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RN102 doesn't recognize external USB hard drive
Hello I have a ReadyNAS 102 running firmware 6.9.4 hotfix 1. I purchased an external drive bay and put a 3TB HGST drive in it to back up the RN102. The drive and bay are recognized by my PC over both...
The
The issue is now resolved. I will put the steps I used below for others who may have the same problem. To recap:
- Plugging a new HGST 3 GB hard drive in a Vantec NexStar 3 enclosure into either the ESATA or front or rear USB ports yielded no recognition of the drive by my RN102. Rebooting the RN102 with the drive attached made no difference.
- Plugging the same drive / enclosure combination into one of my computers yielded recognition and partitioning / formatting ability via either the USB or ESATA ports.
- In the interim I upgraded my RN102 to firmware 6.9.5 (for original firmware version see OP)
- I then installed the original HGST 1 TB SATA II drive into the Vantec NexStar 3 enclosure, which was recognized by my ReadyNAS.
- I then installed the HGST 3 TB SATA III drive into a new Vantec NexStar 6G enclosure which led to the drive being recognized by the Win 8 PC, then the drive finally being recognized by the RN102 ESATA port. Since I always intended to interface the drive via ESATA, I have not tried USB, though I assume that would also work.
Discussion: The Vantec NexStar 3 enclosure is listed on the Vantec site as being SATA I/II compliant, but Amazon lists it as SATA III compliant as well. The drive is of course SATA III (also known as SATA 6Gb/sec). These are of course theoretical speeds. I asssumed since the drive worked in the enclosure on the PC the problem lay with either the ReadyNAS hardware or software. I now suspect but will not go to the trouble of proving that the problem lay with the drive / enclosure interface which for some reason didn't work with the ReadyNAS.
In short, if you're installing a backup drive for your ReadyNAS, you'll avoid problems by ensuring that the enclosure meets the same standards as your drive.
I took the liberty of editing your title, in order to ensure that a mod or forum administrator didn't move your post into the router forum areas.
asdfsd wrote:
I partitioned and formatted the drive (FAT32).
FAT32 is a poor choice, as it can't handle large files. You should format the drive as NTFS. You can do that in the PC (with only one partition), or as Retired_Member suggests, you can do it in the ReadyNAS. If you do it in the PC, make sure the drive only has one partition.
asdfsd wrote:
What could be going on?
If the external drive bay is getting power from the USB port, then you should also power it independently (using a power adapter). It's possible that the RN102 isn't delivering enough power to the port.
Both enclosures I have tried this drive in have an external power supply, which I used.
StephenB wrote:
I took the liberty of editing your title, in order to ensure that a mod or forum administrator didn't move your post into the router forum areas.
asdfsd wrote:
I partitioned and formatted the drive (FAT32).
FAT32 is a poor choice, as it can't handle large files. You should format the drive as NTFS. You can do that in the PC (with only one partition), or as Retired_Member suggests, you can do it in the ReadyNAS. If you do it in the PC, make sure the drive only has one partition.
asdfsd wrote:
What could be going on?
If the external drive bay is getting power from the USB port, then you should also power it independently (using a power adapter). It's possible that the RN102 isn't delivering enough power to the port.
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