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ReadyNAS 2304 add and remove drive in JBOD mode
Hi, I have my ReadyNAS 2304 with inside one 4 TB drive (with XRAID activated and JBOD mode). I would like to remove this 4 TB drive to use it in another ReadyNAS I use for other purposes with just a ...
emme-n wrote:
I was thinking that one way to proceed could be this one:
- insert the new drive in a free bay of the ReadyNAS 2304 and wait until the end of the synchronization;
- remove the 4 TB drive from the Readynas 2304;
I think at the end of the process I could have a space bigger than before and equivalent to the size of the new drive (with XRAID activated and JBOD mode).
Am I right or the entire process will not be that simple?
Thank you for your help
It's not that simple. You'll end up with a degraded 4 TB volume if you use that process.
You could
- power down both the 2304 and your RN102
- remove the disk(s) in the RN102 - labeling by slot so you restore them properly later on.
- put the 4 TB 2304 drive in the RN102, and power up. It should boot.
- do a fresh install with the new disk in the 2304.
- copy back the files using ReadyNAS backup jobs.
- power down the RN102 and restore the original disk(s)
Alternatively,
- change to flexraid on the 2304.
- create a new jbod volume with the new disk, and copy the data to it with ReadyNAS backup jobs. Put any home folder data into a public share on the new disk temporarily, and uninstall any apps.
- export the 4 TB drive and then remove it.
- reinstall your apps, and repopulate the home folder data if needed.
Either way, I would recommend backing up your data, as disks (and NAS) can/do fail at any time. Plus there is always some risk of mishandling (accidentally dropping a disk for example).
OK. I've imagined that it would be more complicated than I wrote before but I was hoping not to be right.
Thank you for showing and explaining to me two alternative ways, I'll proceed with the backups and I'll try one of them.
Hi,
I'm proceeding in my task - substitute a 4 TB drive with a new 14 TB drive in my ReadyNAS 2304 saving the existing data and configured services - trying to follow the first way suggested in the previous post, but I decided to change the first steps of the plan so I managed to copy and backup all the data of the old 4 TB to other disks connected to the network (just to avoid to boot the ReadyNAS 102 with a new full disk inside and its related step with its "it should boot").
That is all done, I would like now to proceed with the fresh installation of the new 14 TB drive in the ReadyNAS 2304 but I would prefer not to lose all the configurations already set (users, applications, backup programs, ecc.). Could I avoid to reconfigure all these settings making a "configuration backup" with the "everything" option before removing the 4 TB drive and restoring it after the installation of the new 14 TB drive?
Your plan is sound. The last step after putting everything on the new drive is to DESTROY or EXPORT the original. Theoretically, that should move the home and apps directories (but not their content) to the new drive. But in experiments I've run, that has failed a couple times and I don't know if it was because of something else I did in an earlier experiment or just can happen. Since your new volume will have a new name, I don't think restoring a configuration file will work. But so long as you have the backup "just in case". that's the best direction.
There is another, much more complicated, method using SSH. The advantage of it is that you retain all configurations and data, even the volume name. It relies on the fact that an OS6 JBOD is really a one-drive RAID1. The OS just lists it as JBOD instead of a degraded RAID. This is the process:
- Add the new drive and let it sync as RAID1 with the original.
- Remove the original drive, so the NAS reports a degraded RAID1.
- Change the RAID to be a one-drive RAID1 with mdadm (yes, mdadm accepts this).
- Expand the data partition with parted.
- Expand the data RAID with mdadm.
- Expand the BTRFS file system (which may happen by itself).
If you are very comfortable with SSH, I can give more detail. Or you can Google and learn more about the tools and feel more comforatble than just following a "script".
In theory, you could create a new partition and associated 1-drtve RAID using the extra space and add that to the BTRFS volume instead of steps 4-6. But that would end up as a non-standard configuration, and I have no idea what ReadyNASOS would do with it. It might call it a degraded RAID instead of JBOD (though it would actually be the same, so maybe you don't care). If you ever tried to further expand or even add a drive for redundancy, you would likely be forced to SSH.
Hi Sandshark,
thank you for your detailed answer.
I don't think I feel brave enough to try the last way you explained (the much more complicated method using SSH). I use sometimes SSH but I don't feel confortable enough with it, compared with it I would prefer to reconfigure the entire NAS again. Thank you anyway to show me that a more direct way exist if I want to follow it.
I would have some more simple question about your answer:
- you wrote "so long as you have the backup "just in case". that's the best direction"; do you mean that in any case, if I experiment any problem with the new drive and the new configuration, I just have to switch off the NAS, take off the new drive, insert the old one (that before I took off and left untouched on the table) and when I'll switch on the NAS again I'll find the complete old situation restored (configuration, users, shares, data, ecc.)?
- you wrote that you don't think restoring a configuration file will work, since the new volume will have a new name; my plan is to give the new volume the same name than before, do you think if I pay attention to name the new volume with the same name of the old one I'll have the possibility to restore the saved configuration?
OK, I tried to go ahead with my process with a fresh installation and now I can write here the answers to the question I asked in the previous post:
- In any case, if I experiment any problem with the new drive and the new configuration, I just have to switch off the NAS, take off the new drive, insert the old one (that before I took off and left untouched on the table) and when I'll switch on the NAS again I'll find the complete old situation restored (configuration, users, shares, data, ecc.)? Yes, it worked in this way, I fresh installed the new drive and, just to try, after that I removed it and insert again the old one: I could find the same configuration, files, everything I as it was before I started.
- Restoring a configuration file will not work, since the new volume will have a new name. Yes it was true, I couldn't find a way to set the volume name during the new fresh installation (it was automatically set as "data") and, after that, when I tried to restore the configuration the system didn't allow me to to it (I tried both the "everything option" and the "custom option deselecting the share access flag" but didn't work).
I thank a lot the people who tried to help me. Bye.
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