Assistance with QNAP NAS Mirroring

[Enquiries]

Hello,
You’ve assisted me in the past with purchasing our dept. NAS, and you were very helpful. We had previously scheduled a virtual meeting, and if that’s still the best route for resolving this, I’d be happy to do that, This issue might be simpler than expected—although I know nothing ever is...

I’m looking for the best solution to mirror two QNAP NAS devices. I initially tried using the Snapshot Replica feature, but I was surprised to find that it requires me to perform a local snapshot, which I don’t have space for. I also thought of the Hybrid Backup app, but it’s asking me to log in to the cloud with my ID, which is blocked by my IT department.

So, my question is: Is there an application I can install manually that would allow me to create a complete mirror and maintain a sync between them, without relying on cloud access or snapshots?
Thanks again for your help, and I look forward to your guidance!

Best regards, -Chad

[ed]

Great to hear from you again — and I’m glad I was able to help with your department’s NAS setup in the past. Based on what you’re trying to do now, there are definitely good options for creating a mirror between two QNAP systems without relying on cloud services or requiring local snapshots.

You’re right that Snapshot Replica isn’t ideal in your case — it requires creating and storing snapshots locally on the source NAS before replication can occur, which can be a challenge if you’re tight on space. As for Hybrid Backup Sync (HBS), it does support NAS-to-NAS syncing without any cloud login, though it tries to nudge users toward QNAP ID sign-ins. You can skip that and manually configure an RTRR or rsync job between the two NAS units.

To mirror the two systems:
1. Enable RTRR Server on the destination NAS (via HBS or Backup Station).
2. On the source NAS, create a sync job using HBS — choose one-way sync and select RTRR or rsync, providing the destination NAS IP and login credentials.
3. You can configure this to run on a schedule or in real-time for more immediate mirroring.

This works well for most sync and backup needs, but I also want to flag a newer solution QNAP now supports — Active-Passive High Availability (HA), which might be a perfect fit depending on your use case.

QNAP’s newer systems, particularly those running QuTS hero (ZFS-based), now support dual-NAS HA architecture. This creates a true high-availability cluster with two NAS units — one active, one passive — and supports automatic failover to ensure uninterrupted access. Key benefits include:
• SnapSync provides real-time block-level synchronization, so both NAS units always have consistent, up-to-date data.
• It’s managed via High Availability Manager, with an intuitive setup process and health monitoring for both systems.
• This gives you a cost-effective HA deployment option without the need for expensive proprietary appliances.
• It’s also a great long-term solution for critical business continuity if you’re working with high-value or time-sensitive datasets.

If your current systems support QuTS hero (or if you’re considering new hardware), this HA setup could offer not just mirroring, but true failover protection for 24/7 uptime — a step up from basic sync.