questions on ReadyNAS 3200 -> 4200 move and 16 TB limitation

[emonkia]

In the current 4.2.17 firmware, is it still true that the only way to get 16TB+ compatibility is to factory default with 16TB+ disk space installed? I know a factory default will be required either way.

Is the 16TB raw disk space available (disk manufacturer size), usable space (GPT available size), or volume size (XRAID2 available size)?

The reason I ask is that we are planning on moving files from a RN3200 to a RN4200. The RN3200 has 15TB raw space (XRAID2 capacity of 11087 GB, 70% used). The RN4200 has 6x Hitachi 2TB drives (XRAID2 capacity of 7394 GB). To save a considerable amount of time, we had planned on just swapping the disks out from the 3200 to the 4200. Then we noticed we would hit a brick wall with future expansion of the current 15 TB of disks (factory defaulted with something like v4.2.5-9 or so firmware).

Since the 4200 has been factory defaulted with v4.2.17 firmware while containing 12 TB raw disk space, will it need factory defaulted again once we hit 16TB of raw disk space (to use all additional HD space)?
Will the fact that it has already been factory defaulted work for auto-expansion when we pass the 16TB size?

We need to know as we are planning on moving a large amount of data between 2 ReadyNAS systems. If we will have to factory default again in the future, we will either just transplant the existing RN3200 drives to the RN4200, or have to purchase more 2TB drives now to cover the 16 TB space requirement. We have already upgraded both of the mentioned ReadyNAS systems to v4.2.17 firmware, so they will match firmware & disk OS versions in case we transplant the disks.

To say this with no confusion, is it possible to:

factory default system with 12 TB raw disk space
in the future add more than 4 TB more disk space
have auto-expansion automatically work without need to factory default again

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Also, we need to know if the following is still relevant:
ReadyNAS 3200 and 4200 are limited to 2TB on channels 5-12. Channels 1-4 supports 3TB+ drives with RAIDiator 4.2.16+.

Does the fact that the firmware v4.2.18 notes web page not mentioning the above line mean that this version of firmware fixes the firmware in the LSI controller, or does the 2TB limit for disks 5-12 still exist even with firmware v4.2.18?

If the problem is the LSI controller, can we just replace the LSI controller with the model used in the new version of the RN4200?

Edit: fixed XRAID6 to XRAID2 - my mind is in the future.

[mdgm-ntgr]

emonkia wrote:
In the current 4.2.17 firmware, is it still true that the only way to get 16TB+ compatibility is to factory default with 16TB+ disk space installed? I know a factory default will be required either way.

Yes. To get a volume with greater than 16TB of space you need to do a factory reset with the disks in place.

emonkia wrote:
Is the 16TB raw disk space available (disk manufacturer size), usable space (GPT available size), or volume size (XRAID6 available size)?

I believe it's the volume size.

emonkia wrote:
factory defaulted with something like v4.2.5-9 or so firmware

You can download the logs (Status > Logs > Download all logs), extract the zip contents and look in initrd.log. The oldest RAIDiator version mentioned there will be the one you factory defaulted on.

emonkia wrote:
Will the fact that it has already been factory defaulted work for auto-expansion when we pass the 16TB size?

Have a read of http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=288457#p288457
Once the 16TB limitation has been addressed eventually I think yoh-dah would probably make a post about it.

emonkia wrote:
To say this with no confusion, is it possible to: factory default system with 12 TB raw disk space in the future add more than 4 TB more disk space have auto-expansion automatically work without need to factory default again -----

I believe the limit is on volume capacity not raw disk space. When the limitation is eventually overcome, I'd expect yoh-dah would explain what is necessary for the fix to work.

emonkia wrote:

Also, we need to know if the following is still relevant: ReadyNAS 3200 and 4200 are limited to 2TB on channels 5-12. Channels 1-4 supports 3TB+ drives with RAIDiator 4.2.16+. Does the fact that the firmware v4.2.18 notes web page not mentioning the above line mean that this version of firmware fixes the firmware in the LSI controller, or does the 2TB limit for disks 5-12 still exist even with firmware v4.2.18?

A firmware update is not going to overcome a hardware issue.

emonkia wrote:
If the problem is the LSI controller, can we just replace the LSI controller with the model used in the new version of the RN4200?

That is a good question. Hopefully a Jedi notices this thread and can answer that.

[emonkia]

A firmware update is not going to overcome a hardware issue.

I wasn't sure if the LSI 2.0 TB issue was hard coded in to the controller or could be updated via a LSI firmware update. Our Qlogic fibre cards can get their firmware at boot from the OS, so I know it is sometimes possible.

We are hopefully solving the 16 TB issue by just buying 4 more 2.0 TB drives and filling it up with 6 original + 6 added = 24 TB (manufacturer) raw, hopefully will be 16 TB XRAID2 2x redundant volume (24TB sans 2 drives, 80% ~ 16 TB). No 3 TB drives on HCL for 3200/4200 yet, so...

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The reason we are leaving the 3200 behind is that it is experiencing some really odd behavior on disk 6; ATA errors lead to pulling/replacing disk, but the system will not recognize it has anything new plugged in to the disk port (even after cold reset). We tried 2 new WD hard drives, both of which worked just fine when later tested in the RN4200. Just for kicks we took a working Hitachi drive from the RN4200 and put it in the RN3200. It also fails to be seen, yet works perfectly in any other piece of equipment. The web interface still shows a Seagate drive for disk 6. The part that worries us is that disk 1 now is starting down the same road disk 6 went down; multiple ATA errors in a single day, no other issues reported.

We will be getting in touch with ReadyNAS about this particular issue once we get the RN3200 out of production.

[TeknoJnky]

emonkia wrote:
If the problem is the LSI controller, can we just replace the LSI controller with the model used in the new version of the RN4200?

I believe one of the jedi's commented in the past, that the controller is integrated on the motherboard, ie not replaceable.

I personally would not be paying any amount of money for a new one unless you can get garaunteed on having a new LSI controller with 3tb+ support (from your retailer/supplier), but thats just me.