VPS / File Backup / VPN

Can I use a VPS to serve as storage to backup my computer instead of using a service like Carbonite? Is there a course on the LMS that shows how to setup a VPS for this purpose? Would I need to choose a large linode in order to store the files? I don’t understand how to determine what size linode I would need.
Also, is setting up a VPS the first step in setting up a VPN?
I am at the very beginning of this process and it’s like learning a foreign language, but I keep trying to move forward with it. Thanks everyone!

Hey @Margo!
Using a VPS to fully backup your computer can work, however the storage you will require will be rather big. This is something that will raise the costs of a VPS quite a bit - like around $300 per month for a ~1TB storage.
I would recommend investing in a local NAS (Network Access Server) like a Synology setup (starting with the cheapest one, such as a RAID-1). This will offer you great backup options with drive redundancy (remember to add a couple of NAS drives with the desired capacity). For a RAID-1 Synology with 2x4TB drives, will cost you around $560 and last you around 10 years or so. That’s less than $5 per month. Also, the Synology consumes less than $10 of electricty on an annual basis.

Per the VPN, yes, the VPS is always the first step. That’s the server you need to set up in order to install the software, which is the VPN. :slight_smile:

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I would add you could feasibly setup a Pi4 with twin 5TB SSDs for 2-$300 with a battery backup. Of course those are just figure thrown out to compare the VPS/monthly for 1TB vs a LAN connected RAID 1 or NAS

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Thanks @vasileios! I’ve never heard of an NAS, but this gives me a good starting point for looking into my options!

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Thank you @MrDeplorableUSA. I will look into what is involved with this option.

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