Because the server in this case isn't mounted (other than read-only in some cases for convenience) the likelihood of a virus on my desktop or her laptop actually being able to delete the backup is minimised. I've always thought that USB drives as a backup solution invite disaster, as they're likely always mounted, and therefore fully accessible in the event that you catch some nasty virus that decides to delete all of your files. Personally, I also like running backups to a volume that's not always mounted on the machine being backed up. Because it's always on, I'm fairly certain that I have a good backup of all her stuff. The reverse also applies - her machine backs up her files (documents, etc.) to the server. Because the photos are synced to the NAS first, they're always available whenever she uses her laptop.

In the past, I ran an rsync server on my desktop machine so she'd get copies that way, but making sure she was up to date required coordination - I'd have to make sure my desktop was on at the same time as her laptop. Similarly, my wife likes having a copy of all our photos on her laptop so she can have them to show people when she's away from home. It's all automated, so I never have to worry about making sure it's all backed up, other than checking the logs every now and again to make sure the copy's working OK.

My desktop is where all of our photos first land, and I have a script that runs periodically to copy all the photos to the server. I run an rsync server on the little server, and my desktop and the wife's laptop both sync to/from it as needed. Having it set up as a first point of contact for backups is great. It costs next to nothing to run, so it's left on 24/7. The end result is we pay less for electricity (important here in Hawai'i, given the rates we're charged) and it generates less heat (important on the days we run the AC). Instead of having to keep my desktop machine running when I'm not using it, I have a 5W server and a connected USB drive that powers up and down as needed. At home, I run a Guruplug with a 1.5TB USB drive hanging off it. Smegheid - Tuesday, Octolink Speaking from experience, I've found having a small, cheap, configurable NAS on my home network to have a bunch of advantages.

Wd 1tb my book live network drive