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Upgrading all Drives in ReadyNas 2304 with RAID-6
I have a couple RR2304 units, both in RAID 6 with 4x8TB storage. One is primary and the other is backup. I am about to deploy a third, off-site NAS to accomplish full redundancy, local, and remote ...
UPDATE: I completed this project and the Flex-RAID volume expanded automatically after the last added drive completed the RAID sync.
StephenB wrote:
it would be faster and safer to install all the new disks on the third NAS, configure it like the primary (other than the host name) and copy the data to it.
That would be a great idea if it was another 2304 I was deploying. But Netgear doesn't see a future in that product line, so I am not. I also do not want to split by 2304s to different sites. So, the 2304s stay in their current deployment, and the new Synology gets the new load.
Then assuming you have XRAID enabled, your plan will work. Note that this will likely save your time, but the overall time will typically be longer than backing up, starting over with all new drives, and restoring data. With RAID6, at least it won't start off by creating a RAID1 of the additional space once you have two new drives installed, then a RAID5 when you have three, so you'll save that time. It will also put a strain on your older drives, so a drive failure during one of the syncs is a possibility. So, start replacements with the oldest or any that is showing any SMART issues.
Sandshark wrote:Then assuming you have XRAID enabled, your plan will work. Note that this will likely save your time, but the overall time will typically be longer than backing up, starting over with all new drives, and restoring data. With RAID6, at least it won't start off by creating a RAID1 of the additional space once you have two new drives installed, then a RAID5 when you have three, so you'll save that time. It will also put a strain on your older drives, so a drive failure during one of the syncs is a possibility. So, start replacements with the oldest or any that is showing any SMART issues.
I do NOT have XRAID enabled. Will the RAID6 volume not auto expand with a single disk replacement plan? Yes, I know it will take "longer," but I am good with that to keep the production system up and running.
TheDurb wrote:
Will the RAID6 volume not auto expand with a single disk replacement plan?It is supposed to expand when the fourth disk is upgraded, but that's not something I've tested with FlexRaid/RAID-6.
I don't believe a FlexRAID volume will ever expand automatically. It will definitely not even give you the option to expand if you've not replaced all drives (I have seen that on my NAS). While it is supposed to allow it when all drives are replaced, I've not done so. But it not expanding as you go is a good thing. With each drive added, it will only re-sync the amount of the original drive. When you do expand, it will sync all the new partitions in one operation, saving overall time.
In XRAID, a RAID6 volume will not expand until you have at least 4 drives replaced, so that the new layer can also be RAID6. The basic "rule" is that it won't expand until the new layer can have at least the same level of protection (same failed drives and still operate) as the other(s). So, a RAID5 will expand with two larger drives because the volume can lose either of those drives and both the original RAID5 and the new RAID1 will survive. But to maintain two-drive loss survivability, both layers must be RAID6, which requires four drives.
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