Future HDD sizes

LoveReadynas wrote:
So is this a software limitation not hardware?

It's a software limitation not hardware.

LoveReadynas wrote:
Do you think the firmware can be updated to use a single volume of 16tb plus and still use some form of x-raid?

You can still use X-RAID2 and have a volume greater than 16TB, but currently you have to factory reset with the drives in place. As even with 4TB drives using dual-redundancy the 16TB limit isn't reached this isn't an issue that most users are going to be facing in the short term. I definitely wouldn't recommend using single-redundancy and 6x4TB drives.

LoveReadyNAS wrote:
I dont see the point in dual redundancy if you already have a backup server of the same data running raid 5

RAID is useful as it provides redundancy or high-availability and reduces your need to use your backups. As disk capacities get higher rebuild times are longer. Also when a drive is replaced a resync puts heavy stress on all disks so if you have multiple disks failing the chances that you'll experience a dual-drive failure are much, much higher. However if you are comfortable with your backup and the greater risk of having to restore from backup, and you diligently backup your data regularly then using RAID-5 would be fine.

LoveReadyNAS wrote:
The biggest readynas only has 6 bays having it in dual redundancy is slashing you storage I've always said netgear need a server with more drive bays.

Yes, it slashes the storage a little bit, but it does provide greater peace of mind, especially for those with high uptime. I'd like to see a desktop ReadyNAS with more drive bays e.g. an 8-bay ReadyNAS. However if there was such a ReadyNAS with a few more drive bays dual-redundancy would be recommended even more than when using a 6-bay device.

LoveReadyNAS wrote:
What I'm asking is why is there a 16tb cap? Is this a firmware issue? Will this be looked at at some point.

It's an issue with EXT4 and/or expansion utilities used with that, I believe. I think this issue would affect all Linux NASes using EXT4 (which would be most if not all of them). Once there is a stable fix, it will be included in a future firmware update. I'm sure that NetGear would be keen to remove this limitation as soon as it is reasonable to do so.