I have been running a ReadyNas 102 with 2x 2TB (Raid) for a number of years now, trouble free, in a home environment, mainly for sharing files across PCs and laptops, and some Squeezebox streaming, but it's now in need of a bit of TLC :
1) beginning to run out of space with ~10% disk capacity left
2) one of the disks has recently thrown 1500+ ATA errors
3) am running OS 6.5.1
I have purchased 2 new 4TB disks to replace the existing ones, but am wondering what is the best order to tackle these issues.
I obviously need to upgrade from 6.5.1, but the NAS doesn't find any updates when I select "Check For Updates" - reading the 6.10.x release notes says I need to upgrade to 6.5.2 before moving to 6.10.3 (I think) - is this correct ?
Also I have seen a comment which says that it can be risky to do the OS upgrade if you have disk errors.
And putting aside the OS update, what is the optimal route to replacing both the 2TB disks with the new 4TB disks ?
The firmware does need to be upgraded to 6.5.2 first.
The first thing I suggest is making a backup of your data.
If you do have a full backup, then I'd suggest starting fresh. There has been some tuning to the BTRFS file system over the years, which does improve performance. But you need to do a factory default to get that boost. Remove both disks, and insert one of the new ones. Update to 6.5.2, then 6.10.3, and then do a factory default. After that hot-insert the second new disk, reinstall your apps, and reload the data from backup.
If you prefer proceding incrementally, then start with the disks - because one of them might be failing. Hot-swap the one with the ATA errors first, and wait for resync to complete. Then do the the second and wait for the volume to fully expand. Then address the firmware.
I have purchased 2 new 4TB disks to replace the existing ones,
If you purchased desktop drives, I suggest exchanging them for NAS-purposed - several models have switched over to SMR in recent years which won't work very well in your NAS.
Similarly, avoid the WD40EFAX, as it is also SMR. Go with the WD40EFRX instead (or the Seagate Ironwolf).
Enterprise class is of course another option, but IMO are overkill for an RN100 NAS. Your performance is limited by the CPU, not the disks.
