Vault 2 Backup and replacement questions & concerns...
Answered
Hello all,
I currently have a Vault 2 that has been serving me well for the past few years, however, I've begun to notice over the past few weeks that I'm starting to have some performance issues which have me thinking about next steps and how best to protect my library.
I'd like to buy an external SSD to back everything up to, but, in reading the Support Crew help article about backing up your library, it mentions that the ext4 file system "can't be accessed" by Mac or Windows.
I'm confused by this sentence. If it were unable to be accessed by either OS, how is the internal Vault drive, which in the same format, seen by both OSes on the network?
Any help with best practices for backing up my library greatly appreciated.
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Official comment
Ext4 is a format used by Unix operating systems and thus cannot be read easily by a Mac or PC. You can however use additional software to read ext4 formatted drives on Mac / PC. If you had a Raspberry Pi handy you could read it on that without issue as it’s a Unix derivative OS.
You don’t need an SSD drive to backup the Vault, just a portable mechanical drive. The one I bought is a portable Seagate drive and was very cheap.
The format of a drive, ext4, NTFS, FAT, FAT32 etc. can all be shared across a network but the format used to format the drive is irrelevant to network sharing. The most common protocols used for the actual sharing are SMB/CIFS/ NFS.
Personally I use an external drive to backup the Vault, then I make a copy cross my network to a computer. The copy of the tracks on the computer can then be read easily without any additional software.
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Thanks for that info, Seppi! I don't have a Pi or any Linux boxes, unfortunately, but, still, good to know!
In any case, as far as HDD vs. SSD, I don't necessarily need an SSD, but, I'm moving all of my drives over that way, anyhow.
I appreciate you providing the piece of info I was missing in that format of drive does not equal protocol used to access said drive over network.
Does this mean that I can format, say, as Western Digital, to NTFS, and that the drive would be both readable and writable over the network from both Windows and MacOS? I would need to be able to edit and prune my library, as needed, over the network, via either OS.
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Hi Joseph,
For backups I would purchase a drive (2TB) that you dedicate to Vault backups. When the drive is plugged into the Vault it gets formatted to ext4, after a ripping session you can then connect the drive again and an incremental backup will be made on the “dedicated” drive.
The Vault actually shares its internal hard drive like a NAS across the network, so you can edit metadata and prune without having to manually copy tracks back and forth. After editing you then run a “Rebuild Index” from the Bluesound’s Help menu.
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Question Seppi as you seem very knowledgable about this. I am more familiar with PC stuff, not Linux. Something is wrong with my 7 year old Vault. I have a fairly recent backup made to a Seagate external drive using the Vault connection. I also have the Vault drive itself - or can get to it. If I want my music off of either the backup drive or the Vault drive I will need something that can read ext4, correct? Like Ubuntu loaded onto my Mac, for instance? I've tried two separate software utilities but neither seemed to be able to read the backup drive.
Since I've had the Vault I was always able to use my Windows or Mac file browser to view the folders, etc on the Vault hard drive or copy new files in if I didn't have the CD to rip. If I remove the drive from the vault will this still be possible - assuming I put it into its own enclosure? Or is it formatted ext4 also? If so, how was I able to access it from my PC all this time??
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Hello Jordan,
I'm not Seppi, but, I was dealing with this issue myself late last year, and may be able to offer some help.
The critical piece of info here is that the ext4 drive is accessible from any OS while inside of the Vault because the Unix-based operating system of the Vault is capable of natively reading the ext4 file system, with the Vault then essentially acting as network attached storage. At that point, as Seppi so helpfully pointed out, the protocol being used to share data over the network becomes more important that the operating system of the NAS or the file system of the drive.
The bottom line here is that If you were to connect directly to the PC and/or Mac, the drive would not be readable without additional third-party software.
If you want a directly connected external drive that you will switch between Windows/Mac/Linux, you should format the drive to use the exFAT File system.
The benefits are universal compatibility and better memory management...the negative would be increased risk of file corruption, however, this won't be an issue, so long as you use your operating system's "safely remove drive" feature before detaching it from the computer.
Please bear in mind, I'm not an IT professional, and my knowledge only goes as deep as that which I gleaned from the person who assisted me. I'll try to answer any follow-ups you may have, but, I can't guarantee much beyond this.
I will say, I was concerned when reading about the increased risk of exFAT file corruption, but, another person who helped me has been running the external drive with no issues since 2016.
In any case, sorry for the novel. I hope this helps.
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Hi Joseph,
I appreciate the response and it is helpful. So, what's my best route? Should I try to find a place to that can repair it? Or just rip out the hard drive? At this point I don't care if it's via the Vault (maybe it's better that it isn't) or if I have to make a dozen backups to feel secure. But, right now I can't access the drive on the Vault and I can't make use of the backup I made using the Vault, so I feel stuck. And Bluesound support is disappointingly awful. I've quickly gone from a big proponent of the company to the opposite. Anyway...
Do you have, or have you heard, of any experiences with getting the Vault serviced? I'm willing to look into that because, even if I can get the music, I still need a means to stream it.
My other option seems to be removing the drive from the Vault and making it an external drive. I am not able connect to the Vault at this time. Something about the "hardware failure" is preventing it from connecting to my network and getting an IP address. I even connected the Ethernet directly to my windows laptop - not even sure that would do anything and, it didn't. So I don't see another option.
I don't have a Linux machine - just a PC and a Mac. I am planning on setting up my Mac to dual boot to Ubuntu so that I can, hopefully read the backup drive or the Vault drive. I assume I will have to remove the drive from the Vault and put it in an enclosure - effectively make it an external drive - so that I can access it.
Once I get that far - IF I get that far - I will worry about the long term storage options. I don't think I'll go back to Bluesound. They offered me a 20% discount on a new one, but I said, unless they can guarantee to get the music off the old one then I'm not even going to consider that. I'm more likely to set up a NAS and go with some other streaming solution.
Again, right now, my focus is on accessing my music. I'm stunned by how little Bluesound cares about this.
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Jordan,
I apologize, but, beyond the level of info I've provided, my knowledge falls apart like a house of cards LOL. I unfortunately don't have any experience with getting a Bluesound device professionally repaired.
Based on the information you've provided, I would say is that if you can place the hard drive in an external enclosure, connect it to your computer, and manage to run an operating system, either natively, or through a virtual machine, which is capable of natively reading the ext4 file system, that would probably be your best bet to access your music library.
Don't lose hope. So long as the hardware failure doesn't lie with your hard drive, there's always a way.
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Thanks again, Joseph. I know we're all just scrambling as best we can. I appreciate any and all suggestions and help. Unfortunately, this is what happens when a company abandons its customers.
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