Best Upgrade Options From Old ReadyNAS 204

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Aelyth wrote:

 

I've been using my ReadyNAS 204 for about a decade. The 204 has been a trusty media/file server for all these years. But, it's time to look at upgrading. I currently have about 3.5tb of the 5.5ish tb worth of space filled with data I would like to keep. However, I'm not sure if anyone here has gone down a similar path of upgrading their chassy while keeping their data/raid intact.

 

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You can migrate the disks to any other OS-6 ReadyNAS (RN214, RN31x, RN42x, RN52x, RN62x are the desktop lines)  It's an easy process, though it is always best to have an up-to-date backup for your date (RAID isn't enough to keep it safe).

The "elephant in the room" here is that there is some evidence that Netgear is abandoning their NAS business (though they haven't explicitly said that).  It's not clear if that is just their desktop ReadyNAS, or both desktop and rack-mount.   Inventory has been hard to find for quite a while, and the new units that are out there are generally over-priced.  The pace and scope of ReadyNAS firmware releases has also dropped off.

I suggest looking at competing NAS from other vendors as part of your decision.  You could purchase new disks for the new NAS, and then re-purpose your RN204 as a backup NAS (scheduling backup jobs that has the new primary NAS as the backup source).  That will work even if the new NAS is not a ReadyNAS.

Your volume is actually pretty small - so another option is just to use a Windows PC or a Mac with a reasonably large disk. 

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Aelyth wrote:

 

Also, does anyone have their favorite models that they would recommend for transcoding/streaming HD content?

 

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Straight streaming is a pretty easy job for almost all NAS (including your RN204).  Real-time transcoding is a bigger deal, especially if you are transcoding 4K.  It's best to have a system with graphics acceleration for that (which no ReadyNAS has). 

Personally I use a Windows PC as an application server for my NAS (mapping the NAS data volume to a drive letter).  Though that requires another device, it allows me to upgrade the application server and the NAS independently - which I think is worth the extra cost. My primary NAS is an RN526x.