I have a Synology DS1618+. I had originally purchased the Synology strictly for use with my home surveillance system. I have five Seagate 4TB Ironwolf drive currently installed. I just took delivery of drive #6.
I want to expand the use of the Synology. I am just starting out with Docker and it seems like the Synology is a great place to setup my new test area and learn to use Docker.
I also want the ability to backup my important files from my several computers. I have a Windows PC that I initially built as a SIM racing rig. I have recently started using Solidworks, Makers version to create CAD files for my 3D printer.
Additionally I have two MacBook Pro laptops and an M1 Mac mini. I also have a Surface Pro that was my main unit for using VMWare Horizon for remote access to my work environment.
As I write all this out, I have a lot going on.
I have external 1TB drives the I use for backing up my MacBook Pros with Super Duper. I have never backed up my Surface Pro or my SIM racing rig.
So with the picture painted - I am looking for some guidance.
I want to have the ability to backup ALL of my computers important files. I want an environment that I can start to learn and understand Docker. I want to continue to utilize my Surveillance system. I will be installing drive #6 to give me full use of the 1618+.
Should I reconfigure the system to create three pools?
Surveillance
Docker
Backup (do I need separate pools for Mac and PC files?)
Which RAID should I use?
or
Do I continue with one singular pool and create volumes for each modality I am attempting to accomplish?
Should I consider increasing the base Ram to a larger capacity? If yes what is recommended/
@BGT
Whether you should use one or multiple pools and/or volumes is best answered by what each does. Next, you look at what you want to achieve.
For example, a pool is how you bind drives together to create an amount of storage and level of redundancy. Pools hardware is separated at the drive level, meaning that if one pool is busy, it does not affect another pool. Surveillance data might come in continuously and might have no redundancy requirements. A separate pool to reflect those needs may be beneficial.
Disk maintenance affects a single pool. You can upgrade the disk for one pool without affecting another.
A volume is more on the software side. Multiple volumes on a single pool add very little value if any at all. The only reason will be if you need a different file system for one or another application (Ext4 versus Btrfs). Quota, encryption, permissions, and so on are handled at the shared folder level.