NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
aniraghome
Dec 20, 2020Tutor
Reallocation warning message
Hello experts require some expert advice. two days ago after a disk test i got an email from my readynas 314 that disk 1 had to be reallocated and it later added this could mean a disk is failing...
- Dec 21, 2020
aniraghome wrote:
today i downloaded raidar 6.5 and it gave a number 1688 reallocation errors on disk 1? is it time to replace a new disk then?
Definitely it is time to replace it.
Opinions on when to replace a disk vary. Personally I will replace a disk before the reallocated sectors count reaches 50 myself. But everyone would say that ~1700 reallocated sectors is a failed disk.
aniraghome wrote:
i got this readynas 6 years ago in 2014 and i had then bought 4 X 3 TB Seagate Barracuda SATA III 7200rpm.
Don't get a new Barracuda - several of those are now SMR drives, and aren't good options for RAID arrays.
If you want to stick with 7200 RPM, then I'd suggest a WD Red Pro or a Seagate Ironwolf Pro. Currently shipping models start at 4 TB, so you would need to go with a bigger size. Note you'll need to upgrade two drives to the larger size to get more space in the volume. The capacity rule is "sum the disks and subtract the smallest).
Other enterprise-class SATA drives would also work (WD Gold to give one example).
StephenB
Dec 21, 2020Guru - Experienced User
aniraghome wrote:
today i downloaded raidar 6.5 and it gave a number 1688 reallocation errors on disk 1? is it time to replace a new disk then?
Definitely it is time to replace it.
Opinions on when to replace a disk vary. Personally I will replace a disk before the reallocated sectors count reaches 50 myself. But everyone would say that ~1700 reallocated sectors is a failed disk.
aniraghome wrote:
i got this readynas 6 years ago in 2014 and i had then bought 4 X 3 TB Seagate Barracuda SATA III 7200rpm.
Don't get a new Barracuda - several of those are now SMR drives, and aren't good options for RAID arrays.
If you want to stick with 7200 RPM, then I'd suggest a WD Red Pro or a Seagate Ironwolf Pro. Currently shipping models start at 4 TB, so you would need to go with a bigger size. Note you'll need to upgrade two drives to the larger size to get more space in the volume. The capacity rule is "sum the disks and subtract the smallest).
Other enterprise-class SATA drives would also work (WD Gold to give one example).
- aniraghomeDec 21, 2020TutorIf you want to stick with 7200 RPM, then I'd suggest a WD Red Pro or a Seagate Ironwolf Pro. Currently shipping models start at 4 TB, so you would need to go with a bigger size.
——————
Thanks again for your reply.
One question i have on disk buy : i have three other barracudas that are 3TB @ 7200 RPM cache 64mb if i get a wd or iron wolf that is 4TB and higher cache will that still be okay. If i get the new disk at 5400 isthere any harm different disks spinning at different speeds?
Assuming other three disks are fine if i do end up getting two disks apart from disk 1 which had these reallocated sectors which other disk can i swap/replace the new second disk with?- StephenBDec 21, 2020Guru - Experienced User
aniraghome wrote:
One question i have on disk buy : i have three other barracudas that are 3TB @ 7200 RPM cache 64mb if i get a wd or iron wolf that is 4TB and higher cache will that still be okay.Yes. The disk size matters a lot (and as I said SMR disks should be avoided). Cache size doesn't.
One warning here - Netgear does recommend backing up the array before you replace disks. When you replace a disk, the system has to read every sector on the remaining ones to rebuild the array. That does stress the disks (and can uncover issues you didn't know were there). So it is a good idea to update your backup (or make one) first - even if that means you have to purchase USB drive(s) to do that.
aniraghome wrote:
If i get the new disk at 5400 is there any harm different disks spinning at different speeds?If you mix speeds, then the RAID will slow down (likely somewhere between a pure 7200 rpm array and a pure 5400 rpm array) - but it should still work. I'm not mixing speeds at the moment, but I have done that in the past for some years and had no issues at all. The NAS will give you a warning about mixed speeds if you add a slower disk, but it will let you do it.
I think Sandshark did run into an issue (spin up time at boot?) where he suspected mixed RPMs were at fault - I don't recall the details or the strength of the evidence. Hopefully he'll join in and clarify that.
FWIW, although your Barracudas seem to have worked out for you, there are quite a few posters who had issues with them (and BackBlaze found them to be unreliable in RAID arrays). Given their age and track record, you might consider schedule replacing them over time, and not wait for them to fail. If you want to go with the less expensive (and cooler) NAS-purposed drives, then you could get one or more WD Red Plus (not a WD Red - they are SMR) or Seagate Ironwolf drives. You'll get the warning, but it should work out ok during the transition period when you are mixing them.
- aniraghomeDec 21, 2020TutorStephenb
Many thanks again for your guidance.
In looking at costs and avoiding smr’s i ended up with two choices. One is wd red plus which i see amazon and most othere doesn’t have stock till jan 3rd.
Dont want to push my luck So planning to go with “Seagate IronWolf 4TB NAS Internal Hard Drive HDD – CMR 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s 5900 RPM 64MB Cache for RAID Network Attached Storage ST4000VNZ008/VN008)“ i plan to buy two this month and two next month just to spread the cost. When i get these new disks can i pop out disk 1&2 and pop these two in and let them sync?
I have a 5tb ext hd which i make 2nd copy of nas data. So from a data perspective i have a backuped them. When you say “while swapping disks netgear suggests backing arrays” how do i back them ?
I cannot thank you enough for this help.
Related Content
NETGEAR Academy

Boost your skills with the Netgear Academy - Get trained, certified and stay ahead with the latest Netgear technology!
Join Us!