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Forum Discussion
What is the best order of execution for a vertical disk upgrade?
Hello, I have an RN628 (latest firmware) unit filled with 8TB drives in a RAID5 configuration with a single volume. I will be replacing the 8TB drives with new 14TB drives. The array is currently...
13Tech wrote:
My question is: would I be best to (one-by-one) replace the existing drives while still in Flex-RAID mode and then convert to X-RAID after they are all installed and in synch? Or would I be better to switch to X-RAID mode first and then replace the drives?
Switch to XRAID first.
13Tech wrote:
The main thing I'm unsure about with that one is whether I need to do anything special with the 8TB disks since they were previously used (not newly unformatted).
Again, I'd switch to XRAID first (assuming the system will let you).
It would be best to unformat the drives. If you can connect them to a Windows PC (either SATA or USB adapter/dock) then you can use the windows disk manager for this - just delete all the partitions (called volumes in the Windows disk manager). Or run Seatools or Lifeguard, and use the utility to zero the disks. The "quick erase" function will work (not sure if that is in Lifeguard or Seatools).
Thanks very much for the quick response. Can I please ask what the benefit is with switching to X-RAID first, just for my better understanding? My only hestitation with just doing that initially was thinking it might be better to have the additional capacity added all at once when switching to X-RAID at the end versus having X-RAID reconfigure the space multiple times as each new disk gets added. But I have no idea how X-RAID repartitions the disks as they get added to know whether that makes any difference at all.
The other thing I forgot to ask in the original post is whether its okay to do the drive swaps while the unit is running, or is it better to shutdown to do each drive replacement?
thanks again!
13Tech wrote:
My only hestitation with just doing that initially was thinking it might be better to have the additional capacity added all at once when switching to X-RAID at the end versus having X-RAID reconfigure the space multiple times as each new disk gets added.
XRAID will still operate on one disk at a time.
13Tech wrote:
Can I please ask what the benefit is with switching to X-RAID first, just for my better understanding?
The primary reason in my thinking is that the main use case for Netgear is that XRAID is always on (and also that switches between XRAID and FlexRAID are rare). So you'd be setting up a scenario that might not be well-tested.
Another is that there are situations when the system won't let you switch back - including the case where expansion is done under flexraid. It's be best to avoid that possibility (note I have seen cases here where the system won't let you switch back when it would have been safe).
But I don't know why you are in FlexRAID mode in the first place.
13Tech wrote:
The other thing I forgot to ask in the original post is whether its okay to do the drive swaps while the unit is running, or is it better to shutdown to do each drive replacement?
I always recommend hot-swapping the drives. Then the system software detects the drive removal and reinsertion, and doesn't have to figure as much out. Obviously wait for the full resync to be complete before moving to the next. Keep in mind that there will be two resyncs when second drive is replaced (the second will expand the volume). Similarly for the remaining drives.
My experience is that once you have an "expanded volume", you cannot switch from FlexRAID to XRAID. So, if you don't switch before you vertically expand, you never will be able to. If you've even upgraded drive size in the past, you are already past the point of return. Adding additional drives of the same size does not trigger this response.
I don't think that's the way it always was nor the way it should be, but it's the way I have found it to be.
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