Smart error on disc WD2002FAEX - like to change to bigger discs

I think you meant 6 TB, not 6 GB...

 

There are some expansion limits with 4.2.x firmware.

1. You cannot expand a volume over a 16 TiB ceiling
2. You cannot expand a volume more than 8 TiB from its starting point.

If you started with 5x2TB then you hit both these limitations at about the same time - you can grow the volume from 8 TB to 16 TB but no further.

 

So if you stay with 4.2.x firmware you can upgrade to 5x4 TB, but not 5x6 TB.

 

If you want to go higher you can convert your ReadyNAS to run OS 6.  That doesn't have these expansion limits.  Netgear doesn't support that conversion, but many people have done it, and there is information here on how to do it.  The process does require a factory reset, so you would need to restore all the files from backup after the process is finished.

 

You do want to be careful on when you choose very large disks - manufacturers are shifting to alternative mounting positions on the drives, so you should make sure that enough mounting holes are aligned with the tray so you can screw them in.  Usually you can google this info.  Also, you should avoid SMR drives (Seagate archival drives for example).  They are cost effective for archival, but aren't well suited for RAID.

 

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torstein_osborg wrote:

 

So what disc's do you recommend and how do i do the change from 4 pcs 2gbyte to 3 new bigger ones, or do i have to use 5 discs when changing all 5?

 

 

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You have to replace at least two drives to get space increase - the capacity formula for XRAID single redundancy is "sum the drives and subtract the largest".  I always hot-swap - removing the first drive and replacing it with the NAS running.  Then after the volume resyncs, repeat the process with the next.  Be sure the process is done.

 

As far as drives go, I personally go with NAS-purposed drives (I use WDC Reds, though Seagate Ironwolf is another option).  These aren't quite as fast as enterprise drives, but they run a lot cooler.  Enterprise-class is of course also an option, for instance the WDC Red Pro drives.