Netgear ReadyNAS 4312V2 - Replacing older hard disks with new and larger hard disks
We have a NetGear ReadyNAS 4312V2 running on Firmware version 6.10.6. The NAS box has 1TB x 6 Seagate Hardisk configured with RAID 5. These disks were installed during the initial setup in 2020. Now we are running out of space. We have already procured 4TB x 4 Seagate Harddisk, would be using them on RAID 5. I would like to achieve the below objectives without data loss:
1) Replace the old 1TB hard drives with New 4TB hard drives.
2) Retain all the data on the existing Volume. (which is currently running on 1TB drives, but want them all on the New 4TB drives once the upgrade process is complete.
3) Remove the older 1TB hard disks completely.
Would there be any downtime involved in this process ?
We have a NetGear ReadyNAS 4312V2 running on Firmware version 6.10.6. The NAS box has 1TB x 6 Seagate Hardisk configured with RAID 5. These disks were installed during the initial setup in 2020. Now we are running out of space. We have already procured 4TB x 4 Seagate Harddisk, would be using them on RAID 5. I would like to achieve the below objectives without data loss:
1) Replace the old 1TB hard drives with New 4TB hard drives.
2) Retain all the data on the existing Volume. (which is currently running on 1TB drives, but want them all on the New 4TB drives once the upgrade process is complete.
3) Remove the older 1TB hard disks completely.
Shrinking a volume from 6 to 4 drives requires use of SSH, and is risky. It'd be best to avoid that.
If X-RAID is enabled and the current drives are healthy, then the easiest path is leave two of the 1 TB drives in place (ending up with 4x4TB+2x1TB). You'd have a 14 TB (~12.7 TiB) volume. You'd hot-swap one drive at a time (waiting for the resync to complete before replacing the next). There wouldn't be downtime unless one of the current disks fails during the resync process.
Netgear recommends ensuring you have an up-to-date backup before handling disks. I agree with them.
Also, I recommend testing the new Seagates in a Windows PC with Seatools. I always run the full non-destructive diags, and then follow that with the "advanced" write zeros test (single overwrite). I have had some out-of-the-box disks that passed one of these tests, but failed the other.
Re: Netgear ReadyNAS 4312V2 - Replacing older hard disks with new and larger hard disks
Given you have a 12-bay unit that's only half filled, there is a way without SSH. But it does affect apps and home folders. Do you use either?
The method would be to turn off XRAID, then use however many larger drives you need to create a second volume, then copy the contents of the old volume to the new and EXPORT the old volume (EXPORT allows you to put the volume back in, where DESTROY does not). But personal folders and apps will need some fixing via SSH (see How-to-save-your-apps-when-destroying-your-main-volume-OS6 ). Backup jobs or SSH are most efficient in copying the files. I am unsure whether or not you'd be able to turn XRAID back on after that. There is no technical reason you couldn't, but the OS does prevent it under some conditions.
I suggest you re-think the 4TB drive size. Larger drives are more cost-effective per TB and make future expansion easier and cheaper. 4x8TB in RAID6 would give you 16TB and better protection from drive failure. Then just add another 8TB drive whenever you need another 8TB.
We have home folders and project related files on the NAS device. Our company is running our IT department on Just-In-Time budget. Hence we need to make-do with the available resources.
We have home folders and project related files on the NAS device. Our company is running our IT department on Just-In-Time budget. Hence we need to make-do with the available resources.
Is there a reason why you need to retire all the 1 TB drives? If they are healthy, then just expanding the volume to 4x4TB+2x1 TB is the easiest path.
What model drives did you purchase? 4 TB Barracudas (and almost all other desktop-class 4 TB drives) use SMR (shingled magnetic recording) technology. They do not work well with ReadyNAS.
