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Forum Discussion
Are RNDU4000 and RNDP400U compatible?
Greetings,
Can I place an array from RNDP400U in RNDU4000 and expect them to work safely?
I have a damaged unit of the first model and would like to migate my data with the least hassle, and I could get a relatively chep unit of the second model.
Eventually, I plan to move away from Netgear, given the limited options of repair. So I'm also looking out for recommendations (understanding that this is a Netgear forum).
Regards,
10 Replies
gharbeia wrote:
Can I place an array from RNDP400U in RNDU4000 and expect them to work safely?
Yes, but there are some caveats.
- some Ultra Plus and Ultra ReadyNAS have been converted by their owners to run OS-6. It is possible to convert them back.
- If the two NAS are running different 4.2.x firmware, then the Ultra would try to install whatever firmware is in it's flash onto the disks. If that firmware is a lot older than what was on the Ultra Plus, then that could result in problems.
- Some used hardware doesn't actually work.
So my suggestion is to begin by doing a test on the replacement using a spare disk (not part of the array). Then you can see what firmware it is running. If it has been converted to OS-6, we can follow-up with advice on how to reverse that. If it is running 4.2.x, then you can either install firmware that matches what was on the Ultra Plus, or you can just install the final 4.2.31 firmware.
After that's done, try booting the NAS with the test disk in each bay - that will confirm that all bays are working.
Then migrate over the disks (preserving the slot order). All settings are on the disks, so it should just come up as it did before. Performance will be somewhat slower, since the ultra has a less capable processor.
gharbeia wrote:
I'm also looking out for recommendations (understanding that this is a Netgear forum).
I can't help there, since I only own ReadyNAS. There are some folks here who also have competing brands, hopefully they will chime in.
Thanks, StephenB. You've been very helpful along the years since this tragedy started unfolding.
Would it make a difference to know that the array comes from a device ( RNDP400U) that was converted to OS6 when it was still running? If I upgrade the target device too ( RNDU4000) to OS6, would it eliminate friction?
Lastly, what functionality is missing from RNDU4000 compared to RNDP400U?
I can live with anything probably, except being able to access using ssh and reduced disk size, since my array was comprised of 6GB disks.
- The Ultra 4 has the slowest hardware of any legacy x86 ReadyNAS capable of running OS6.
It’s the only legacy x86 ReadyNAS with a single core Atom CPU.
It uses CPUs of the same generation as the Ultra 4 Plus and Pro 4 (the CPU is the main hardware difference between the Ultra 4 and those models). It should support the same disks as those models. If 6TB worked fine for you with the U4P they should also work fine with the Ultra 4.
Whilst the Ultra 4 has less features on RAIDiator-x86 (you can still enable SSH), OS6 doesn’t impose such feature limitations.
Some recommend upgrading to at least 2GB RAM which is the minimum OS6 x86_64 units shipped with.
You need to update the Ultra4 to OS6 using a spare/scratch disk (must not be from your array). You can then power down, remove the scratch disk and migrate to it.
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