With the announcement of EOL on the RD5200 and RD516, is there a chance that we can get code to reflash the devices to act as a ReadyNAS. I understand it would not be the same as the new hardware, but if we were able to use the existing hardware, I for one would be happy to have it run as a backup / replication target. I have seen the odd note about booting to USB and flash with xyz code, but nothing posative from Netgear about supporting such a move.
So the direct question to engineering. Will you be able to provide firmware (and a supported procedure) so I can convert my RD 5200's and RD516's to latest ReadyNAS. That would go a long way to making all those who invested in ReadyData not feel so let down.
There is no real way I am happy to leave EOL kit in production. What would happen when we get VMware x released, as I can't imagine Netgear getting certified on EOL kit.
I am not bothered about the data, as I can easily migrate with backups, vmotion, replication, export to NAS 🙂 so flash and wipe if perfectly ok.
I'll let a Netgear employee give the definitive answer, but I wouldn't hold my breath. There was no offical (supported) upgrade for any of the other EOL NASes, so I would not expect the ReadyData to be any different. So even if they provide a similar path to OS6.x for the readyData as they did the Intel X64 NASes, would you be any more confortable with an unsupported OS than an EOL one in a Prooduction environment? And if the requirement for using Netgear "signed" drives was retained, what would you do if you need a replacement?
I believe Netgear has really dropped the ball on being considered a real choice for a business NAS with their upgrade policy, especially since they have proven it is possible, they just chose not to. Not providing an OS upgrade for free forever, I understand. Not providing one when the hardware no longer supports it, I understand. Just deciding to tell your cusomers where they can stick their old units because they don't want to deal with it -- monumentally short sighted.
Well I guess either you didn't read the question, or you didn't care, both of which are a great disapointment.
I understand which OS is targeted currently against which hardware. Specifically I asked is there some way Netgear can make available a version of the NAS software that we can run on the Readydata hardware.
I well remember the conversation with the Netgear rep when you were pitching against NetApp and Netgear assuring me that you were going to be further developing the ReadyData range so I could be assured of future products in the range. That was only 24 months ago. Now having invested in 7 of the units I am faced with scrapping them.
But wait, Netgear could help all the other folk just like me. Find a way to port the NAS software to our ReadyData, then we can at least use it for something.
If you ever want to be taken seriously in the "business / enterprise" market you have to be able to differenciate between yourselves and your competitours. I can buy tin anywhere, it's the support for the tin that is the real value, and currently your answer makes the Netgear tin I purchased worthless.
Thanks for that. I had seen the previous post and was after clarification.
Are you or anyone able to clarify the position on the RD5200 being the same and having the ability to run (unsupported perhaps) the ReadyNAS 06 software. I have 2 of the 5200's both fully populated. I have the SSD cache read and write drives in one but could pull them if it were not supported (and I have not seen mention of them in the docs on ReadyNAS I have seen so far) but happy to be corrected.
Perhaps Netgear might consider supporting such a transition if enough people wanted the option. I am sure for the effort of making it supported you might win back some of the support from customers who have purchased in good faith and are now questioning Netgear as a true Enterprise enabled company, and just want a reasonable migration path. I would not even mind if it required a maintenance contract, as I would then see more value in the kit I have purchased.
I accept the new kit wil be faster, and having a migration path to more speed but same OS (were I able to get ReadyNAS 06) would encourage me to stick with Netgear in the future. I am sure you have already depleted all stock of the RD series, but if you have not then you could always update them and sell them on rather than having them sitting in a warehouse.
This is Doug, product line manager for the network storage products at NETGEAR.
The RD5200 is now getting quite old and not sustainable to meet the current and next-year performance demands of data backup, especially in a VM environment. Here are some numbers we have measured. I want to emphasize that these are not "official" data yet and are only published in the community for "power users" consumption.
Following are IOPS, all in RAID6 configuration, with the same Seagate ST3000DM001 Drives
SMB RR4312X RD5200
4k random write (20GB file) 10895 187
4k random read (20GB file) 120150 178
4k sequential write (20GB file) 15348 11488
4k sequential read (20GB file) 206654 14603
iSCSI RR4312X RD5200
4k random write 2998 442
4k random read 104138 300
4k sequential write 30356 21490
4k sequential read 200226 23245
RR4312X costs significantly less and outperforms by a mile against RD5200. I would very much encourage you to take a look at the spec and try it out. I am quite certain that you would not regret moving to ReadyNAS 4312X from ReadyDATA. We have already moved Replicate to ReadyNAS and are calling it ReadyDR.
Please let us know how we can make your transition smoother.
The RD5200 and RD516's we purchased are just 24 months old, so whilst IT moves at a fast pace, in typical business investment terms they have at least three years to run before we would normally have to replace. Typically when we upgrade we cycle the kit down, so the once primary storage becomes secondary, and the old secondary becomes archive etc. With both NetApp and Dell Equalogic the same code / frontend has been available, we just buy in faster tin.
I totally understand the new chassis that replaces RD series are much faster, and more importantly will have more development in the future. If I were purchasing from scratch they would be high on my list, both in cost and performance.
So back to the original question, for those of us who supported Netgear in the development cycle (because we had faith and went with you folk) and purchased the RD series which you promoted as the way forward for business users, just want Netgear to spend a little development time and make a supported upgrade of code available on the RD series.
I would then be able to continue using my RD series as backup targets for the RR4312X series, so the existing investment is not scrap, and I would have a clear migration path, all using same code/terminology. I can buy a RR431x chassis, configure it all up, transfer all my data from the RD5200, then reimage the RD chassis as the replication / backup target.
The key word you use is "transition", and the ability to run the same code on the RD would greatly assist a seamless transition. To me it would be the difference between "rip and replace" and "upgrade". Upgrade encourages me to stick with Netgear. Rip and replace encourages me to look elsewhere at the competition.
This all looks a bit long winded, but I hope it gives you some understanding into what we are asking.
Obviously as it's christmas a RR4312x chassis from the Netgear Santa would be very nice.
Thank you for the post, giving the challenges of moving from ReadyDATA to ReadyNAS context. Indeed, a "customer loyalty program' may be a good way to motivate our customers to make the transition, and retain the value of the investment made in the original purchase of the ReadyDATA product.
I welcome your suggestions, from Nick, and from any one of you who stay with NETGEAR, and participate on this community site. Of course, the program must be equitable and makes sense to both NETGEAR and its customers. Please email me at doug.cheung@netgear.com.
Your last sentence about Christmas brings a good hearted smile from me. I'd rather be the guy coming down the chimney and handing out gifts, than the guy crawling on the floor, crack exposed, trying to fix an old pipe.
In all seriousness, I am committed to working with you to give you a soft landing... Customer loyalty program is my preferred route.
