OMG Legacy Readynas migration worked!!!!!

[Jophus]

My tale of woe and amazement starts here.

I bought an Ultra6 6-bay atom-based NAS in December 2013.  It came with 4.2.x firmware and in 2015 upgraded to unsupported OS6.  It needed some tinkering but in the end, I have had a reliable NAS (other than the 6.4.0 upgrade debacle).

Anyway, running 6.6.1 firmware, last Saturday my PSU catastophically failed - causing the blue power light to flicker randomly.  Ran out and bought a new PSU to test but it looks like the motherboard is toasted - no power to ethernet, no booting, CPU does get hot but it looks fried.

So I bought a 316 6-bay - which in essence is a mildy-updated Ultra 6, and before turning it on, pulled disk 1 from my Ultra6 and just replaced tray-and-all into the 316 (same tray, fits perfectly).  I did this for the remaining 5 disks, held my breath, and turned the 316 on...

...firmware updating...

...rebooting...

...booting 20%....25%..................................26%..............75%.80%...100%..

Firmware 6.6.1

OMG! IT JUST WORKED! I have exactly the same apps, setup, volume, backup schedule... EVERYTHING!

Netgear.. I am so impressed right now (PS. I do have a backup, it's off-site and a pain to retrieve..)

It's unfortunate that the Ultra6 PSU died after 4 years of 24x7 usage. 3 year warranty.  316 has 5 years - I sincerely hope this doesn't happen again - or if it does, it is within the warranty period.

[mdgm-ntgr]

Glad to hear. We use software RAID and the OS is designed to handle all the disks being moved from one chassis to a replacement.

Please note the warranty is for the original purchaser from an authorised reseller. Hope you bought your RN316 new.

Some hardware does last longer than others. Some users are still using 10+ year old systems.

[Sandshark]

It's unusual, but not unheard of, that a PSU will take other items with it when it goes.  Fortunately, it didn't take your drives.  I've replaced 3 Ultra6/Pro6 PSU's (one mine from the beginning, one I bought needing one, and one for a friend), and all just needed the new supply.

What you experienced is yet another reason that those with compatible legacy systems really should consider moving to OS6 once their warranty coverage is gone (which has already come for most), and I'm glad you shared it so others will know.  A lot of those units are getting long in the tooth and the instant availability with a replacement OS6 system is a nice insurance policy..

I moved drives from a Pro6 to a 516 with the same success, not because the Pro6 died, but because it was time to get something with USB3 capability.