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Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? NEW UPDATE: Memory?

Lestrad
Aspirant

ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

Hello

My ReadyNAS NV+ (Product: ReadyNASRND4000, Serial Number: 23J3027700C11) was originally purchased in November 2010. In June 2016 I had a problem with the power supply: The NAS wouldn't start up following a power outage. I contacted Support (Case #01288820) and was sent a replacement power supply, even though at that time the warranty period was officially ended.

 

Now, exactly three years later, I'm having almost exactly the same problem. After a lightning strike that threw our main circuit breaker, the unit would not power on once mains power was restored, even though I pressed the power button several times. I assumed the unit had been fried by the lightning strike, even though the circuit breaker (differential type) cuts off in a matter of milliseconds.

 

Then suddenly I received an e-mail message from the server saying that it was up and running and in the process of re-synching. The re-synch completed successfully and the administrative interface showed everything as working properly. The shares on the NAS were all accessible from my Windows desktop as usual.

 

While I was in the administrative interface I decided to turn on the timed power-down feature, setting the NAS to power down at midnight and back up again at 7 AM. It powered down, but now it won't power up again. I've again pushed the power button several times, but with no luck.

 

Since the unit did behave absolutely normally during the period when it was powered up, I am assuming that the power supply is at fault again. I am now looking for a replacement (possibly the Seasonic SS-250SU). But I would like to get confirmation from anybody out there that the power supply really is the only problem. OR any suggestions people may have as to how to get it to power up. Could my turning on the automatic power-down feature have anything to do with the problem? OR whether the Seasonic PSU is a good option.

 

Thanks in advance to everyone

Les

 

 

Model: RND4000 (ReadyNAS NV+ v1)|READYNAS NV+ v1 (DISKLESS)|EOL
Message 1 of 29

Accepted Solutions
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? NEW UPDATE: Memory?

Yup.  You can test that it turns on the supply with it disconnected before you do it with it connected.  You'll know the supply came on because the fan will run.

 

If it works, you likely won't want to leave it that way, but it's a way to get the data off the NAS.

View solution in original post

Message 25 of 29

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StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

I don't think you'll be able to find the seasonic anymore.

 

There are a couple of options here:

https://community.netgear.com/t5/New-ReadyNAS-Users-General/Inexpensive-power-supply-replacement-for...

http://www.evercase.co.uk/CompatibilityListReadynas.htm

https://www.overtek.co.uk/collections/frontpage/products/netgear-readynas-power-supply-psu-replaceme...

 

Though the last two are quite expensive.

 

It's likely time to get a new NAS.  You can jury-rig an ATX supply (running externally) to extract the data. 

 

Support can also temporarily mount the data volume (Read-only) in a new ReadyNAS - though they will charge.

 

 

 

Message 2 of 29
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

It does sound like it could be a problem with the +5VSB (5V standby) power that powers the power-on circuit and NIC.

Message 3 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

Thanks for replying! Actually I found a PSU in the UK (I'm in France) for around 65£, and it's made specifically for the NV+. When you say it's time to replace the NAS, are you saying it because you assume other components may be or may go bad, or just because PSUs are expensive? I looked around and it looks like I'd have to pay at least 350€ for a new one.

Message 4 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

Thanks! So you think a PSU replacement would put me back in business? As I said, the unit seems to work fine once it's powered up. Plus, as I mentioned above, a new NAS would be expensive for me.

 

 

Model: RND4000 (ReadyNAS NV+ v1)|READYNAS NV+ v1 (DISKLESS)|EOL
Message 5 of 29
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?


@Lestrad wrote:

When you say it's time to replace the NAS, are you saying it because you assume other components may be or may go bad, or just because PSUs are expensive? I looked around and it looks like I'd have to pay at least 350€ for a new one.


It's an old NAS - so other components will fail at some point (and may have already failed along with the PSU).  It's not fully compatible with Windows 10 (since it is limited to SMB 1.0) and that will become more of a bother over time.  Plus it is slow by current standards.

 

It's true that a new NAS would cost quite a bit more than the PSU.  But at some point you'll need to get a new one (since yours is 8 years old). 

 

My own NV+ is about the same age - it is still in service as a secondary backup.  It is on it's second PSU (which luckily failed right before the warranty was up).  When it fails I'll just take it out of service.

Message 6 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

Is there a specific model of ReadyNAS you'd recommend? One that could read my existing set of hard disks?

Message 7 of 29
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?


@Lestrad wrote:

One that could read my existing set of hard disks?


Nothing can directly use your current disks.  Paid support can mount them temporarily so you can off-load data.  But they will charge. https://kb.netgear.com/29876/ReadyNAS-Migrating-disks-from-RAIDiator-4-1-or-RAIDiator-5-3-to-ReadyNA...

 


@Lestrad wrote:

Is there a specific model of ReadyNAS you'd recommend? 


It looks like you've been looking at the RN214, which is a reasonable choice.  It will keep up with a gigabit network.

 

Higher-end OS-6 NAS have 5 year warranties - which partially offsets their higher costs.  Personally I am using an RN526.

 

One option is to proceed with your PSU replacement, and then plan to get a new NAS a bit further out (perhaps next year).  Then re-purpose the NV+ as a backup NAS.  The risk is that something else might have failed (in which case the PSU would be a waste of money).

 

 

 

Message 8 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

Thanks a lot for responding. As I mentioned, the unit started up and successfully synched all the disks and was fully accessible from Windows until it shut down. I don't know if it shut down cleanly as I'd programmed it to do or because of a PSU failure. So I tend to think it would be able to start up again and that the data structure is OK.

 

As for the disks, it seems to me (as a simple layman user) that one might expect some sort of backward compatibility from a company as serious as I am convinced Netgear is. No? Or else, isn't there a way to recover the data using a Linux PC and save it to a third location?

 

Thanks again for the help.

Les

Model: RND4000|ReadyNAS NV+ Chassis only
Message 9 of 29
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?


@Lestrad wrote:

 

As for the disks, it seems to me (as a simple layman user) that one might expect some sort of backward compatibility from a company as serious as I am convinced Netgear is. No? 

The operating system runs off the disk.  The old NV+ uses a sparc CPU; none of the new platforms do.  It also has a 2 GB OS partition; newer systems are partitioned differently (4 GB).  Plus the old systems use the ext file system; new ones use btrfs.

 

These are substantial differences, and there's only so much code that can be put into the boot loader.  Netgear choose not to support direct migration - as you'll see if you read the link I posted above.

 


@Lestrad wrote:

Or else, isn't there a way to recover the data using a Linux PC and save it to a third location?

 


Yes, that can be done.

 

The steps are found here: https://web.archive.org/web/20170902105341/http://home.bott.ca/webserver/?p=306

Simple step by step guide to mounting Sparc-based ReadyNAS Drives in x86-based Linux:

Tested on brand new install of Ubuntu 10.10 (32bit x86), no other dependencies- 23rd Jan 2011

In a terminal window:

(1) sudo su
(2) apt-get install fuseext2
(3) apt-get install lvm2
(4) modprobe fuse
(5) vgscan
(6) vgchange -ay c
(7) fuseext2 -o ro -o sync_read /dev/c/c /mnt

That’s it!!!
You can now see the mounted files in the /mnt directory

(NB: Without the “-o sync_read” option to fuseext2 I had problems with copying large files. It kept saying the source file wasn’t found. After adding this option everything worked fine).

 

Message 10 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?

Great. However, reading through that post, I didn't see any indication as to whether all four (in my case) HDDs need to be mounted at once? I could do that on my desktop but I'd need to connect one of the four disks via USB.

 

I guess I should mention that my NV+ uses the default X-RAID system. 

 

Thanks again for your willingness to help!

Les

Message 11 of 29
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems?


@Lestrad wrote:

Great. However, reading through that post, I didn't see any indication as to whether all four (in my case) HDDs need to be mounted at once? I could do that on my desktop but I'd need to connect one of the four disks via USB.

 


It is RAID, so you might be able to get by with three disks.  However, connecting one with USB is fine - so I'd suggest using all four.

 

If it turns out that there are file system issues, you can also use R-Studio for Windows (or R-Studio for Linux).  Both support RAID and the ext file system.  https://www.r-studio.com/

Message 12 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE

Okay, I opened the case and tested the power supply, and all voltages are in line with the specs. So it looks like it's not the PSU after all.

 

I removed the top cover (exposing the memory slot) and sniffed and there is a slight burned smell. So I suppose some other component could be bad. But it seems odd that the unit did started up and stayed on line long enough to complete a re-synch.

 

I'm open to any suggestions. 

 

 

Model: RND4000|ReadyNAS NV+ Chassis only
Message 13 of 29
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE


@Lestrad wrote:

Okay, I opened the case and tested the power supply, and all voltages are in line with the specs.

 

 


Did you test it under load?

Message 14 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE

Thanks for your answer.

<<Did you test it under load?>>

Uh, no. How do I do that? All I have is a cheap multimeter. I pulled the mainboard connector, jumped pins 14 and 15, and tested each pin as per the pinout diagram.

Model: RND4000|ReadyNAS NV+ Chassis only
Message 15 of 29
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE


@Lestrad wrote:

<<Did you test it under load?>>

Uh, no. 


The net is - you can tell if a supply is bad if you test it with no load, but you can't be certain it is good.

 

I haven't done a load test, but I think one way is to get a 24 pin splitter cable (https://www.amazon.com/Splitter-Hamkot-Adapter-Motherboard-Extension/dp/B074DQJY8K ).  That would let you use the NAS as the load, and test the voltages using the meter on the unused half of the splitter.

 

 

 

Message 16 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE

Thanks!

 

The only problem is that the NAS won't start up at all - the fan doesn't even come on. So it's not pulling any load.

 

I'm willing to go to some lengths to make sure it isn't the PSU. The only way I can see is either to try in a NAS that is known to work or else buy a new PSU and try it, and if it doesn't work send it back.

 

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

PS Just to clear up one point: Why a 24-pin splitter cable? The NAS uses a 20-pin connector.

Message 17 of 29
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE


@Lestrad wrote:

 

PS Just to clear up one point: Why a 24-pin splitter cable? The NAS uses a 20-pin connector.


Yes, it should have been 20 pin.  But I'm not seeing a 20 pin splitter.

 

Do you have a spare ATX supply?  If so, you could jury-rig that to work (keeping it outside the chassis with a longer extension cable).

Message 18 of 29
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE

It's fairly easy to modify a 24-pin to 20+4 pin ATX extender/adapter to power the NV+ from an ATX supply.  It's more than just using the adapter, though, you need to swap some pins.

Message 19 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE

Thanks! I've found a few threads relating to how to do the adaptation of the 24-pin ATX PSU connector. Is there one you recommend?

Thanks again for your help.

Les

Message 20 of 29
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? UPDATE

Given it only has to last a short time, any cheap one on eBay will do.

Message 21 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? NEW UPDATE: Memory?

I finally got hold of an ATX PSU and did the modifications shown in the articles you guys kindly pointed me too (changing pins 11 and 18 to +12V). Nothing happens at all - no lights, no fan, nothing. 

 

But before I write my NV+ off as unrecoverable, a question:

 

Could it be the memory? Would the unit behave like this (no sign of life at all) if the memory stick was bad? Or would it at least start the boot process and flash the lights?

 

Thanks in advance to all.

Les

Message 22 of 29
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? NEW UPDATE: Memory?

It would at least come to life with the fan going, and maybe some LED's, if it was a memory problem.

 

The last thing to try is to short the Power On pin (green) to ground (black), circumventing the NAS power-on circuit.  If the fan doesn't come on then, then something is dragging down the supply.  If it does come on and the NAS doesn't, it's toast.

Message 23 of 29
Lestrad
Aspirant

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? NEW UPDATE: Memory?

I want to be sure I get this right: I need to stick a piece of wire into the PSU connector from behind while it's plugged into the pcb and short the green wire to a black wire?

 

Thanks once again for your help and patience.

Les

Message 24 of 29
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: ReadyNAS nv+ won't power up after outage. Power Supply Problems? NEW UPDATE: Memory?

Yup.  You can test that it turns on the supply with it disconnected before you do it with it connected.  You'll know the supply came on because the fan will run.

 

If it works, you likely won't want to leave it that way, but it's a way to get the data off the NAS.

Message 25 of 29
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