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Ultra2 - wanting RAID-0, getting X-RAID2 - help!
Hello there,
I've got a ReadyNAS Ultra 2 with one 3TB disk. It got filled with data, so I've decided to buy additional 3TB disk and (sadly) without RTFM, I installed it in the NAS. I was then greeted with a Resync process which took quite some time, and after that I've noticed that instead of having additional ~2,7 TB of space, I actually still have none. It was then that I've realized that the NAS has the X-RAID2 set as a default. I know I've done badly as the user here, but I'd really need your help here, as I've very little time to make it right, as I can't get on with my work until I'm having additional disk space :(.
Let's sum up:
- The data is very important, cannot delete it.
- Cannot backup the data any further, as I've just bought a new disk and I'm out of storage to backup almost 3TB od data.
- I'm in urgent need of additional space, so setting the new disk free of its X-RAID2 grasp would be great.
What can I do? I'll be grateful for some help here.
elviso23 wrote:
Here's my idea for a quick solution - I'll be grateful if you'll prove me right or wrong here:
1. Pull the new disk out of the freeNAS
2. Format the pulled disk in a regular PC
3. Use the formatted disk in the PC that requires the storage (at the very moment, only one computer needs to use the required spare storage).
Will pulling the new disk out cause absolutely no harm to the data of the first disk (and its data), that's been originaly in the freeNAS? Since it's basically RAID1, it shouldn't, but I just want o be 100% sure if it's okay to perform such operation.
I think you meant ReadyNAS, not freeNAS.
Removing the new disk will give you a "degraded" volume warning, but the data will still be there (and accessible).
One way to switch over to JBOD is to
- Pull the new disk out of the NAS
- Format the pulled disk in a regular PC
- Copy the data on the NAS to the new disk over the network.
- Rebuild the NAS as flexraid (RAID-0) with a single disk
- Restore the data on the NAS using the backup
- Add the new disk as a second jbod volume in the NAS
- use frontview backup jobs to move some shares to the new volume.
But you might be better off just getting two bigger disks, and stay with XRAID. That makes it easier to expand the storage again later.
- remove the new disk (using it in the PC for emergency storage).
- insert a larger disk in its place and wait for resync
- replace the first disk with a new larger drive
What drives are you using in the NAS now?
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elviso23 wrote:
- The data is very important, cannot delete it.
Then backup your data
elviso23 wrote:
- Cannot backup the data any further, as I've just bought a new disk and I'm out of storage to backup almost 3TB od data.
- I'm in urgent need of additional space, so setting the new disk free of its X-RAID2 grasp would be great.
What can I do? I'll be grateful for some help here.
That contradicts your earlier statement that the data is important. If it's important then you certainly would have a backup especially if wanting to use RAID-0. Redundant RAID levels such as X-RAID with multiple disks are still not a replacement for backups. Redundant RAID levels provide some protection against disk failure, that's all. There are a range of problems that they do not protect against.
elviso23 wrote:
What can I do? I'll be grateful for some help here.
If you really want to do this you could remove the new disk you've just added, wipe the disk and backup the data to that. Then after verify your backup was successful, update the firmware to the latest (if you have not already), verify the firmware update was successful (i.e. it comes up fine after a reboot), then do a factory reset. The NAS will briefly test the disk then there will be a 10 minute countdown during which time you can open RAIDar, click setup and choose Flex-RAID RAID-0 and confirm your choice. Once it's come up, restore your data from backup. Then after verifying that it was restored fine, delete the partitions off the disk that held your backup, add it to the NAS and create a second RAID-0 volume.
If you need more space I'd recommend upgrading to higher capacity disks or adding a second ReadyNAS.I didn't want to overexplain my situation to keep the first post as "clean" as possible, but in order to clarify, here's how it looks like:
The data is backed up on a Google cloud storage system. The problem is that my colleague who's responsible for making the cloud uploads, is unreachable until the end of the week, due to health-related problems. That's why I am unsure of when the last upload took place and if 100% of the files are backed up. As we simply cannot cease work until monday (at best), we've decided to expand the storage.
Thank you for your aid, I think the best idea would be to simply buy additional FreeNAS device, but in our location, it'd take simply too long (I've waited for the disk to arrive for 2 working days).
Here's my idea for a quick solution - I'll be grateful if you'll prove me right or wrong here:
1. Pull the new disk out of the freeNAS
2. Format the pulled disk in a regular PC
3. Use the formatted disk in the PC that requires the storage (at the very moment, only one computer needs to use the required spare storage).
Will pulling the new disk out cause absolutely no harm to the data of the first disk (and its data), that's been originaly in the freeNAS? Since it's basically RAID1, it shouldn't, but I just want o be 100% sure if it's okay to perform such operation.
elviso23 wrote:
Here's my idea for a quick solution - I'll be grateful if you'll prove me right or wrong here:
1. Pull the new disk out of the freeNAS
2. Format the pulled disk in a regular PC
3. Use the formatted disk in the PC that requires the storage (at the very moment, only one computer needs to use the required spare storage).
Will pulling the new disk out cause absolutely no harm to the data of the first disk (and its data), that's been originaly in the freeNAS? Since it's basically RAID1, it shouldn't, but I just want o be 100% sure if it's okay to perform such operation.
I think you meant ReadyNAS, not freeNAS.
Removing the new disk will give you a "degraded" volume warning, but the data will still be there (and accessible).
One way to switch over to JBOD is to
- Pull the new disk out of the NAS
- Format the pulled disk in a regular PC
- Copy the data on the NAS to the new disk over the network.
- Rebuild the NAS as flexraid (RAID-0) with a single disk
- Restore the data on the NAS using the backup
- Add the new disk as a second jbod volume in the NAS
- use frontview backup jobs to move some shares to the new volume.
But you might be better off just getting two bigger disks, and stay with XRAID. That makes it easier to expand the storage again later.
- remove the new disk (using it in the PC for emergency storage).
- insert a larger disk in its place and wait for resync
- replace the first disk with a new larger drive
What drives are you using in the NAS now?
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