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Forum Discussion
ReadyNAS 424 adding disk
Do you have to fully populate all the drive bays at the same time when using X-RAID? Specifically using ReadyNAS 424 could I install three 10TB drives and leave the fourth bay open? When I need more ...
andyh03 wrote:
Specifically using ReadyNAS 424 could I install three 10TB drives and leave the fourth bay open?
Yes. IMO that is a good approach, as using an empty slot later on is the most cost effective way of expanding the array.
andyh03 wrote:
When I need more storage space I could install an additional drive without having to reformat all the disks?
I heard the only way to increase size of a raid drive array is to reformat all the drives..
All you need to do is hot-insert a new (blank) disk into the empty slot, and the NAS will automatically expand it. If that disk isn't blank, then you will need to format it from the web ui - but you won't need to reformat the existing drives.
However, the RAID array does need to be re-organized to use the new disk. That process is called "resyncing" in the NAS web ui, though it is also called "reshaping". You don't have RAID redundancy when that is happening, so it is wise to make sure your backup is up to date before you manipulate disks.
What you heard about resizing RAID arrays may be true for some implementations, but Netgear has done some clever things to make XRAID easy to expand.
Not only can you leave one bay empty, it's the best way to go. There is no sense in putting in more space than you need now, the drive will only get older. And the price will likely go down. Do make sure you leave the caddy/tray in place to keep the air flowing properly. Leaving one of the center slots empty instead of #4 can sometimes make the NAS run a little cooler, too, since all of the drives will have at least one side without an adjacent drive.
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