How to format backup drive?

General
1

I am setting up a backup drive (4TB ADATA) for my Server Pure. The Start9 manual recommends formatting the drive to EXT4.
My PC’s Disk Management can format to NTFS, will that work? Or will I need to use a 3rd party tool to format to EXT4?
If so, can I trust a 3rd party tool, since I will have a Lightening node on the server?

SJW

2

It can be problematic to format a disk to EXT4 in both Windows and Mac OS. Since we’re recommending this more often, I’d like to create a guide for each (the alternative is ExFat, but with a couple of services you might run into problems).

For Windows, you’d likely need 3rd party software such as…

  • MiniTool Partition Wizard
  • EaseUS Partition Master
  • AOMEI Partition Assistant
1 Like
3

Thank you StuPleb.
I’m just wondering about the security of using a 3rd party free tool. What are your thoughts?

4

If you want to stick to open source. You can flash Ubuntu on a USB stick that will be bootable. You can then boot from the USB stick and access ubuntu disk utilities to format drives to ext4

2 Likes
5

Thank you Rick. Ironically I had Ubuntu on my server and needed help removing it. Wish I had known then before getting rid of it…

6

It’s pretty easy to flash it onto a thumb drive. I always have a couple of drives laying around with ubuntu on them. It comes in handy

1 Like
7

Thanks Rick
I’m inexperienced and really couldn’t figure out how to use Ubuntu.
I guess I’ll try the minitool

1 Like
8

You guys never specifically answered regarding NTFS.
I’ll assume it’s absolutely NOT acceptable as the backup drive format type.

But it would be nice to be specifically listed in step #1 of the DIY guide too, alongside FAT32 and exFAT:
https://docs.start9.com/0.3.5.x/user-manual/backups/backup-create#create-the-backup

9

That is a fair point. I will make a note to the team to see if that can be clarified. But for now ext4 is going to be the most compatible file system.

1 Like