this risk, allowing you to trade storage capacity for redundancy. Depending on your RAID level, your data can survive one or more disk failures. However, with more redundancy comes less actual storage space, so it’s a trade-off. I always pick RAID 5.

Controller failures are more problematic, so I always use two NAS devices—one as my primary unit and the other as a mirror. I back up the content of the primary NAS to the mirror daily. I have three such primary/mirror NASes. Although RAID and my hardware/software mirroring provide some level of data protection, they do not replace the need for backups. Remember, your backup is only as good as your restore. How many of you regularly back up your data and have actually verified that you can restore it?

NIC failures are usually manageable unless the NAS manufacturer uses non-standard parts. I’ve faced issues in the past that rendered a NAS completely useless and cost me all my data since I could not access it! Today, while I still own two Western Digital NAS devices (I am phasing them out), my other units are from Buffalo. Buffalo has offered the best reliability and performance among all the manufacturers I’ve tried. Remember that I’m not looking to run an application server, a coffee machine, or a washing machine on my NAS devices—just to store, serve, and protect my files.

Today, I received my Ubiquiti UNAS Pro! This is significant because I’ve delved into the UniFi ecosystem. The UNAS Pro offers fantastic value at $499 for a seven-bay NAS (you need to purchase your drives separately), and it meets all my needs for a NAS, complete with a user interface and experience that I appreciate. One downside is that the UNAS Pro management interface is standalone; I cannot access it from the same page I use to reach my UDM SE (the gateway). Instead, the UNAS Pro has its address and UI. While it does show up in the client list on the UDM, I would have preferred to access Drive from the same location I use for Network or Protect.

Another great feature integrated into the UNAS Pro is Identity, which allows you to host your Google Drive-like solution at home. This means you can access your data from any endpoint (your computer, phone, etc.) without setting up a VPN. The setup of the UNAS Pro takes a maximum of 20 minutes, including installation in your rack. As always, Ubiquiti has done a stellar job. Although this is their first NAS, I’m hopeful about its performance over time. I appreciate the regular updates and tweaks Ubiquiti provides at no additional cost or subscription fees. Before I wrap up today’s post, did I mention that the UNAS Pro features both 1Gb and 10Gb (SFP+) interfaces and an RSP port? This port allows for redundant power supply capability through a USP-RSP. I’ll keep you updated as I progress. Until then, have a great week!

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