NETGEAR® CASE STUDY
PROBLEM/OBJECTIVE
SOLUTION
Dartmoor Archive currently stores 300GB of photos, which is
expected to rapidly grow to 1TB. As such, it was essential that the
project had a reliable, secure and expandable storage and backup
system in place to accommodate the tens of thousands of photos
dating back to the 1800s.
Historically, photos had been scanned and stored on a PC, and
backed up to CD on an irregular basis. When the CD backups were
made, four copies were created. One was archived in the
organisation’s main office and the other three were sent, via post,
to three different locations. This was done to ensure photos would
not be lost if one location was damaged by flood or fire.
Not only was the CD-based backup inefficient, labour intensive
and time consuming, but unreliable postal services meant that CDs
would frequently fail to arrive at the determined locations.
Dartmoor Archive needed to update its storage solution to a
modern, high-performance platform, which was efficient, reliable,
cost-effective and enabled volunteers to easily store, retrieve and
share photos amongst multiple PCs, with no limitations.
Dartmoor Archive selected the ReadyNAS® NVX from NETGEAR to
modernise its storage strategy and move the project into the 21st
Century.
Jamie Dunbar, Manager of Dartmoor Archive, comments: “Using
NETGEAR ReadyNAS NVX has taken the core of what we do and brought
it up to date. The hard drive was faster, the capacity for data was
far greater than a CD and it is more convenient as it is connected
to our network.”
By implementing the ReadyNAS NVX with 2x1TB drives in RAID 1
configuration, two empty bays are available for expansion as
required, and photos are protected against disk failure. As
Dartmoor Archive needs to upgrade to hard drives of a higher
capacity, X-RAID2 technology enables it to do so on the fly, while
ensuring that the initial hardware investment is protected with no
downtime.
Jamie adds: “With the X-RAID2 technology, if the drives fail we
don’t have to panic and work out what data we have lost to build it
back again, as it does all the thinking for us.”
Two NVX units are installed in separate sites, eliminating the
need for CD-based backup: the central unit with Dartmoor Archive; a
second with the Devon Records Office in Exeter.
Photos were replicated between the two units locally, before the
‘backup’ NVX was moved to the Exeter location. From here, it is
synchronised with the central unit using the NVX’s ‘Rsync over SSH’
feature. Photos are automatically and securely replicated between
both units via an Internet connection, without the need for
VPN.
Dartmoor Archive can now backup to an offsite location with
complete automated disaster recovery facilities and without a CD in
sight. The automatic back-up functionality is set as desired and
removes the need for manual intervention, thereby reducing
downtime.
Using the ReadyNAS Remote software, the IT manager can access
the device and stored photos from any location. By using the NVX as
a small file server, volunteers can retrieve the digitally stored
photos in seconds and make copies instantly and securely. This
solution prevents the need for a Windows® file server, enabling
Dartmoor Archive to cut management time and eliminate the need for
software licenses while meeting multiple needs at one time. Having
created a virtual drive, everyone has quick and instant access to
Dartmoor’s history at the click of a button.
“The ReadyNAS NVX is designed around protecting information and
provides quick,
fast storage, which is exactly what we needed. We can now
concentrate on the most important thing, which is finding more
images to archive
that can be protected.”
* The 5-Year hardware warranty only covers hardware, fans, and
internal power supplies, and does not include external power
supplies or software. Hardware modifications or customisation void
the warranty. The warranty is only valid for the original purchaser
and cannot be transferred.
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, Connect with Innovation, and ReadyNAS
are trademarks or registered trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its
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© 2009 NETGEAR Inc. All rights reserved.
RESULT
www.netgear.co.uk
“Dartmoor Archive can now backup to an offsite location with
complete automated disaster recovery facilities and without a
CD in sight.”
