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Forum Discussion
Ultra 6 configuration question
I have been doing heavy, heavy research for a couple weeks on how to store a fairly large amount of data (2-3TB) and back it up with the ability to take the backups off-site so I don't lose everything...
While in theory it sounds like a good idea, I don't think it will work the way you expect.
You can configure the device for 2 separate raid-5 ararays of 3 disks each, this is not a problem. You simply factory reset and choose FLEX-RAID mode from RAIDAR and you configure the volumes however you wish.
The problem comes when you decide you want to pull the 3 disk 'backup' volume.
Readynas boots from the installed disks, not from an onboard flash or anything like that, so removing half the disks from the system will very likely prevent booting in the first place.
Even if the system boots with the primary 3 disk raid, once the other 3 disks are removed, they will be considered 'dead'.
If you put the previously removed 3 disks back in at some point later, the system should treat them as new disks (because they are out of sync with the main 3 disk raid). Even though the DATA volumes are not related and not sync'd in any way, the SYSTEM partitions are no longer in sync.
I would suspect the only way to boot from the 'backup' 3 disks is to remove the first 3 disks and only boot from the last 3 (assuming it will even boot with 50% of the disks removed).
This means once you do the initial sync between primary volume, and backup volume, once you remove the backup volume, you would no longer be able to have both sets in the device at the same time. Once you break the set by removing the backup volume disks, you could only boot from one set or the other, not both.
Long story short, don't remove the backup volume disks, its a bad idea.
If you simply leave all the disks in place, your strategy will probably be ok (as long as you do not get 2 disk failures in the same volume set, at the same time).
In my opinion, you would be far better off using all 6 disks in DUAL REDUNDANCY mode and continuing to backup off site with USB disks.
You can configure the device for 2 separate raid-5 ararays of 3 disks each, this is not a problem. You simply factory reset and choose FLEX-RAID mode from RAIDAR and you configure the volumes however you wish.
The problem comes when you decide you want to pull the 3 disk 'backup' volume.
Readynas boots from the installed disks, not from an onboard flash or anything like that, so removing half the disks from the system will very likely prevent booting in the first place.
Even if the system boots with the primary 3 disk raid, once the other 3 disks are removed, they will be considered 'dead'.
If you put the previously removed 3 disks back in at some point later, the system should treat them as new disks (because they are out of sync with the main 3 disk raid). Even though the DATA volumes are not related and not sync'd in any way, the SYSTEM partitions are no longer in sync.
I would suspect the only way to boot from the 'backup' 3 disks is to remove the first 3 disks and only boot from the last 3 (assuming it will even boot with 50% of the disks removed).
This means once you do the initial sync between primary volume, and backup volume, once you remove the backup volume, you would no longer be able to have both sets in the device at the same time. Once you break the set by removing the backup volume disks, you could only boot from one set or the other, not both.
Long story short, don't remove the backup volume disks, its a bad idea.
If you simply leave all the disks in place, your strategy will probably be ok (as long as you do not get 2 disk failures in the same volume set, at the same time).
In my opinion, you would be far better off using all 6 disks in DUAL REDUNDANCY mode and continuing to backup off site with USB disks.
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