OS on a single M.2 risks?

[mdt12]

I just bought my TerraMaster F6-424 and I'm in the process of setting it up. I read other threads and understand how to setup TOS on a M.2 SSD but I'm wondering what the risks are and how to mitigate them if possible.

My plan: install TOS on a M.2 SSD without any raid, create a storage pool on it for (temporary storage only), create another main storage pool with HDDs (TRAID) for long term storage.

My question: IF the M.2 SSD fails, I assume the TOS installation and the storage pool on the M.2 would be gone, but will I loose (unable to access) my data on the HDD storage pool? Or can I just replace the M.2, reinstall TOS, and data in HDD pool will be intact?

Is there any way to backup TOS to say a USB drive? Or should I not do this at all and go with either a RAID1 for M.2 or just install TOS on HDDs?

Hope my question is clear. Thanks!!

[ed]

If the M.2 SSD fails: Since you're planning to install TOS (the operating system) on the M.2 SSD without RAID, if the SSD fails, both the OS and the temporary storage pool (on that SSD) will be lost. However, this should not affect your data stored on the HDD storage pool (especially if it's set up in TRAID), as the data is stored separately on the HDDs.

HDD Pool Access: In the event of an M.2 SSD failure, your data on the HDDs should remain intact, as long as they are part of the separate storage pool. You will need to reinstall TOS on a new M.2 SSD (or another drive), but the HDD storage pool will still be there and accessible, provided it's not dependent on the SSD (which in your case, it sounds like it's not).

Data Backup: It's always wise to have backups for your critical data. For TOS, while it's not typically backed up in the traditional sense, you can back up configurations via the TerraMaster web interface. This will allow you to restore settings (like network settings, user accounts, etc.) but not the OS itself. You could also create a system image of the M.2 SSD, although this can be more complex.

Mitigation Steps:
Consider RAID1 for M.2: This would add redundancy for your TOS installation. If one M.2 fails, the other can take over, preventing a complete loss of the operating system. This would give you peace of mind regarding the failure of the SSD itself.

Backup Your TOS Settings: Even though the OS itself can’t be backed up easily, you can export your configuration settings. This is important in case you need to reinstall TOS on a new drive.

Temporary Storage on SSD: Since you’re planning to use the M.2 SSD for temporary storage, I recommend being cautious with that data. It’s a good idea to back up anything important stored temporarily on the SSD to another location (like an external drive or cloud storage).

[mdt12]

Thank you so much for the quick and detailed response!!

My main concern is the main HDD storage pool so great to know it will be intact if the M.2 SSD fails. I was planning on saving the other M.2 slot for hyper cache later but I'll reconsider just using it for RAID1 for M.2.

Thank again!