Hi,I'm a complete novice when it comes to NAS, Raid, etc, however have bought some kit, so would like some advice on the best setup for what I want to primarily use, which is:i) Media Streaming (to different devices locally and remotely)ii) Document store (access locally and remotely)iii) Back Up (local PC as well as any content stored directly on the NAS)Kit:ReadyNas NV +V2 (disk less)2 x 3TB Seagate HDDI'm running a Win7 setup with a Netgear Gigabit wireless router.Now I have a 2 other drives with media content on them already, a 1.5TB, and 2TB. I plan on adding content onto 1 of the new 3TB drives as well.What should I do?1) Install 2 x 3TB, so that I have 3TB to store content and 3TB for mirror/backup 2) Install all 4 hard drives (1.5TB, 2TB, 3TB, 3TB) - understand that I will have to take content off and transfer back, I can't just plug and play?3) Option 1) and leave the 1.5TB and 2TB drives as standalone USB drives, attaching to ReadyNas for media streaming, etcI'm picking up knowledge slowly, but seems to me that the logical steps are to keep adding the largest drives possible so that the overall volume increases in size? I could be wrong.Also how long am I looking at installation of the 3TB disks?ThanksKaleem

I don't suggest you use more than 2 drive sizes. The storage will be sort of allocated in layers by the system and it only automatically supports two layers. So if you put in the 2TB and two 3TBs you'll get one 2TB layer across all three disks and a second 1TB layer across the two 3TB drives. Total capacity will be 5TB and you can use the 1.5TB for backups of the really critical stuff. Or if you don't need 5TB, then put in the 2 3TB for now (giving you 3TB of storage) and then use the 1.5TB and 2TB both for backups and you can back up everything. Don't think of the mirroring as your backup because it's still a single system and you could lose it. Put all the drives in from the start and then power it up to get the minimal initialization time.In case it isn't obvious, if you insert the drives with content on them you will lose that content. In order to use those drives you need to move the data off and then copy it back after the drive becomes part of the NAS.Good luck!

I agree with dsm1212's advice - no more than 2 disk sizes in the NAS, and don't confuse RAID with backup. In terms of your starting array size, that should be driven by how much storage you need now, and what you see happening later. You have 3.5 TB of external drives now, which suggests that you probably need more than 3 TB of storage now. If you have the money, adding a third 3 TB drive now is a good approach, and lets you use your current drives for backup. Leaving a slot free for future expansion makes sense to me, as adding a new drive is usually more cost effective than upgrading an existing one (when figured as $$$ per incremental GB). That is, if you replace a 2 TB with a 3 TB drive, you are paying for a 3 TB drive but only getting 1 TB more storage.Whatever you do, make sure you have adequate backup in place from the beginning. As part of that, you should think a bit on data organization, as the "really critical stuff" you back up will need to be in its own folders. I decided some time ago that if it is worth keeping at all it is worth backing up - so I don't attempt to distinguish "critical data" from the rest. That required more investment in backup storage of course, but for me keeping it simple and effective was more important. There are lots of people here who handle this differently (which is fine) - my main point is to be intentional about it. Also, if you are re-using disks with content on them, make sure that you have a copy at all times during setup (excluding the NAS itself). Sometimes bad things happen in setup and expansion. If something is only on the NAS it is at risk during expansion.

Thanks for the tips guys, very useful advice. Now that I'm clearer in terms of approach, I was hoping if you don't mind answering a few more questions:1) StephenB's suggestion that I add another 3TB now (in addition to the 2 x 3TB I am about to install) to get the storage I'm looking for now. As I'm using 3TB, it makes sense I continue to use the same 3TB drives. Is it not better to just go ahead and buy the final 4TB drive, and add all the drives in at once, from the start and then power it up to get the minimal initialization time? Or if I just go with the 3 x3 TB, how long would it take to install the 4th one if I did later?2) The 3TB HDD I'm using are all Seagate (Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001). 3 questions here:a) Do I need to individually format each drive before loading them into the ReadyNas, or does the initialization process take care of that?b) This particular drive model is listed under the "Hardware Compatibility List", however its asking me to "Use firmware CC4H or newer". I'm assuming this is something related to the limitation of Windows not recognizing drives larger than 2GB. How do I go about doing this? Do I need to carry this process out on my PC, or can I do within the ReadyNas setup?c) I read somewhere that I should be labeling each drive - What's the reason for that?Once again thanks for your expert advice, look forward to hearing your responses.CheersKaleem

1. Installing 3x3TB drives now all at once will take approximately 8 hours to initialize the drives, install the firmware and do the synchronization process. The drives need to be synchronized sector by sector even though there is no data on them yet. Adding the fourth 3TB (not 4TB) drive will take about the same length of time to resync all 4 drives. I usually add my drives at night and once the process has begun and the percent complete begins to rise, I then go to bed. Please make sure you have a current and complete backup of all the data when you start this process. It is extremely stressful on the drives and if there is a point at which an existing drive is going to fail it is at this point. 2a. It will be a waste of time to do anything to the drives. In fact, anything other than a bare unused new drive will slow you down a bit. The ReadyNAS x-86 uses it's own format and using any drive from a PC or even one of the Sparc or x-86 ReadyNAS units will cause a delay. Worst case, the unit may reject the drive because it thinks there may be data on it and force you to connect the drive to a Windows PC and use the Drive Management tool built into Windows to remove all the current partitions. (Not the same as formatting).2b. The firmware CC4H or newer is the firmware on the Hard Drive. The current version should be listed on the front label.2c. It is best to have the drives labeled in some manner so you can tell which one goes in bay1, bay2 etc. so that you can put them back in the same bay if you remove the. If you need to remove a drive for some reason (looking at the label, blowing the dust out of the NAS, etc.) and the drive is good and you want to put it back, do so with the NAS shut down normally. Then reboot only after the drive is reseated. If you remove and then reinsert the drive with the unit on, it will erase the drive and resynch the array. Because I have so many drives spread across a number of machines here at home, I use small press on white labels and number the all the drives. I then keep a spreadsheet of all the drives, make, model, location (incuding the bay on the ReadyNAS units) because they sometimes are recycled. For temporary use, Post-It notes will work. Some write on the label, but that is rather permanent.

Thanks Papabear,Appreciate the detailed response, I'm still unclear about the Firmware upgrade. Currently, the 2 x 3TB drives are showing Firmware versions CC43 and CC4B.Do I need to upgrade these to CC4H? And how would I do this? Through the ReadyNas install process?CheersKaleem

Newbie - Novice requires Setup Advice

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PapaBear1
Apprentice
Sep 24, 2012
The WD Red label drives come in three sizes, 1, 2 and 3TB models. They are respectfully, the WD10EFRX, WD20EFRX and WD30EFRX. They have found a market with a pent up demand for a reliable consumer based NAS drive, and as such are currently in short supply and high pricing. Hopefully, as production ramps up, they will become more plentiful and prices will drop.
Kaleem
Aspirant
Sep 24, 2012
Looks like I'm going to cancel the other 2 X 3TB's for now....you guys are scaring me with all these clicking noises !!!!!

I may just end up with another 2 x 9YN166-500 type drives !!!!! Let me check with Seagate with regards to my existing drives.

Would there be an issue in adding one of them (the non-9YN166-500 type drive), and adding WD Red Label's as the others for X-Raid Expansion?

Or should i just stick with one brand at that start?

pkraiker

Aspirant

Sep 24, 2012

Kaleem wrote:
Looks like I'm going to cancel the other 2 X 3TB's for now....you guys are scaring me with all these clicking noises !!!!!

I may just get end with another 2 x 9YN166-500 type drives.

Let me check with Seagate with regards to my existing drives, would there be an issue in adding one of them (the non-9YN166-500 type drive), and adding WD Red Label's as the others for X-Raid Expansion?

Or should i just stick with one brand at that start?

Kaleem wrote:
Looks like I'm going to cancel the other 2 X 3TB's for now....you guys are scaring me with all these clicking noises !!!!! I may just get end with another 2 x 9YN166-500 type drives. Let me check with Seagate with regards to my existing drives, would there be an issue in adding one of them (the non-9YN166-500 type drive), and adding WD Red Label's as the others for X-Raid Expansion? Or should i just stick with one brand at that start?

They aren't the best drives, they are more than adequate and supported though. I'm currently using 8 of them across 2 NV+ V2 and a USB dock. They are a good price so having a 3rd shouldn't be a big investment. And it will get double your available capacity for that investment.
The firmware upgrade isn't complicated on Windows, and if you get another drive just ask them for CC4H or newer. You can see it written on the front of the drive.

If you set up the NV+ V2 with a 3rd Seagate drive, you'll have a readily available backup solution using a USB dock connected to the NAS (or a drive in a dedicated enclosure if that's what you already have). You can then set up backups in Frontview and have the comfort of knowing the RAID will keep your data secure and the backup is available in the event of something dramatic. Keep one of the backup drives at a friends place if you can, that will mean you have it available in the event of a flood, fire, etc.

This is from another newbie... I've had a Promise NAS for years and only recently added the Netgear enclosures. I'm impressed with them so far and the community here is great.

/Peter

InTheShires
Tutor
Sep 24, 2012
Kaleem wrote:
Looks like I'm going to cancel the other 2 X 3TB's for now....you guys are scaring me with all these clicking noises !!!!!

I've got two of these HDDs in my Ultra2+ and I can't say I've heard any loud clicking noise, before or after upgrading the FW on the drives. Working fine for me.
gibxxi
Guide
Nov 20, 2012
Before the FW update my drive made an audibly head parking "click" noise about once a minute. But it's in a caddy in the main PC with air holes in, so it's very likely that this means it's a lot louder than it would be if buried in the case of the PC.

Since the update it makes the same "chirping" noise others have mentioned. It sounds like a drive doing a quick random seek once every minute or so for long periods. However, the SMART values are fine, and the drive is working flawlessly. Also, performance has improved a lot with the update, so now i've just gotten used to it "chirping" away in the background.

I did read somewhere that the drive has a feature built into the firmware that randomly tests every sector on the drive at random intervals on a cycle, to enable early notification of failure. But as this wasn't from an official source, it may or may not be the case.

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Newbie - Novice requires Setup Advice

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