Thoughts on new purchase

k2ice wrote:
Questions/Concerns: - Performance - I don't want to spend this type of money and find the array choking on requests

Performance is good. Take a look at The Performance Section of the Definitive Guide to the ReadyNAS Ultra Series

Note that the Ultra 4 Plus uses the same CPU as the Ultra 6 (not Plus). See CPU Specs of the ReadyNAS

k2ice wrote:
- Concern of making sure I the FlexRAID configures right on initial install

I would stick with the default X-RAID2. Flex-RAID RAID-1 volume cannot be converted to RAID-5. X-RAID2 uses standard RAID levels (RAID-0 - single disk, RAID-1 2 disks, RAID-5 - 3 or more disks, RAID-6 - optional with 4 or more disks in a 6-bay ReadyNAS)

k2ice wrote:
- Concern of needing to perform a firmware update before I can install the 3TB drives (Can I just stick any drive in to start this process?)

Can put a single 3TB drive in NAS. Will likely be recognised as less than 1TB if on firmware prior to 4.2.16. Do an update via System > Update > Remote (may need to do a couple of updates) to get on the latest firmware. Then power down, put other disk in and do a factory default via the Boot Menu (http://www.readynas.com/kb/faq/boot/how_do_i_use_the_boot_menu) which will give you a clean setup on the latest firmware.

k2ice wrote:
- ReadyNAS Ultra 4 Plus versus ReadyNAS Ultra 6 Plus (Would the performance be such an increase that this be a better recommendation)

I reckon it's worth it for the optional X-RAID2 dual-redundancy (like RAID-6) alone, let alone the better performance. The Pro 6 is faster still and a good option if you intend to use e.g. Plex to transcode (convert on the fly) 1080p video to a device such as an iPad

k2ice wrote:
- How reliable is the FlexRAID expansion from RAID1 to RAID5...I know I need to backup "critical" data, but is this a 50/50% shot on the expansion or is it pretty reliable?

Flex-RAID expansion from RAID-1 to RAID-5 is not possible. See http://support.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19043/~/expanding-the-readynas-volume-when-in-flex-raid-mode.

X-RAID2 is better and will expand from RAID-1 to RAID-5.

Expansion is very reliable. However there can be unforeseen problems such as a failing disk that may lead to issues. Best practice is to check the SMART+ stats under Status > Health in Frontview, run the disk test option via the Boot Menu (http://www.readynas.com/kb/faq/boot/how_do_i_use_the_boot_menu) overnight or while you're out of work and if you're still not sure then consider powering down, remove drives (label order) and hooking the drives up to an internal SATA port in a PC and checking them using vendor tools. If you can test the drives you intend to add using vendor tools. The NAS will run a short test to test the disk before adding it to the array anyway.

Be sure to choose disks from the Hard Disk HCL