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any benefit to factory reset after firmware update?
I just got a used Ultra 6. I did a factory reset, which finished overnight. Turns out it was on 4.2.21. The Ultra found 4.2.27 on Netgear's server and prompted me to upgrade. That is in progress now. I've read posts from mdgm implying that under certain circumstances it may be beneficial to do a factory reset with the latest firmware installed. I assume this applies to big jumps in features, such as 4.1.16(? ; whenever 4K sectors came around).
So, any value to doing another factory reset once 4.2.27 is installed on the Ultra 6, esp. coming from 4.2.21? Should I post the initrd.log(? ; the log that shows the historical firmware upgrade path)? Now is the time, of course, before I start copying data to it.
Also, after upgrading, the front panel says "C: unprotected." That doesn't sound good. Should I be concerned? Oops. Apparently I should be, as Disk 5 is marked as dead.
Re: any benefit to factory reset after firmware update?
Since your backups need to be able to ensure data safety even if the NAS totally fails, the main value of RAID is (in my view) to optimize availabililty. That is to keep the files available during disk replacements and expansion.
Since I am a home user, losing access to my data for a short while is usually an inconvenience (not something that costs me money). So I am fine with single redundancy on the NAS.
If I ran a business, then I'd either go with RAID-6, or I'd have a second NAS on premise - which could serve as both a backup of the data and a hot spare.
If you chose to go w/o adequate backups (a bad idea in my view), then maximize your RAID protection with RAID-6.
Re: any benefit to factory reset after firmware update?
Nevermind. Since the disk is dead; confirmed by switch slots; still dead in new slot; at least it's the disk and not the device/slot... doing a factory reset with 4.2.27 now. Disk should be under warranty (WD Red made in APR 2013).
Re: any benefit to factory reset after firmware update?
Thanks. That would come in handy in a scenario where I couldn't switch disks around (i.e., there is data on the volume). I considered using WD's tool, but that would involve putting it in a PC, installing the software, etc. I just wanted to RMA it as quickly as possible.
Since it is still under warranty, I called WD's "Red" number (normal warranty # disconnected me after 20 min. on hold; nice), and got the nice rep to do an Advance RMA (WD's silly website would not let me select that option). He said they'd ship it UPS Ground, but they used 2nd Day Air, so I'll get it tomorrow. I'll slap it in there and boot immediately into the boot menu to do another factory reset. 4.2.27 is now on there, so it'll be as up to date as possible. The only question I need to answer for myself is single- or dual-disk redundancy. This episode now has me leaning toward the latter. I was greedy during the first reset and did not select that option. I guess I can live without that extra 2.7+ TiB of storage space, and will settle for peace of mind.
That is RAID 6 and it is best choice for keeping the data in case of disk failures. The total capacity of your storage system equals the capacity of all your disks minus the capacity of two disks.
We strongly recommend to always have full back, though.
Re: any benefit to factory reset after firmware update?
Thanks, I understand all that. As I mentioned, the decision I need to make is extra capacity (2.7+ TiB from an extra 3TB disk) vs. two disks for parity and added protection. I need to calculate how much I think my data may grow over time. I'd like to use this Ultra 6 as long as possible, even if it is old tech. I suppose if I hit the limit of what the Ultra 6 can hold, I'll have to get a new NAS that can take much larger drives. Given we're talking years here, I assume something at a reasonable price will exist by then.
On the plus side, the replacement PSU I bought from a UK-based business revived my ancient ReadyNAS NV. Since it has 4 x 2TB "Red" drives, I can use it for backups, as needed. That, or a very localized NAS that can serve music to my main listening PC (running on a different network from the wifi, with a switch in-between ReadyNAS and the PC's Ethernet).
Re: any benefit to factory reset after firmware update?
Since your backups need to be able to ensure data safety even if the NAS totally fails, the main value of RAID is (in my view) to optimize availabililty. That is to keep the files available during disk replacements and expansion.
Since I am a home user, losing access to my data for a short while is usually an inconvenience (not something that costs me money). So I am fine with single redundancy on the NAS.
If I ran a business, then I'd either go with RAID-6, or I'd have a second NAS on premise - which could serve as both a backup of the data and a hot spare.
If you chose to go w/o adequate backups (a bad idea in my view), then maximize your RAID protection with RAID-6.
Re: any benefit to factory reset after firmware update?
Yes, that's a good point, since I'm a home user, and downtime waiting for a new disk is fine. In the past, I've always had plenty of warning from the SMART checks, so I've been able to Advance RMA or otheriwse replace the dying disk while keeping the unit running. This is the first dead disk I've encountered.
So yeah, I'll go with single-disk redundancy. I suppose that's the default setting, but I guess I can save a few minutes by interrupting the 10-minute window and force the setup to start.
