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RN104 - New Setup
Hi, I have a 4 bay with a 2TB-1TB-2TB-3TB disc setup - bay 1 and 3 are Raid 1 bays 2 & 3 are JBOD. The NAS is use as backup for everyday stuff on the raid and multimedia for house access on the J...
whyshouldI wrote:
In the scheme of things in probably makes sense to buy 4 bay rather than 2.
Yes. I'd still consolidate onto two disks, just because the larger drives are more cost effective over the long run, and the price increase is modest. When I checked pricing, 2x8 was cheaper than 3x6.
This also would allow you to rebuild your RN104 and use it as a backup.
whyshouldI wrote:Leading question time - which 4 bay would you recommend - this is for general backups and media streaming - the RN 104 was capable so it does not need to be an expensive purchase.
This is tricky right now. Normally I'd go with the RN214. But there is little ReadyNAS inventory out there, and the prices have skyrocketed. I suspect that's related to production/distribution problems due to the pandemic.
The RN626 and RN628 are the only desktop models that are still around their usual price - and they are far more capable than you need. Since your current NAS is working, you might want to hold off on upgrading until the RN214 prices come back down.
Local prices for you will vary of course, but this what I am seeing on Amazon US for diskless NAS:
Desktop
- RN214: $850
- RN424: $1350
- RN626: $1000
- RN628: $1100
Rackmount
- 2304: $620
- 3138: $900
The RN214 is typically $300-$400, the RN424 is typically $400-$500. They just aren't worth the current prices.
If I had to buy now, I'd personally get the RN628 - actually below it's usual price, and $100 over the RN626 gets you two more bays. But it's much more capable than what you need.
The 2304 is worth a look if you are ok with a rackmount. It should perform about the same as the RN214 and outperform the RN104. It is priced a bit higher than usual (it was $400 a few months ago). The rackmount doesn't need to be in a rack - but it will likely be noisier than a desktop NAS, so you'd need a place for it where the noise doesn't matter.
The 3138 is actually a fair price, but personally I'd go with the RN626 or RN628 instead - significantly higher performance, and similar in price.
Sandshark is giving you a reasonable way forward (note you will remain in flexraid mode if you use it).
whyshouldI wrote:
1, What is the best arrangment for the system. Should I simply add the three and use X-RAID, use Raid 10, or another optio would be to have 2 Raid 1 arrays?
Personally I think XRAID is best for most users (and based on your info above, I think that's true for you as well).
whyshouldI wrote:
2. When I remove the JBOD discs will I be able to simply plug them into a Win PC and access the data?
Not easily. The file system isn't understood by Windows. As Sandshark says, there are some software packages you could use to try and read them though. If you attempt this, power down the NAS and connect the drives to the PC. Leave the NAS powered down until you confirm that you have access to the files in Windows. If that fails, then you can put the drives back into the NAS (while it's powered down). https://community.netgear.com/t5/Using-your-ReadyNAS-in-Business/Data-recovery-on-Raid-5-array-in-ReadyNAS-2120v2/m-p/1870255#M184795
The best path is to back up your system to a USB drive before you upgrade the disks. Or purchase a new NAS, and re-purpose the RN104 as a backup device.
whyshouldI wrote:
3. Lastly - I am considering WD RED drives - thought on these or alternative recommendations.
WD Reds are a good choice for your NAS, as are Seagate Ironwolf drives.
Personally I'd get two larger disks, and consolidate everything onto a single volume. For instance, two WD80EFAX would cost about $400 USD. You should have good free space (since your current volumes total up to 6 TB), and you'd have two slots for future expansion. If you take this path, you can upgraded your RAID-1 volume to 2x8TB, copy over the files in the two jbod volumes, and then destroy them.
3 WD30EFRX would cost about $300, but I think that long term 2x8TB is worth the cost.
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