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ReadyNas scheduled maintenance
Hi All, Not to sure if I selected the correct model from the menu. But I have a ReadyNas 314 four bay with 4 x 2T SATA hard drives running firmware 6.6.0. Before I read this article below I...
Deneys wrote:
I have scrapped the Scrub function as I do not use Bitrot protection and have changed the schedule to the following :FWIW a scrub might still be useful. It reads all the files in the RAID array, so it does confirm that they are all readable. So I don't fully agree with the guidance in the knowledge base article. A scrub gives some assurance that the file system is heathy.
Deneys wrote:
Could not find any useful information on the function "Disk test"My understanding is that it runs the extended SMART self test built into the drives.
Deneys wrote:
1. Run a Balance on the 1st of every month every year.
2. Run a Disk Test on the 2st of every month every year.
3. Run a Defrag on the 1st of January once a year.I'd space them out. A Balance can take more that 24 hours to complete. Plus if an error happens, it would be good to have some time to deal with it before the next test.
So if you stay with monthly, maybe run one test on the 1st, another on the 8th, etc. Personally I run all the functions quarterly - https://community.netgear.com/t5/Using-your-ReadyNAS/SMART-Extended-Self-Test-Why/m-p/1008057/highlight/true#M98160
The need for balance and defrag depends on your usage pattern, there is no set answer.
Deneys wrote:
2. Should the above schedule be sufficient in maintaining and keeping the system healthyThough the need for defrag really does depend on usage patterns, I'd run defrags more often. Overall, with your approach you should catch a disk problem within a month of it beginning, which I think is reasonable. I don't think there's any benefit in scheduling balances and disk tests more often.
Also, you could regularly check the SMART stats on the disks. With OS 6, the email alerts on SMART errors use very high thresholds. So in my opinion its good to manually check them from time to time. Perhaps add a reminder in your personal calendar to check them after every disk test completes.
Deneys wrote:
Lastly I do a complete backup once a weekThat's great. I just want to add that you should also check the health of your backup devices regularly. That's particularly important if you are using incremental backup methods.
FWIW, a successful full (non-incremental) backup also gives some assurance that the file system on the NAS is healthy.
Deneys wrote:
I have scrapped the Scrub function as I do not use Bitrot protection and have changed the schedule to the following :
FWIW a scrub might still be useful. It reads all the files in the RAID array, so it does confirm that they are all readable. So I don't fully agree with the guidance in the knowledge base article. A scrub gives some assurance that the file system is heathy.
Deneys wrote:
Could not find any useful information on the function "Disk test"
My understanding is that it runs the extended SMART self test built into the drives.
Deneys wrote:
1. Run a Balance on the 1st of every month every year.
2. Run a Disk Test on the 2st of every month every year.
3. Run a Defrag on the 1st of January once a year.
I'd space them out. A Balance can take more that 24 hours to complete. Plus if an error happens, it would be good to have some time to deal with it before the next test.
So if you stay with monthly, maybe run one test on the 1st, another on the 8th, etc. Personally I run all the functions quarterly - https://community.netgear.com/t5/Using-your-ReadyNAS/SMART-Extended-Self-Test-Why/m-p/1008057/highlight/true#M98160
The need for balance and defrag depends on your usage pattern, there is no set answer.
Deneys wrote:
2. Should the above schedule be sufficient in maintaining and keeping the system healthy
Though the need for defrag really does depend on usage patterns, I'd run defrags more often. Overall, with your approach you should catch a disk problem within a month of it beginning, which I think is reasonable. I don't think there's any benefit in scheduling balances and disk tests more often.
Also, you could regularly check the SMART stats on the disks. With OS 6, the email alerts on SMART errors use very high thresholds. So in my opinion its good to manually check them from time to time. Perhaps add a reminder in your personal calendar to check them after every disk test completes.
Deneys wrote:
Lastly I do a complete backup once a week
That's great. I just want to add that you should also check the health of your backup devices regularly. That's particularly important if you are using incremental backup methods.
FWIW, a successful full (non-incremental) backup also gives some assurance that the file system on the NAS is healthy.
Thanks a mil Stephen for your effort and excellent feed back.
Think I'm going to be a copycat and start doing it quarterly as well.
Regarding my backups. I use a mixture of non-incremental and incremental backups. Once I have finished a major project I do a incremental backup that is saved in the Archive folder.
I then do a weekly backup that is basically a second copy (non-incremental) that is stored on the root of the backup folder.
All backups are then saved on two different drives one I keep at home the other at work.
The chances of all three devices failing at the same time (touch wood) I HOPE is very slim.
TA
Deneys
Deneys wrote:
The chances of all three devices failing at the same time (touch wood) I HOPE is very slim.I use the "three copies" idea myself. I started this a long time ago (pre-NAS) when a PC drive failed, but some of the backup files couldn't be read. Incremental backup was part of the problem, I'd just assumed that because I could see the folders that the files in them were readable.
So far having 3 copies (including the original) on three devices has worked out for me - no data loss even though there have been device/media failures.
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