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ReadyNAS Ultra 2 - Not discoverable with Raidar 6.4 via network or direct ethernet connection
Purchased a used (but in new/seemingly unused state) ReadyNAS Ultra 2 w/o drives.
Installed an old drive (does the drive have to be "good"?), put in the power cords, ethernet cord to the router, waited until it hit room temperature. And then powered it up.
Background: I have two synology NAS, so I've been through their set up before and have confidence in my network's integrity. The only new unknown is this Netgear NAS.
Try 1:
- Installed Raidar on a Win10_64bit box which couldn't find the NAS.
- My Mac couldn't find it on the network using iNet.
- The router doesn't see it via it's web interface
- Both NAS's network connector's light are blinking.
No dice.
Try 2:
But then I had the thought that it was used, so maybe someone had set it up, so I did a reset using the hardware button.
- Well, that resulted in the network lights not working for some time. They are back working, but still no discovery.
Try 3:
So I made a direct ethernet connection to a) the Win10 Pc and b) older MacPro. Nothing on both (separate) accounts.
Try 4:
The manual/help says it's defualt IP is 169.254.x.x, so I even tried using the Mac's iNet app to search that whole IP range. Again, nothing.
Try 5:
Tried it without any drives at all. Nada.
Help?
Q1: Should it be discoverable without any drives?
Q2: If it requires as least one drive, does the drive need to be "good" for the network connecto to take place? (I'm not sure about the integrity of this drive, but wanted to at least get the NAS connected.)
Thanks for any help you can provide!
.curt
6 Replies
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The NAS is discoverable via RAIDar without drives, but not by other processes. It uses a special broadcast method. The OS and all settings run from the drives, so it does not matter if somebody else set it up previously, that set-up was removed with the drive(s). For a NAS of that generation, you should use RAIDar 4.3.8, as it has a setup provision that is not in newer versions because newer NAS don't use it.
Yes, the drive has to work for the OS to be installed to it and run. And if the drive is used, there are some types of partitions that your older OS can't deal with, so you may need to remove them with a PC before the NAS can use the drive.
Your NAS can be converted to running the current OS6, but you lose Netgear support (including paid) if you do so. While OS6 updates are currently slow coming, OS4.2.x on your NAS has not been updated in about 3 years and will have no more updates.
Sandshark wrote:
For a NAS of that generation, you should use RAIDar 4.3.8, as it has a setup provision that is not in newer versions because newer NAS don't use it.
The 4.3.8 version is needed if you want to use FlexRAID. But RAIDar 6.5 will work for everything else (including discovery).
The protocol uses ethernet broadcast packets. If the Windows PC was using wifi, you might try again with an ethernet connection. Also disable any internet security software on the PC. But it should be getting a DHCP address from your router, even if it is booted diskless.
If you haven't already tried this, you might want to try a different ethernet cable, and maybe also try connecting the NAS to a different switch/router and see if that makes a difference.
Thanks for all the help!
What tripped me up was the Boot Menu "options". The initial Google search listing from netgear.com listed only holding the Reset button on Power Up. Despite being in pristine condition it must have been plugged in. (I do that, too. Where you don't undo the cords from their ties and try it out first.) So the IP addresses had been changed. It did need to be reset, but reseting is a bit more involved than just hitting the one Reset button. Sigh.
Well, I didn't give up and by RTFM a bit closer in another, later internet search, I learned that the "Backup" button on the front of the unit is involved in the reset process. Only it's called the Boot Menu. Not immediately obvious, even to a reasonably techy person like me? Menu implies seeing it on screen? Anyway... Once, I brought the Backup button to the party and selected the Factory Default option, then things got up and running, Raidar found the unit and even the old, crusty drives I had in there, and I was off to the races. The OS installed and everything was discoverable on the my network and all was well in the world. Well, my office.
So, lesson learned. I made the mistake of saying it was "used" to the Netgear support and the tech that 'helped' me rudely suggested I avoid buying used equipment, so I would avoid a broken network adapter. Except it wasn't a broken network adapter. If I hadn't mentioned it was used, would they have helped find this solution right away? If this person would have mentioned this Boot Menu via Backup button procedure right away, I'd have left the exchange a happy camper. Instead, I have a working unit by my own means (even if some of the intial fault was mine I admit!), but I'm no longer an interested future Netgear buyer.
But you two that responded have left good tips and info that are useful in their own right, so I appreciate that. Thank you for your time!!
.curt
ps. wanted to post the screenshot of the Boot Menu process but the file attachment button in my browser isn't cooperating...
I made the mistake of saying it was "used" to the Netgear support and the tech that 'helped' me rudely suggested I avoid buying used equipment, so I would avoid a broken network adapter. Except it wasn't a broken network adapter. If I hadn't mentioned it was used, would they have helped find this solution right away?Netgear doesn't provide support on used equipment - it's actually surprising you were able to reach support. I guess it's possible that the previous owner never registered the NAS - if that's the case, Netgear would have no way to tell that your NAS was previously owned by someone else.
meridian180 wrote:
The initial Google search listing from netgear.com listed only holding the Reset button on Power Up.
Here's a tip: googling Ultra 2 support should put the Netgear support page for your NAS at the top of the list. If it doesn't, you can just add site:netgear.com to the search string. That would have taken you more directly to the documentation for your NAS. https://www.netgear.com/support/product/RNDU2120%20Ultra%202.aspx#docs
The hardware manual describes the boot menu options (for your NAS, that is on pages 14-15). https://www.netgear.com/support/product/RNDU2120%20Ultra%202.aspx#docs
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