Is it possible to plug in an external HD to the USB port and Synology backup to this external? I was going to get the DS413J but I am thinking if I put two drives in DS212j and have that backup to my external then I have more protections in case both drives fail on DS212j. Is it possible to plug in an external HD to the USB port and Synology backup to this external? I was going to get the DS413J but I am thinking if I put two drives in DS212j and have that backup to... » Read More Is it possible to plug in an external HD to the USB port and Synology backup to this external? I was going to get the DS413J but I am thinking if I put two drives in DS212j and have that backup to my external then I have more protections in case both drives fail on DS212j. « Show Less
873760
Yes. But not all external drives will work. I tried plugging in a 3TB drive and it did not get recognized. 1 TB one I tried worked fine.
873761
Yes you can do that (that is what I do) but I suggest you buy the DS213j, the newer version of this. It has more RAM, a newer CPU, and floating-point and it is cheaper! You can attach two external drives or a powered hub with, I believe up to seven devices total.
1080260
Good question. My IT brother says to use 2 external hard drives & back each of them up periodically, but keep one off-site. Other opinions/ideas?
1363894
Well, I do not know as it seems pretty neatly closed, but there is always the alternative to use an external and/or network accessible drives. That's what I do over a Gigabit network. Good luck.
1218314
Yes, Synology has updated their product line since this review, look at the DS212j for the same 2 disk workgroup unit. So far I have not needed to invoke the warranty, been a very solid product.
1029521
Each USB output port can easily handle a USB 3 current load ( which is Greater than USB2 Current load.If your External Drive strictly operates from the USB3( or USB2) data cable that also carries power, it should be able to deliver and operate it. No harm will be done try it. ( Note many External large hard drives also require a separate external DC power connection. Check and refer to your Hard drive manual for it's specification and connections. Good Luck.BobNaz
1716339
The device is USB 3.0 equipped, so as long as (in the case of two separate enclosures) they're both connected via USB 3.0, yes. If you're asking whether it can copy between the drives in its own bays via USB 3.0,the answer is also "yes." USB 3.0 is backward-compatible with 2.0, so it will copy via either.
1902579
Hi, yes indeed, as well as being a raid 0, 1, 5 unit this product is also a very competent JBOD (just a bunch of discs) that interfaces with your via a decent USB 3.0 port. It very (too) easily switches between those storage configurations; just don't make the mistake of switching before you've backed up your data!!
328969
Only 1 drive can be recognized at a time. You can fill one then remove it and attach another. I use a USB switch which only powers one port at a time. This allows me to plug in multiple external disc at a time and switch back and forth as needed.
958422
Any external USB hard drive can be used via the USB ports, the seagate HD is necessary to for the "convenient" slide in interface (it still leaves both USB ports open)
1677722
I really don't know. I use only one external HD plugged on this device to make backups.
329167
As I understand it, port-multiplier on this unit refers to the fact that they can be daisy chained using the e-sata port to other NAS units. You will probably connect the unit to your computer or router through the USB port, which work perfectly. Even if you don't have enough existing USB ports you can cheaply buy and external USB hub. I have the 2 Bay unit and have it configured as RAID 1. I am very happy with the unit and have had no problems. I am not sure if you are using PC or Mac but on my Mac it took less than 5 minutes to configure the unit and have it ready to use. I would recommend using "red" drives. I bought WD red 2 Terr drives from Ebay. Everything works great. I hope this answers your question and helps. Harry Riley
2245377
I'm aware that the drive works with both USB cables plugged in. However, since the choice is between using up an extra usb port and a usb extension cable (my laptop has exactly two ports: one on each side, so the default cable won't reach); buying a usb hub; or finding a power adapter that will work with the unit, I would prefer to have the extra power cable run to where the drive will "permanently" sit.
1372409
Agree with other buyers. The second port is needed for adequate power to run HDDs . However through my experience, it didn't work at all, though computer detects the drive. I tried two with the same result - this contraption is not working!
1233656
I have successfully transferred data from discs in an external USB-connected caddy, such as a Cavalry. I have not tried it with several in the Mediasonic as JBOD, but have my doubts. I'd try getting one external hard drive to act as a bridging device (ideally big enough to accommodate the 2TB drives if they are not full) than make the 2TB drives into a 6TB RAID array.
558908
I know you can switch to use an external hard drive but the box only recognizes one hard drive at a time. Meaning if you use an external drive, it won't let you access the internal hard drive until the external is unplugged.
793978
Short answer: yes. Depending on how your volumes are setup you can use it as a standard backup or time backup. My synology server runs two primary raid volumes with a 3rd for just system and core data backups + plus a global hot spare in bay 5.
96370
Thanks so this is just a format, and then it is plug and play only needs to be mounted with super user permission to write to the drive (something we do every day in Linux) I was concerned that it might have some sort of proprietary software interface and could not be used outside of Mac & Microsoft operating systems. The backup software I believe would not be Linux compatible, but Clonezilla does that task rather well... Thanks Linas Vepstas for your hands on response...MT