ReadyNAS Management services offline after 6.5.2 update

Backup jobs would probably be fastest. If you connect a USB disk, but use Windows Explorer you'll be copying from NAS to your PC then back over your network to the NAS onto the USB disk.

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Xaarman wrote:

If I connect a large USB3 drive to the USB slot on the unit will that be a faster transfer?

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That depends.  If you drag/drop data from your PC, then no - that data will also be routed through the PC.

If you connect a USB drive to the RN104 and then set up a backup using the web ui, the backup will run faster.  I measured around 55 MB/sec last spring using an NTFS-formatted SSD drive in a USB 3.0 enclosure.  That was on an RN102 running 6.5.0-RC2 (a beta release).  

Backing up RN104->RN102 using NFS will be that fast or faster.  RN104->NV+ will be slower (15-20 MB/sec).

If you use USB backup, check the snapshot settings on the shares and make sure you have "allow shapshot access" unchecked.

Thank you for your advice.

Irony is I was just about to decomission (and sell) the RN102.......

Just so I understand....

I have about 4+TB of data on the RN104 to save.

I do not have enough space at the moment to transfer it to.

If I have read the literature correctly, I can do an upgrade of the RN102 by using new drives: 2 x 6TB (WD RED WD60EFRX) which will give me about 5+TB of free space.

I think it will take about 7 days to complete this task by the time the RN102 formats/assimilates both drives.

  *Can I replace these drives one at a time to save the data on the RN102?

THEN I must set up "Netgear back up" to copy the data from the RN104 to the RN102.

The transfer speed will be approx 50MB/s. My calculations suggest this will be a 24hr process via my modem - TP-link W8960N

Once this is done, we "fix" the RN104 and return the data back.

Does this sound correct and feasable?

I don't think it will take a full week to sync 2x6TB RAID-1, but you can certainly save some time by setting up the RN102 w/o RAID.  For instance, create 2 independent volumes (~6 TB each).  Perhaps back up everything to volume 1 over the network, and then copy volume 1 to volume 2 internally if you want a little more safety.  Or just backup some shares to volume 1, and other shares to volume 2.

You could use rsync for the backup instead of NFS, though that is slower.  If you want to keep the RN102 running as a backup NAS, it might be worth the extra time to set it up that way from the beginning.

FWIW I use my RN102 as a backup to my main NAS (a pro-6 running RAID-5).  The RN102 has a WD60EFRX and a WD80EFZX, both as separate volumes - giving me ~14 TB of backup space.  I have another backup NAS (an RN202) similarly configured.  I'm comfortable w/o RAID since I have two separate backups.

Thank your you advice.

Though I have some technical skills I don't have the time to educate myself for this task.

I bought the NAS as a "turnkey" solution! And, up until now, it has worked a treat.

Now that I know the new drives will work, I will perservere to change the drives and backup as I had listed earlier.

One way or another, the data needs to go to a new location while repairs are undertaken.

I am in the process of purchasing a new RN104. (Could you confirm that all the RN104s can handle 32TB of disc space?)

Once I have this formatted the new unit and backed up the data, I will be back to you.

I am assuming here that we will end up doing a "factory reset". Is this right?

If so shall I just go ahead and do the factory reset from the boot menue when we are ready and backed up.

Do I leave the drives in out out when I do the factory reset?

If I leave them out for the reset, is there a chance that the data will still be intact when I put them back in?

You'd be better off getting a RN204/RN214 or an x86 model imo for use with 8TB disks, but the RN104 does have some 8TB disks on the compatibility list so they would work.

If you haven't committed to the 104 yet check if you can get a 204 or 214 for about the same.

The whole purpose of a factory reset is to wipe the disks so you need to leave the disks in.

Thank you for your input but I have already committed to an RN104 (it was an offer too good to refuse) and I will fit 2x 6TB (as specified WD) discs in it.

It is only for storage so it should be fine. I have had no troubles with the RN104 and RN102 except for now. The NV and the NV+ seem quite fragile which is why I was decommissioning them just as this current problem occured.

So, just to confirm. Your best solution to this problem with the RN104 is to do a factory reset. Is that correct?

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mdgm wrote:

You'd be better off getting a RN204/RN214 or an x86 model imo for use with 8TB disks, but the RN104 does have some 8TB disks on the compatibility list so they would work.

 

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If you are planning to set up 4 data volumes (one per disk) then the RN100 series should work out ok.  I have one 8 TB volume and one 6 TB volume in my RN102, and I am seeing no problems.  I use that to back up a larger NAS, so it is set up to maximize storage.

But if you are planning to use Raid redundancy (xraid, raid-5 etc), then I agree that a higher performing NAS would be a much better choice.  RAID resync will be very slow on an RN100 series (as well as volume maintenance functions).  And the NAS performance will be poor while that is going on.

BTW, joining 4x8TB into a single 32 TB jbod or raid-0 volume would be a bad idea.  Everything is lost when one drive fails, and restoring a 32 TB volume from backup will take a while.

Have you thought about a backup plan?  That can be challenging with very large data volumes.

Thank you for your advice but I was not going to make 4 volumes. I was just making sure that there was no difference in manufactured versions of thr RN104 as the one I have bought was "cheap" but new.

With time on my hands while I wait I offer my personal view of what a NAS should do and the failure of this system:

1/ It provides a system to back up data from the main, working computer(s) to a central location and ensure that the data is SAFE.

So the concept of a multi drive RAID makes sense because if a single drive fails the data can be recued and rebuilt. To have a single drive/volume NAS backup does not make sense because if the drive fails.....well, thats it.

Hence I have the RN104 to STORE valuable data and access it should I need and know it is secure.

2/ To provide the backed up data across the network in one operation: backup, share, retrieve or modefied across the network.

Not to be an active working drive where data is modefied on a second to second basis as we work.

If I wanted that I would just put a new drive into the computer.

So here Netgear has excelled and provided a cost effective turnkey solution to backup data.

BUT

Where NETGEAR has failed is NOT accepting that fact that the housing, the RN104 (etc), can fail and NETGEAR fails to provide an effective back up plan and I don't mean to backup to thier cloud.

If a drive fails, you replace the drive, data rebuilt and you go on knowing the data is safe.

If the housing fails, you, effectivly, throw the housing and the drives in the rubbish heap and start again.

Netgear should have another "Boot Menu" option where, if the housing fails, the the user can simply pull the functioning drives out of the non working housing and insert them into fresh, "new" housing. The drives should be intergrated without ecception and the data preserved.

Not waste valuable manhours tinkering.

Don't say this is not possible because I did exacly that with my old original two drive unit when it failed.

In the mean time my new RN104 is arriving.

My new blank drives will be formating a short time later.

After a day or so of formating, I will back up the data from the failed RN104 to the new RN104.

Then do a factory reset on the failed RN104, effectivly deleting all the data.

Then back up the data back to the original drive.

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Xaarman wrote:

Thank you for your advice but I was not going to make 4 volumes.

 

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Your choice of course.  XRAID will take a very long time to sync/build the volume.

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Xaarman wrote:

 

 

Netgear should have another "Boot Menu" option where, if the housing fails, the the user can simply pull the functioning drives out of the non working housing and insert them into fresh, "new" housing. The drives should be intergrated without ecception and the data preserved.

 

 

 

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It already does have that, with no boot menu option needed.

I suspect from this thread that you are actually wanting something slightly different - the ability to completely rebuild the OS partition without destroying data.  Not a bad idea, perhaps it should be added on the idea exchange.

Yes, I know it will take a while.

But I have limited resourses and limited experience to pursue alternatives but time is plentyful.

As for the "idea exchange"...I did not know that section was there.

Just posted my comment.

Many thanks for your support.

If the problem is on the disks (the OS is installed onto the disks) then moving to another chassis will not resolve the problem as the problem will move with the disks.

I hear from you that it's now fixed.

Having a boot menu option to wipe the OS is not something we're going to do. If the OS is wiped then the logs, configuration etc. are wiped too. These can be invaluable for assisting with a data recovery attempt if there was a problem with say the data volume.

Such a boot menu option if it existed would be used inappropriately and if the management service does go offline on recent/current firmware we do need to analyse why so we can add changes as appropriate to fix things so that other users can benefit.

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mdgm wrote:

Having a boot menu option to wipe the OS is not something we're going to do. If the OS is wiped then the logs, configuration etc. are wiped too. These can be invaluable for assisting with a data recovery attempt if there was a problem with say the data volume.

 

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Well, there are those times when it is clear that the problem is OS corruption, and the data is fine.  It would be handy to have a way to rebuild the full OS, avoiding the pain of a factory reset.