TerraMaster Official Forum

I have a F2-221 NAS with 2 HDD's (3Tb and 4Tb) configured as Single disks and an external 8Tb WD USB drive for mirror backup

I'm would like to use USB Copy or TFM Backup for the backup. They have very similar interfaces, so I have a few questions.

On the face of it, USB copy seems to be a dedicated utility for this so if this is my main concern should I be using this?

But TFM Backup seems to have all the functionality of USB Copy and more besides. It can also mirror files between internal volumes, for example, which I may have some use for, and backup to other locations. So can't I just use that?

Does TFM Backup supersede USB Copy? Do they clash in any way or can you use both of them for different things?

They seem quite simple utilities so above all are they safe and reliable for an ongoing mirror backup of hundreds of thousands of files up to 7Tb. Reading this forum there seem to be a lot of examples of slow operation, not syncing properly, missing files etc. Are they up to the job or would I be better off with a "proper" 3rd party app?

I have previously used a Zyxel NSA-325-V2 which has all this built in and has worked faultlessly for the last 10 years

USB Copy is mainly used for data backup between TNAS and USB storage devices. It provides users with a multi-version backup mode, which allows users to clearly know what data is backed up each time, and designs some functions in conjunction with our TNAS, such as usb devices Start the backup when plugged in, eject the usb device after the backup is completed, automatically mount the usb device before the backup task starts, let the disk of the usb device sleep after the backup is completed, etc. These are not currently supported by TFM Backup, and TFM Backup will not replace USB Copy, you can choose different backup applications according to your backup needs.

OK
So can I have both installed and use USB Copy for the main backup of the HDD's to USB and use TFM Backup to mirror a few folders between internal volumes? I imagine I would have to make sure the scheduling didn't clash?

Yes, you can use them both.
They can play the same role in some cases, and USB Copy has more options for various usage scenarios of USB disks.