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I'm about to order a ReadyNas 102 enclosure for home use, but my needs are fairly simple I just wish to have my backed up data online so that everyone at home can access it and in that regard I have some questions that I'm hoping someone can clear them up for me :
1- Since this NAS will be used to store data that is also stored in other drives, I would like to setup the NAS without any raid, 2x 2tb drives for a total of 4 tb of storage and each drive will have it's own volume. My questions are : do I setup the NAS using the ready cloud utility or do I use RAIDar ? Also, is there a JOBD option or do I choose raid 0?
2- My home pc is configured for dual boot, windows 10 and Suse Lunix, once I install the NAS under windows, do I need to run the installation utility for Linux as well or can I map the volumes as Network drives to access my files without having to install the utiliy?
3- To make it easier for some of my family members to access and use the NAS on their computers I would like to MAP the NAS (or volumes) as a Network drive on their computer, can this be done no matter what utility I use to setup the NAS?
4- Since there are some folders that I would like to have access to while I'm away from home using my android devices, can someone please explain what I would need to do since I'm a bit confused between Readynas Remote and ReadyCloud.
I know there are a lot of questions but would appreciate any help I can get in having them answered.
1- Since this NAS will be used to store data that is also stored in other drives, I would like to setup the NAS without any raid, 2x 2tb drives for a total of 4 tb of storage and each drive will have it's own volume. My questions are : do I setup the NAS using the ready cloud utility or do I use RAIDar ? Also, is there a JOBD option or do I choose raid 0?
It does have jbod, and that is more robust than RAID-0. With RAID-0 you lose the entire volume when either disk fails.
Use RAIDar for initial setup. For jbod, its easiest to start with only one drive installed. After initial setup, you change from XRAID to FLEXRAID, and then install the second disk. You can then click on the new disk, and create a second volume.
2- My home pc is configured for dual boot, windows 10 and Suse Lunix, once I install the NAS under windows, do I need to run the installation utility for Linux as well or can I map the volumes as Network drives to access my files without having to install the utiliy?
I am not sure what utility you mean. However, you don't really need RAIDar very often, so there's no need to install that on the linux boot. You can map shares (or mount them with NFS in linux) without any utilities installed on the client PCs. You don't need either the ReadyCloud app or RAIDar installed for local LAN access.
3- To make it easier for some of my family members to access and use the NAS on their computers I would like to MAP the NAS (or volumes) as a Network drive on their computer, can this be done no matter what utility I use to setup the NAS?
Yes. To map the full volume you need to use the NAS admin credentials (which can be entered into the Windows credentials manager). You can also set up individual user accounts on the NAS, and map specific shares. One thing to consider is whether you need the "private" home-share feature for each user. If you do, then you'll need to use the individual user-account approach. I don't use them myself - the only account I use on the NAS is the admin account.
4- Since there are some folders that I would like to have access to while I'm away from home using my android devices, can someone please explain what I would need to do since I'm a bit confused between Readynas Remote and ReadyCloud.
You'd want ReadyCloud (remote is for older legacy NAS). ReadyCloud uses different accounts from local NAS account, and they aren't linked. So you don't want to use the private home share for anything you want to access over the internet. You are of course trusting Netgear to maintain security, and also to maintain good quality of service. From what I've seen here, the quality of service/access speed is uneven.
I've chosen a different path myself. For some years I've used ftps to access the NAS remotely (using ES file explorer on the Android devices). I also use the secondary https port to allow me to access the NAS remotely. You do need to forward ports in the router (and an ddns name for the router). More recently I am transitioning to openVPN, using the built-in capability of the Netgear Nighthawk routers. Android openVPN uses "tun" - that's still a work-in-progress on Netgear routers, but it is available for the R8500 and the R7000.
There is an openVPN package available for the RN102, though it is a bit more difficult to set up.
OwnCloud is another option that some people here use. You can get an RN102 app for that from rnxtras.com (for a small charge).
1- Since this NAS will be used to store data that is also stored in other drives, I would like to setup the NAS without any raid, 2x 2tb drives for a total of 4 tb of storage and each drive will have it's own volume. My questions are : do I setup the NAS using the ready cloud utility or do I use RAIDar ? Also, is there a JOBD option or do I choose raid 0?
It does have jbod, and that is more robust than RAID-0. With RAID-0 you lose the entire volume when either disk fails.
Use RAIDar for initial setup. For jbod, its easiest to start with only one drive installed. After initial setup, you change from XRAID to FLEXRAID, and then install the second disk. You can then click on the new disk, and create a second volume.
2- My home pc is configured for dual boot, windows 10 and Suse Lunix, once I install the NAS under windows, do I need to run the installation utility for Linux as well or can I map the volumes as Network drives to access my files without having to install the utiliy?
I am not sure what utility you mean. However, you don't really need RAIDar very often, so there's no need to install that on the linux boot. You can map shares (or mount them with NFS in linux) without any utilities installed on the client PCs. You don't need either the ReadyCloud app or RAIDar installed for local LAN access.
3- To make it easier for some of my family members to access and use the NAS on their computers I would like to MAP the NAS (or volumes) as a Network drive on their computer, can this be done no matter what utility I use to setup the NAS?
Yes. To map the full volume you need to use the NAS admin credentials (which can be entered into the Windows credentials manager). You can also set up individual user accounts on the NAS, and map specific shares. One thing to consider is whether you need the "private" home-share feature for each user. If you do, then you'll need to use the individual user-account approach. I don't use them myself - the only account I use on the NAS is the admin account.
4- Since there are some folders that I would like to have access to while I'm away from home using my android devices, can someone please explain what I would need to do since I'm a bit confused between Readynas Remote and ReadyCloud.
You'd want ReadyCloud (remote is for older legacy NAS). ReadyCloud uses different accounts from local NAS account, and they aren't linked. So you don't want to use the private home share for anything you want to access over the internet. You are of course trusting Netgear to maintain security, and also to maintain good quality of service. From what I've seen here, the quality of service/access speed is uneven.
I've chosen a different path myself. For some years I've used ftps to access the NAS remotely (using ES file explorer on the Android devices). I also use the secondary https port to allow me to access the NAS remotely. You do need to forward ports in the router (and an ddns name for the router). More recently I am transitioning to openVPN, using the built-in capability of the Netgear Nighthawk routers. Android openVPN uses "tun" - that's still a work-in-progress on Netgear routers, but it is available for the R8500 and the R7000.
There is an openVPN package available for the RN102, though it is a bit more difficult to set up.
OwnCloud is another option that some people here use. You can get an RN102 app for that from rnxtras.com (for a small charge).
Stephen, thank you so much for all your answers you really helped to clear up some things.
One final question, If I use RAIDar for my initial setup is there an option at the begining where I can choose either Flexraid or xraid configuration? I ask this because for the part few days I have been looking for information on the ReadyNas and I found this. Also I see there is no JBOD setup option. Maybe this is an old version of RAIDar but still, would feel more confortable if you would comment on this.
One final question, If I use RAIDar for my initial setup is there an option at the begining where I can choose either Flexraid or xraid configuration?
Your link is for the older NAS. With the older NAS you'd select RAID-0 and a single volume (which has the same effect as jbod). It's a bit easier to install only one disk if that is your goal (it ensures that you won't somehow end up with a single RAID-0 volume).
Also, with the older NAS you couldn't change from xraid to flexraid without data loss. With OS-6, if you have equal size disks you can make that switch. So in many cases you don't need a factory reset.
I believe that the NAS still has the 5 minute setup window for xraid/flexraid, but if you install one disk initially you don't need it. Just switch to flexraid post-setup, pop in the second disk, and create the second volume. It's very easy.
