backup and upgrade

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wibbl3 wrote:

Hi all, quick query.can i backup to an external hdd from my readynas rn104,then instal that hdd to the rn104?

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I am not sure what you mean exactly.   If you are asking if an external hdd can be added to the array, the answer would be no.  The RN104 RAID array can only use internal hard drives, not external. 

If you are thinking you can backup to a WD60EFRX in an USB enclosure, and then add the WD60EFRX to the internal RAID array...  the disk is reformatted  when it is added to the array, so the backup would be a wasted effort.

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wibbl3 wrote:

 which raid setup would be required with the final result being 4 wd 6tb hdds installed.3 for storage 1 for hdd failure.hope this makes sense.thanks

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There are no RAID modes in the RN104 that precisely do that.  RAID-5 is the mode that comes closest - it provides protection from any single hard drive failure.  XRAID uses that mode by default with 4x6TB.  However, the storage are spread across all 4 disk (and the RAID parity blocks which create the redundancy are also spread across all four disks).

That technical point aside, I think it would be helpful if you step back a bit, and explain what you are wanting to do.  It sounds like you are wanting to expand your RN104 - if so, tell us what disks you have installed now, and what RAID mode you are currently running.