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OS6 now works on x86 Legacy WARNING: NO NTGR SUPPORT!
Update: It is now unofficially possible using NTGR images to update legacy hardware to os6.X
See Post #3, for directions to install 6.2.1 on x86 Ultra and Pro Models. (ARM NOT SUPPORTED by this OS)
Be forewarned, this requires a SYSTEM WIPE and likely voids any warranty support from NTGR
Supported so far: pro 2/4/6, ultra 2/4/6, old pro / Pioneer Pro, 2100v2
Not Supported: NVX and 2100v1
Thanks go out to "HomeBrew Anonymous" for making this possible.
Update 2: A firmware image to downgrade back to 4.2.26 is now available. See this thread. While this downgrade should get you a working system again on the supported firmware, be forewarned this requires a SYSTEM WIPE and NetGear also does not provide support for this downgrade. If you have issues seek help on these forums.
Original Post/Gripes
I have been reading these forums since Monday's announcement and there has been a resounding "ooof" regarding the fact the Ultras and Pros are unsupported for future OS improvements.
To clear the air: it would appear Netgear will never support os6 on past hardware. I have almost come to grips with this, and at least they have been open and honest with their forward direction and aren't stringing us along. viewtopic.php?f=138&t=70131
The upside is our devices still work and are mostly stable and eventually we can upgrade to a new shell that has os6 support, but in the meantime our $500-1000 investment is unable to take advantage of modern features we all desire.
I don't think I can add a poll here at RN forums, but I would like to garner support for a 100% unsupported home brew of the os6 on Pro6 units.
If we get enough support perhaps a talented member(s) here would help release a homebrew of sorts.
The 3 main caveats are:
1. Netgear will never be held responsible/your warranty is void
2. A format is required (new FS and OS)
3. Data loss is highly possible
If you are still interested please post a reply to this thread.
mdgm and I have decided that its time to lock this thread. So please do post any new OS6 on Legacy issues on their own threads.
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pywong wrote: Is there a newer version of the BIOs than "07/26/2010 FLAME6-MB V2.0"? and where can I get it?
I have the ReadyNAS Pro 6.
Thanks
I believe that the file linked here http://www.readynas.com/download/addons ... .5-x86.bin is the latest publicly known BIOS package. If there is a newer one, I guess NETGEAR is keeping it under wraps. . . :(- I'm not aware of the existence of any newer BIOS for it. Do you have any issues with the current BIOS? Seeing the Pro 6 is now EOL unless there is a critical issue that needs fixing that affects use of the NAS with stock CPU & memory and running 4.2.x I doubt there would be any further updates.
mdgm wrote: I'm not aware of the existence of any newer BIOS for it. Do you have any issues with the current BIOS? Seeing the Pro 6 is now EOL unless there is a critical issue that needs fixing that affects use of the NAS with stock CPU & memory and running 4.2.x I doubt there would be any further updates.
Just wondering, because some people did not have the backlight problems using OS 6, whereas the Pro 6 does.- Well running ReadyNAS OS 6 on the Pro is not supported. If the issue is not present when running 4.2.x that would suggest a software issue not an issue with the BIOS
- Okay. . . next stupid question:
In my ongoing quest to determine if OS6 is ready to house any actual data that I give a hoot about, I decided to do a little "Fault Tolerance" testing.
Here's the test platform:
A "new out of the box" ReadyNAS Pro with stock CPU, and Memory upgraded to 4GB's
4 X 2TB Western Digital WD2002FYPS RE4 Hard Drives populated in drive bays 1 through 4 (RAID 5 - X-RAID2)
RAID Array build process completed and stable, then rested for 12 hours
BIOS recently upgraded to v2.0 (Thanks mdgm!)
After confirmation that test data could be written to and read from the NAS, I pulled the drive out of bay 4 (hot) to pseudo-simulate a drive failure.
Waited 15 minutes, reconfirmed that test data could be written to and read from the NAS, then I replaced the drive in bay 4 with a different unformatted Western Digital WD2002FYPS RE4 Hard Drive. I checked the GUI which had the expected notifications of drive removals and insertions, but that's about it. I kind of expected the new drive to be added back into the array after the obligatory re-sync period. To the contrary, the new drive is just sitting there and the RAID5 array seems oblivious to the fact that a fresh drive is available for reintegration back into the array. I'm obviously missing something here. . .
Just for S's&G's I've rebooted, pulled and reinserted the blank drive a couple of times, skimmed the official OS6 documentation; I can't figure out how to reintegrate the new drive into the exsisting array.
This GUI currently shows this:
School me please! This should not be this counterintuitive. . . :nashammer: - So are you using X-RAID2 or not?
What options do you see if you click on the data volume?
What happens of you click on the drive that is not highlighted in blue? mdgm wrote: So are you using X-RAID2 or not?
X-RAID2 = YESmdgm wrote: What options do you see if you click on the data volume? 
If I click Settings I get this:
mdgm wrote: What happens of you click on the drive that is not highlighted in blue?
I get something that looks like a "Thought Bubble" (like you would see in the Sunday Comics) with a bunch of Hard Drive statistics, like - ID, Model Number, Serial number, Firmware version, RPM, Sectors, etc, etc. I can't screenshot it because it disappears as soon as I move my mouse away from the image :)- You added an unformatted disk. Did you verify that the disk had no partitions on it?
If you download the logs and extract the zip contents what does partition.log look like? mdgm wrote: You added an unformatted disk. Did you verify that the disk had no partitions on it?
Initially NO (bad move on my part). But after it didn't work the first time, I took it back out, connected it to a computer and saw that it was partitioned and formatted NTFS. So I deleted the NTFS partition, put it back in the ReadyNAS and continued my testing (which failed epicly).mdgm wrote: If you download the logs and extract the zip contents what does partition.log look like?
Yeah, I'm actually typing up another post with some interesting discoveries since my previous post. I'll be done with that in 15 or 20 minutes from now. Check it out in bit. . . :shock:- It just keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. . .
So, since no one chimed in with any suggestions, I just kept playing with stuff. Here is what I've done so far:
1.) I shut the ReadyNAS Pro down
2.) I removed the fresh drive that was in Bay 4 which was supposed to be the replacement for the pseudo-failed drive
a. So at this point all that is in the box are drives in Bays 1, 2, and 3
3.) I moved the drive in Bay 3 to Bay 4, 2 to Bay 3 and 1 to Bay 2, essencially shifting the entire array down one drive slot (so now Bay 1 is empty)
4.) I powered the ReadyNAS back on. Much to my surprise, it actually booted up just fine.
5.) I waited about 10 minutes, logged into the GUI, checked the logs, and everything seems okay
6.) I reinserted the new drive that did not get incorporated into the array previously, this time into Bay 5. Still no magic happening. . . :-?
7.) Now I'm getting annoyed. Since I was about 15 minutes away from doing a sledgehammer reset on the damn thing (Factory Default and start over) anyway, I decided to take the original drive (that started out in Bay 4), connect it to a computer, erase the three partitions that the ReadyNAS OS created on it, and shoved THAT drive into Bay 6.
8.) Guess what? See the screenshot below. . .
So, in case anyone is wondering what my plans are now:
9.) Once the array finishes Re-syncing (about 6 hours from now) I plan to re-remove the screwy drive currently in Bay 5 and run some basic forensics on it to see if I can figure out why the ReadyNAS is treating it like a "Red-Headed Step Child"
10.) Then I intend on DBAN'ing it (http://www.dban.org/), formatting it, and surface testing it
11.) If all that is a success, I'll clear any remaining partitions and put it back into Bay 5 and see what happens. . .
Oh what fun it is to. . . :wiggle:
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