ReadyNAS: Migrating disks from defective RND2000 v2 to spare RND2000 v2

[iidsinga]

My own ReadyNAS RND2000 v2 broke down. I received an identical empty but working RND2000 v2 from a friend.

How can I swap or migrate both disks from my broken unit to the "new" unit without loosing any data?

Thanks in advance,

iidsinga

[StephenB]

First, it's really important to verify the two platforms.  The labeling is confusing, and a lot of v1 owners mistakenly think they have a v2. If the platforms don't match, then migrating the disks could result in data loss.

The Duo v1

• runs 4.1.x firmware
• says "ReadyNAS Duo" on the front chassis
• might have labels on the side or bottom that say "v2".

The Duo v2

• runs 5.x firmware
• says "ReadyNAS Duo v2" on the front chassis

Once you've confirmed that both platforms are identical, you should see if the firmware versions match on the two ReadyNAS.  If you don't know what was on the broken ReadyNAS, then just make sure the firmware on your friend's NAS is current - 4.1.16 for a v1, and 5.3.13 on the v2.  The reason this matters is that if the firmware doesn't match, your friend's NAS will install it's firmware onto your drives.  If his firmware is old, then it will downgrade what's on your disks - which is often ok, but is best avoided.

After that step, just power down his Duo, and remove the drive(s) - labeling them by slot.  Then put your drives into his ReadyNAS (preserving their slot order).  Then power up his NAS, and it should boot normally - preserving all your settings and data.

There is another option you could try btw.  If you are using RAID-1 (or XRAID) you can connect disk 1 to a Windows PC using a USB adapter/dock.  There is a freeware package called R-linux for Windows that should be able to access the data on the disk.  https://www.r-studio.com/free-linux-recovery/Download.shtml#win