Backblaze Fireball Program

The Backblaze Fireball program enables you to directly move terabytes of data to Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage rather than tying up Internet connectivity for weeks or months.

Contact Backblaze Support for more information about ordering a Fireball.

Hardware

The Backblaze Fireball is a Synology Network Attached Storage (NAS) device with a 10 gigabit ethernet add-in card and 96 TB of storage that you can fill in a few days. Backblaze supplies the drives for this standalone NAS device. The device connects to the network infrastructure over ethernet, and a program downloaded from Synology, called Synology Assistant, is used to locate the NAS on the network for data upload.

The NAS device attaches via 1 gigabit ethernet or a 10 gigabit ethernet connection via the add-in card. The 10 gigabit ethernet connection uses RJ-45 connectors (standard ethernet, not optical transceivers or SFP connectors) and auto-negotiates as needed for slower network speeds such as 5 GBs, 2.5 GBs, 1 GB, and 100 MBs. Wi-Fi is not recommended for quickly moving terabytes of data.

Synology supports receipt of data from many different filesystems so that data can be moved easily to the NAS device.

Cost

You are immediately charged a security deposit plus a non-refundable shipping fee when you place the order (domestic only, international customers must contact Backblaze Support for more details). All Backblaze Fireballs are shipped from the U.S., even if your account is based out of a non-U.S. data center. The deposit is refunded (minus any charge for damage) when the Fireball is received by Backblaze.

There is a rental fee every 30 days, charged at the start of every 30-day period and is not prorated. The monthly rental begins on the date that the shipping company reports that the Backblaze Fireball is delivered. The rental period stops when the Fireball is received by Backblaze.

For more information about Backblaze Fireball pricing, click here.

Process

The process to use the program is easy:

1. Order a Backblaze Fireball.
2. Backblaze ships the Fireball with drives that are easily installed on-site. The Fireball package comes with customer instructions, as well as having instructions located online.
3. Connect the device to the network.
4. Plug-in the Fireball at your physical location and set up the NAS.
5. Move the data to the Fireball.
6. Configure and test the configuration for validity.
7. Remove the drives from the Fireball, and repackage the Fireball. 
8. Return the Fireball to Backblaze. 
9. When Backblaze receives the NAS, the Fireball is reassembled and data is uploaded directly to Backblaze B2 storage.
10. Backblaze verifies the data, and the data is cleared from the NAS.

For specific instructions about uploading files to a Synology NAS using the Backblaze Fireball Program, click here.

Seeding data for use with a third-party backup or archiving tool may require additional steps or preparation.

In many cases, you must load the data onto the Backblaze Fireball with the integration partner’s tools.

Some software may have additional requirements. Please check with our integration partner if there is any uncertainty.

Notifications

Backblaze sends email notices at the following points:

• Backblaze is prepping the Fireball to send.
• Backblaze has shipped the Fireball.
• Backblaze has received the Fireball back.
• The data upload from the Fireball is complete and ready in Backblaze B2.

Data and Device Protection

Data is transparently encrypted on the device with a Backblaze-supplied key. When the Fireball is shut down, the key is erased from the device and the data is inaccessible until it arrives back at Backblaze to be uploaded to Backblaze B2.

Backblaze packs the NAS and drives separately in foam cutouts within a heavy-duty plastic protective case, to insulate both the NAS and drives against physical impact and electrostatic damage. An outer cardboard carton is also used to protect the product.

Data Verification

Files are uploaded using the Backblaze B2 command-line interface. Verification is completed comparing the destination bucket's content with the content on the Fireball.

Return a Fireball

To return a Fireball back to Backblaze, complete all steps in the provided guide, repack the NAS device, the hard drives, and all cables back in the padded foam box, and repack the padded foam box in the cardboard shipping box, securing it with tape. Ship the package to the following address:

The approximate shipping weight is 44 pounds, and Backblaze highly recommends an insured and tracked shipping method to ensure safe delivery. Return shipping costs are your responsibility. 

Time to Upload

Backblaze uploads the data as soon as possible, typically starting within two business days of receiving the Fireball. 

It may take several days or weeks for the data to be completely loaded into Backblaze B2. The time to upload depends on many environment-specific variables, among which are the size of files (moving many small files can take longer than the same amount of data in many large files), network speeds, write speed of the Fireball, and how fast the data source can feed data onto the network. Four Terabytes of data could take about 10 hours to move across a 1-gigabit ethernet connection, or as little as an hour for a 10-gigabit ethernet connection.

Many variables can slow down the process (a non-exhaustive list includes: small average size of files, how loaded the ethernet network is, how fast the data can be read from on-site storage, and how fast the data can be written onto the Fireball), so that estimate is a best-case scenario. Ultimately, moving a tremendous amount of data will take time measured in days.