I'll say sorry up front if this topic has been talked about to death but i need/want to ask for any best practices and include my current setup
I will preface to say i work in a public library and we are on a budget.
Currently i have 3 ESXi boxes on ThinkServer T440 boxes 2 production one backup. All the same gear, 500GB internal drive for ESXi and 32GB ram.
I am using a netgear ReadyNAS 2200 8TB over 4 drives unit... and presently all is well, and running nice.
My concern is what to do if the readynas fails i currently am exploring many options but wanted to ask if anyone had any suggestions, maybe close application etc..
I am currently toying with the idea of getting another readynas 2200 with same specs and attempting their backup feature which should bascially mirror the two nas but i am still looking for any research to see how that has worked for other people.
Another option is to take down the vms manually and then copy them to another large store on a weekly basis, i will do this for piece of mind if this is my only option but a more active or automated solution would be preferable.
I am running 2 AD 2008 servers, 1 windows 2008 web server, 5 ubuntu 12.04 servers (backing up core folders), and 2 windows xp machines.
Where i sit is if two drives fail in the Readynas i'm SOL. Otherwise this has been the most wonderful experience as a sysadmin.
Thanks for your time