I have just purchased a new Asustor 7004T network attached storage device, which I had hoped to use as an archive for the massive quantity of files I have spread across multiple computers and external hard drives. The problem is, I have many of these files meticulously organized by "date created", and recently learned, to my utter disbelief, that my device (and apparently NASes in general) does not preserve the creation date of any file transferred to it. For example, if I take three files dated 9/24/2008, 7/31/2011, and 1/6/2014, and simultaneously migrate them over to the NAS on 11/15/2015, they all end up with the timestamp of 11/15/2015. This is nothing short of a disaster for me, and I am flabbergasted (and frankly outraged) that a top-of-the-line, $1,000+ device expressly made for storing and backing up files was designed without a data storage capability possessed by any $5 2GB flash drive.
I am desperate for a way to circumvent this fatal (for me) flaw of the Asustor NAS. I would be eternally grateful to anyone who could recommend a means of copying files to an NAS that leaves the creation date intact, without potentially corrupting any data or otherwise compromising the security of my files.
Some key information: my computer is a 2012 MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.9.5. I am a 1988 model human being compatible with most Web Browsers and proficient with a handful of basic applications such as Microsoft Word, with the capacity to comprehend and follow simple step-by-step instructions as far as more technical tasks are concerned. In other words, if your solution is any more complex than downloading and installing an app, you should probably take a "for dummies" approach in explaining it to me. I would also appreciate any input from users of a particular method who found it to be buggy, ineffective, or otherwise problematic, for Murphy's Law is an ever-present specter in my life, and I would thank you to inform me of all the pros and cons of a particular solution before I risk implementing it.
Thank you in advance to all who contribute their help. I have not been able to find any other sites or forums where someone has asked about this issue in regard to a Mac or Asustor device, and hope that this thread will prove helpful to other users of those systems who share my predicament (I cannot imagine I am the only one).
Best Answer
The Problem lies not in your Asustor per se but in the file system (and subsequently the drive configuration) you use and the copy routine you use. In a nutshell: There are different methods to copy files (f.e. rsync) and different ways the file systems store data (f.e. creation date).
Without further Information regarding your NAS-Setup, File system (necessary) and RAID Level (not necessary, just to be complete), the possible solution at this point would be very general: One possibility would be to use rsync to transfer files from you Mac to the NAS - it should copy all data including creation date. It is a command line tool but there is Software with a GUI which should be more to your likeing. I suggest 'Carbon Copy Cloner', a commercial software but with a 30 day trial.
You should start with that and test it with a few files. If it does not work you should provide more information about the file systems used in the NAS and your external drives.