Score:0

Is bit rot still a thing?

id flag

In short:

  • I have a NAS which died once and since repairing it I have a secondary backup machine which runs ubuntu.
  • On the ubuntu machine I used mdadm to create a raid5 storage space.

Is it fine on its own or is it possible I will loose data over time due to bit rot or anything similar?

Is there some type of file integrity check I should / could schedule?

HDD: WD RED plus

OS: Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS x86_64

in flag
Yes, bit rot is still something to consider when setting up machines that have planned lifetimes approaching (or exceeding) a decade. RAID5 is a good strategy to reduce the impact of data loss due to magnetic degradation and, RAID6 will give you a little more peace of mind if you can afford the extra drive. If you use ZFS, then you have yet another layer of data protection (with a bunch of handy features to allow for some backup wizardry). The environment surrounding the machine is what generally dictates how soon bit rot will be a factor, though.
yusisushi avatar
id flag
Well, I'm regret not doing the initial setup with ZFS or LVM. But I think I will redo the setup in the future. –
Score:1
cn flag

Is it fine on its own?

For most folks, yes. For particularly valuable or irreplaceable data, additional backups or safeguards may be wise. Only you can judge the level of risk that you are comfortable with.

Is it possible I will loose data over time?

Sure. Many things can be both possible...yet also unlikely. Your setup suggests that data loss is unlikely while your disks are new. But floods and fires and old age and cosmic rays and a thousand other events may take their toll.

yusisushi avatar
id flag
Well, it's a backup of a backup so even when something happens I 'should be fine'. The thing is, when it happens, I won't know immediately, I might not realise it until much later
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