Bit Buddy Guides

Using Advanced Features

Unlock the full potential of Bit Buddy with parent/child devices, maintenance logs, location tracking, and more.

Bit Buddy offers a range of advanced features designed to help you manage complex device relationships, track maintenance, and organize your storage ecosystem. This guide will walk you through these powerful features.

Parent/Child Device Relationships

One of Bit Buddy's most powerful organizational features is the ability to mark parent and child device relationships. This is especially useful when you have devices connected to other devices, such as external drives connected to a computer or NAS system.

What Are Parent/Child Devices?

Parent/child relationships help you understand how your devices are connected:

  • Parent Device: The main device that other devices are connected to (e.g., a computer, NAS, or server)
  • Child Device: A device that is connected to or depends on a parent device (e.g., an external drive connected to a computer)

How to Set Up Parent/Child Relationships

  1. Open the device you want to mark as a child device
  2. Tap "Edit" to enter edit mode
  3. Look for the "Parent Device" option
  4. Select the parent device from your device list
  5. Save your changes

Use Cases for Parent/Child Devices

  • External Drives: Mark external drives as children of the computer they're connected to
  • NAS Systems: Organize drives within a NAS as children of the NAS device
  • Server Setups: Track which drives are part of a server configuration
  • Backup Chains: Understand backup relationships between devices

Maintenance Logs and Schedules

Keeping your devices healthy and well-maintained is crucial for data integrity and device longevity. Bit Buddy's maintenance features help you track and schedule important maintenance tasks.

Maintenance Logs

Maintenance logs allow you to record maintenance activities performed on your devices. Each log entry can include:

  • Date and time of the maintenance
  • Type of maintenance performed
  • Notes about what was done
  • Results or observations

Maintenance Schedules

Maintenance schedules take maintenance tracking to the next level by allowing you to create recurring maintenance tasks. You can:

  • Set up regular maintenance reminders
  • Create schedules for different types of maintenance (backups, health checks, updates, etc.)
  • Receive notifications when maintenance is due
  • Track completion of scheduled tasks

Common Maintenance Tasks

Here are some maintenance tasks you might want to schedule:

  • Regular Backups: Schedule periodic backups of important data
  • Health Checks: Run disk health diagnostics on HDDs and SSDs
  • Firmware Updates: Keep device firmware up to date
  • Data Verification: Periodically verify data integrity
  • Cleaning: Physical cleaning and inspection of devices

Setting Up Maintenance Schedules

  1. Open the device you want to create a schedule for
  2. Navigate to the Maintenance section
  3. Tap the "+" button and select "Schedule Task"
  4. Choose the type of maintenance
  5. Set the frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.)
  6. Enable notifications if desired
  7. Save the schedule

Location Tracking

Bit Buddy includes a built-in map feature that allows you to track the physical location of your devices. This is especially useful when you have devices stored in multiple locations.

Adding a Location to a Device

  1. Open the device you want to add a location to
  2. Tap "Edit" to enter edit mode
  3. Find the "Location" field
  4. Tap to open the location map
  5. Either allow Bit Buddy to use your current location or search for a location
  6. Select the location on the map
  7. Save your changes

Use Cases for Location Tracking

  • Multiple Locations: Track devices stored at home, office, studio, or other locations
  • Off-Site Backups: Mark the location of backup devices stored off-site
  • Team Collaboration: Know where devices are when working with a team
  • Inventory Management: Keep track of device locations for insurance or inventory purposes

Editing Locations

You can edit a device's location at any time by opening the device, tapping "Edit," and updating the location information. This is useful when devices are moved to new locations.

Web and IP Address Fields

For network-attached devices, Bit Buddy provides dedicated fields for web addresses and IP addresses, making it easy to access your devices when you're on the same network.

Adding Web/IP Addresses

  1. Open the network device you want to configure
  2. Tap "Edit" to enter edit mode
  3. Find the "Web Address" or "IP Address" field
  4. Enter the URL (e.g., "http://192.168.1.100") or IP address
  5. Save your changes

Accessing Network Devices

Once you've added a web or IP address to a device, you can quickly access it from the device detail view. Bit Buddy will open the web interface in your default browser, making it easy to manage your NAS or other network devices.

Use Cases

  • NAS Systems: Quick access to NAS web interfaces for management
  • Network Servers: Connect to server management interfaces
  • Cloud Storage: Link to cloud storage provider dashboards
  • Network Drives: Access network-mounted drives

Detailed Device Information

Bit Buddy allows you to add intricate details about each device in multiple ways:

File Information Section

When adding or editing a device, you can use the File Information section to describe what kind of files or content is stored on the device. This helps you quickly identify what's on each device without having to connect to it.

Other Info Section

The "Other Info" section in the device detail view allows you to add any additional notes or information about the device. This is a free-form field where you can record:

  • Purchase information
  • Warranty details
  • Special configurations
  • Important notes or reminders
  • Any other relevant information

Best Practices for Advanced Features

  • Use Parent/Child Relationships: Take advantage of device relationships to better understand your storage ecosystem
  • Maintain Regular Schedules: Set up maintenance schedules for critical devices to ensure they stay healthy
  • Keep Locations Updated: Update device locations when they move to maintain accurate tracking
  • Document Everything: Use the detailed information fields to document important details about your devices
  • Review Regularly: Periodically review maintenance logs and schedules to ensure they're still relevant