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Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?

Retired_Member
Not applicable

ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?

Good Morning, 

 

I am looking for information regarding vertical expansion of the ReadyNas system. I have read the knowledge articles which reference vertical expansion however I am not certain that I would be able to utilize this method if there is no additional free bay available in my system.

 

I need to increase my capacity but all of the available bays are full, is vertical expansion still a viable option or should I be doing this another way?

 

Thanks!

Model: RN3138|ReadyNAS 3138 Series 4- Bay (Diskless)
Message 1 of 8
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?

There might be some confusion on the terms?

 

Horizontal expansion is when you add a disk to an empty bay.

 

Vertical expansion is when you upgrade a disk to a larger size.

 

You can do vertical expansion, but the details on how will depend on the raid mode.  Can you tell us what you have now?

Message 2 of 8
Retired_Member
Not applicable

Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?


Vertical expansion is when you upgrade a disk to a larger size.

 

You can do vertical expansion, but the details on how will depend on the raid mode.  Can you tell us what you have now?


No confusion, I want to upgrade the disks to a larger size. 

The system is using the built in X-RAID2

 

Thanks!

Message 3 of 8
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?


@Retired_Member wrote:

No confusion, I want to upgrade the disks to a larger size. 

The system is using the built in X-RAID2

 


Ok.  Then you just hot-swap one disk with the larger size (with the NAS running).  The RAID will resync.  When that completes, then upgrade the second one and wait for that to resync.

 

If you have single redundancy, then the system will expand after the second resync.  If you are using dual-redundancy (RAID-6) then you need to upgrade 4 disks before the volume expands.

 

It is best to update your backup before manipulating disks, as there is higher risk of data loss during resync.

 

Another way is to back up the NAS, power it down, and then install all the new disks.  Then reconfigure it and restore the data from backup.  That can be faster then resyncing all the drives one by one - but the data isn't available during the process.

 

Message 4 of 8
Retired_Member
Not applicable

Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?

Thanks.

 

Now I have to find a way to back up 6 TB of data using hardware I don't have and can't afford to buy so that I can increase the space on the NAS that I am using to back up everything in the first place. What a catch 22. You can't increase the space without backing up and you can't back up without increasing the space 😞

Message 5 of 8
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?

It does not sound like you are using the NAS to "back up" data, but as primary storage.  If it were backup, you'd have the original source from which you could restore the data.  I point this out because you appear to be relying on a single device to store your data, which is a very good way to ultimately lose it.

 

So, this situation may force you to do what you already should:  Back up your data.

 

If you doubt this, read through the forum.  It is filled with sad stories of lost data.  RAID is robust, but not immune to failure.

 

Note that this comment should not be read to say the ReadyNAS is inherantly failure prone.  You just see a lot more folks come to the forum looking for a solution to a problem than folks posting "My NAS has been going strong for 5+ years, I love my ReadyNAS."

Message 6 of 8
Retired_Member
Not applicable

Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?

You know what they say about assumptions. The data is actually backed up in 3 other places, it's just not convenient. Thanks for the replies. I have passed the recommendation to management and await their decisions.
Message 7 of 8
StephenB
Guru

Re: ReadyNas 3138 - Vertical Expansion with FULL bays - possible?


@Retired_Member wrote:
The data is actually backed up in 3 other places, it's just not convenient.

I think that's good enough. I point out the need for backup because many folks mistakenly assume that there is no risk. Note that I don't work for Netgear - neither does @Sandshark 

 

The odds of something going wrong with the expansion are low - the risk is that another disk might fail during the resync.  You could improve the odds by scheduling a disk test from the volume settings wheel while you are waiting for the new disks.  Also, it'd be good to test the disks with vendor tools (Lifeguard for Western Digital; Seatools for Seagate) before you install them.

 

 

 

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