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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 c...
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.
mdgm wrote:
The Ultra 4 has the slowest hardware of any legacy x86 ReadyNAS capable of running OS6.Yes. The Ultra will run slower, but it will have all the feature in the Ultra Plus.
mdgm wrote:
Some recommend upgrading to at least 2GB RAM which is the minimum OS6 x86_64 units shipped with.If you never upgraded your Ultra Plus RAM then you won't need to do this right away. It would be a good idea if you keep the NAS running longer. Unfortunately the Ultra uses different memory than the Ultra Plus
Great! All clear now.
One last question: what does "100PES" in "RNDU4000-100PES" denote?
This is another device that I could buy at a reasonable porice.
gharbeia wrote: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?
The replacement NAS must be runinig the same OS. If the old one was running OS6 and you put the drives in an OS4.2.x NAS, it will format the drives and you will lose all data. If you put drives from an OS6 NAS into an OS4.2.x NAS, then it will simply complain and do nothing.
If your old NAS was running OS6, you would have been better off buying a current OS6 NAS. One of the big advantages of converting a legacy device to OS6 is that if the NAS dies, you can move the drives to a native OS6 device and it will just work -- no hoops to jump through, assuming there was no damage to the data volume when the old one died..
Thanks for the advice, Sandshark. You are absoluetly correct.
But I bought my new device second-hand at a realtively cheaper price. I cannot currently afford a new OS6 device, and I haven't done the research to identify the newer models and try to find a used one of that calibre. Maybe I should have. The thing is I'm currently not sure I want to continue using Netgear NAS systems at home. I will be researching the market for more options.
On a side note, my plan now is to replace the burnt disk controller daughter board from my old device with the one from the new. This way I should be using the mainboard with two processors. What do you think about that?
PS: Do you mind explaining this statement for me? I htought I understood the imcompatibility of the different version of the OS, but this confused me:
If the old one was running OS6 and you put the drives in an OS4.2.x NAS, it will format the drives and you will lose all data. If you put drives from an OS6 NAS into an OS4.2.x NAS, then it will simply complain and do nothing.
gharbeia wrote:On a side note, my plan now is to replace the burnt disk controller daughter board from my old device with the one from the new. This way I should be using the mainboard with two processors. What do you think about that?
PS: Do you mind explaining this statement for me? I htought I understood the imcompatibility of the different version of the OS, but this confused me:
If the old one was running OS6 and you put the drives in an OS4.2.x NAS, it will format the drives and you will lose all data. If you put drives from an OS6 NAS into an OS4.2.x NAS, then it will simply complain and do nothing.Unless you know what caused the problem with the SATA backplane, it could be risky to replace it. You don't want to burn up the new one, too. It may be slightly less risky to put the main board from the Ultra4Plus into the Ultra4 chassis. BTW, the backplane from any legacy 4-bay desktop system except NV+V2 and the really old pre-NV Infrant units will work to replace the one in your Ultra4Plus. With the exception of the NV & NV+, the main boards can also be swapped between units..I purchased an Ultra4 that was dropped on which the chassis and backplane were a mess and put the main board into an NVX several years ago, and it works to this day.
As for the statements on the OS versions. OS4.2.x does not check that a drive inserted has nothing on it, it just formats it unless it recognizes it as it's own native format. That led to many "what happened to my files on my drive" issues when folks just put in a drive removed from a computer or USB enclosure without first RTFM and expected the files to still be there. So, Netgear changed it such that you have to expressly select FORMAT in OS6 if the drive is not empty. The hope is that the process of doing so will alert users that they should maybe RTFM before proceeding. It also gives Netgear a chance to implement the OS4.2 data recovery on an OS 6.0 system.
So if you put the drives from an OS6 system into an OS4.2 one, the drives get wiped. The same does not happen the other way without you instructing it to do so.
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