How do I back up data from a RAIDiator 5 system to a ReadyNAS OS 6 system?

This article describes how to copy/back up data from a RAIDiator 5 system to a ReadyNAS OS 6 system. This can be useful if you have a new ReadyNAS and want to copy data to it from an old ReadyNAS.

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RAIDiator 5 systems are legacy ReadyNAS that run software version 5.3.x (for example 5.3.11). OS 6 systems are current ReadyNAS that run software version 6.x.x (for example 6.3.5).

In this article, we are creating the backup job on the OS 6 system and pulling the data from the RAIDaitor 5 system using the Rsync protocol.

The RAIDiator 5 system is the source of the backup and is called OS5-NAS:

OS5-NAS has four shares called Documents, Movies, Music and Photos:

The OS 6 system is the destination of the backup and is called OS6-NAS:

OS6-NAS also has four shares called Documents, Movies, Music and Photos:

Here we demonstrate how to copy the Documents share from OS5-NAS to OS6-NAS. The process can be repeated for any other shares.

On the admin page of OS5-NAS, go to System - Overview. Enable the Rsync service if it is not already enabled:
Go to Shares and select the Documents share. Under Sharing Protocols, enable the RSYNC option:
Click on the RSYNC tab and set Default Access to Read Only:

Optional: For stricter security, you can add the IP address of OS6-NAS to the IP Address list.
On the admin page of OS6-NAS, go to Backup and press Add Backup:
Enter a name for the backup job:
In the left hand side of the backup configuration settings, click Remote. In the Host field, enter the IP address of the source device. In theProtocol field, choose remote: Rsync Server. In the Share field, enter the name of the share on the source device (Documents in this case). Leave the Login and Password fields empty. Press Test Connection to verify that the settings are valid
In the right hand side of the backup configuration settings, click Local and then Browse:
Navigate through the directory structure of the ReadyNAS and select the folder that you want to copy the data to (Documents in this case). Then press Select:
Press Next.
At the next screen, set the schedule as needed:

Some common examples are below. Days in blue are enabled; days in gray are disabled.
- To run the backup job Monday to Friday after 7PM, the required configuration is:
  - Backup Every: 24 hours
  - Time: 19:05 and 20:05
  - Repeat: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
- To run the backup job every Saturday night after midnight, the required configuration is:
  - Backup Every: 24 hours
  - Time: 00:05 and 01:05
  - Repeat: Sat
Note that the time that the job is scheduled to run between is used only to specify the time window in which the job is allowed to begin. It does not mean that the job will be stopped if it is still running when that time window expires. Once the job begins, it will continue to run until it is successful or interrupted.
Choose to remove the contents of the backup destination before full backup. This should be used with caution.
Press Finish.
The backup button prompt appears. Choose Yes if you want this backup job to run when the backup button on the front of the ReadyNAS device is pressed (note this applies to ReadyNAS desktop units only and does not apply to ReadyNAS rackmount units).
Run the backup job by doing any of the following:
- Wait for the defined scheduled time to arrive.
- Press the backup button on the front of the ReadyNAS device (only applies to systems with a backup button when a job is assigned to the backup button).
- Run it manually by clicking the gear icon on the job and pressing Start: