Read so far most of RAID-related posts on this site, but still several points remain shaded so far.
First, my mode of working: I am writing music / doing graphical works, so the RAID is kinda semi-backup solution, that is supposed to be very helpful in case of HDD failure (I constantly experience HDD fail nearly every three years and it's pretty annoying). I am not pretending to look for a solution when a file is deleted by accident.
I've thought about the NAS option so far. So, the questions:
RAID controller: from what I know - if the controller is gone - then I need to find exactly the same type of controller to access the data. Is that correct? If yes - what will be my options three years after buying any top sale contemporary RAID solution? Are there any RAID solutions that just mirror the "Traditional" (like NTFS) file system, so when a single HDD is gone, I can just take the other and plug it as a "normal/regular" drive? Or... every RAID is maintaining a proprietary file system which is controller-specific?
If one HDD is gone - do I need exactly the same HDD or only the one identical in capacity? In other words, in three years if one HDD is gone - those of its type might not be available to find on the market.
Should I prefer an out-of-the-box solution or a computer with RAID on motherboard?
Will be happy to hear any kind of vendors recommendations - if it is a motherboard then which one is considered as a reliable, if it's a box - then perhaps I would take the solution where I can buy a box and hard disks separately from warranty considerations. I'll clarify: when buying a box with disks inside - the warranty is global, meaning that if something in the box itself is broken (for example it was damaged during relocation), then the warranty will be void for the entire product. I would prefer if the hard disks will be still covered by an (independent) warranty.
Are there any kinds of boxes that support both Ethernet and other (USB3/Firewire) connection options?
Appreciate your advices/references a lot!