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jcs2000's avatar
jcs2000
Aspirant
Jul 10, 2016
Solved

READYNAS 104 drive expansion

Hi . I have a 4-bay READYNAS 104.  It is running 6.51. Has the default X-RAID (RAID5) configuration.

Right now all bays are filled with 3TG Red WD Drive.

 

I am running out of space. 

 

I know if one drive failed, I should be able to add a same sized drive and my data will be rebuilt.

Can I pull one drive and install a larger drive (say 4TG or 6TG) and then get a data rebuild with access to the greater space?

 

Thanks

jcs

 


  • jcs2000 wrote:

    Can I pull one drive and install a larger drive (say 4TB or 6TB) and then get a data rebuild with access to the greater space?

      


    No.  You'll need to install two drives of the larger size (one at a time).  The rule for capacity is "sum the disks and subtract the largest" That gives the same capacity with 4x3TB as it does with 3x3TB + 6 TB.

     

    If you upgraded one drive to 6 TB, the system would resync, and the volume size won't change.  The extra space is unused.

     

    When you upgrade the second 6 TB drive (after the resync), the system first resyncs again - with no expansion.  After a reboot, the volume will expand by 3 TB to 12 TB.  

     

    When you upgrade the third, the system expands to 15 TB, and after you upgrade the last it expands to 18 TB.

     

    I always suggest working out the $/TB delivered by the upgrade.

     

    For instance,

    With WD40EFRX replacements, upgrading to 4x4TB would gain 3 TB of space for about $450 (current US pricing)  that's $150/TB.

    With WD60EFRX, upgrading to 4x6TB would gain 9 TB of space for $720.  That's only $80/TB.

    With WD80EFZX, upgrading to 4x8TB would gain 15 TB of space for $1305.  that's $87/TB.

     

    So right now, the most cost effective upgrade size for you is 6 TB.  You can choose something else of course, but it is useful to know what the optimal size is.

2 Replies

Replies have been turned off for this discussion
  • StephenB's avatar
    StephenB
    Guru - Experienced User

    jcs2000 wrote:

    Can I pull one drive and install a larger drive (say 4TB or 6TB) and then get a data rebuild with access to the greater space?

      


    No.  You'll need to install two drives of the larger size (one at a time).  The rule for capacity is "sum the disks and subtract the largest" That gives the same capacity with 4x3TB as it does with 3x3TB + 6 TB.

     

    If you upgraded one drive to 6 TB, the system would resync, and the volume size won't change.  The extra space is unused.

     

    When you upgrade the second 6 TB drive (after the resync), the system first resyncs again - with no expansion.  After a reboot, the volume will expand by 3 TB to 12 TB.  

     

    When you upgrade the third, the system expands to 15 TB, and after you upgrade the last it expands to 18 TB.

     

    I always suggest working out the $/TB delivered by the upgrade.

     

    For instance,

    With WD40EFRX replacements, upgrading to 4x4TB would gain 3 TB of space for about $450 (current US pricing)  that's $150/TB.

    With WD60EFRX, upgrading to 4x6TB would gain 9 TB of space for $720.  That's only $80/TB.

    With WD80EFZX, upgrading to 4x8TB would gain 15 TB of space for $1305.  that's $87/TB.

     

    So right now, the most cost effective upgrade size for you is 6 TB.  You can choose something else of course, but it is useful to know what the optimal size is.

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