File Storage NAS - Do i need to replicate in addition to RAID 5

Question

Im going to buy a NAS server soon. Im pretty sure i know the one Im going to get.

It can hold 4 hard drives.

If I RAID 5 then I will have about 8gigs of storage.

I understand if there is mechanical failure with a drive - the RAID can re-build a new drive that is inserted.

But...

For added peace of mind, should I be replicating everything to another NAS or RAIDING 2 drives and replicating on to 2 drives.

Im not a server specialist. Just someone who wants security on a small budget.

Thanks...

Answer 1

If the data is important, it should always be kept in at least two separate places.

When one drive in a RAID-5 array fails, your data can be lost completely if there is a second failure during the rebuilding of the data on the replacement drive.

You might want to have a separate copy in case the RAID enclosure catches fire or is stolen.