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anon_5224
join:2001-10-23
united state
Asus RT-AC66

anon_5224

Member

need help picking a new NAS

I'm trying to find a replacement for my current NAS setup which consists of 5 D-Link DNS-321 each with 2x 1TB WD Black HDD's running in RAID-1 (total of 5TB across the units).

On impulse, I purchased 2x 6TB WD Red HDD's to consolidate the 5 units to a single 6TB RAID-1 in a new Netgear ReadyNAS RN102 enclosure, without fully reading the specs for the RN102. Man I feel stupid knowing now that the RN102 has a max capacity of 8TB for RAID-0 or 4TB RAID-1. Even worse, the HCL listed in plain sight on the Netgear support site isn't even that extensive. So at the moment, I have incompatible parts and it is not cost-effective to return any of this stuff; after all I will make use of the HDD's and the RN102 is otherwise functional, just needs compatible HDD's which I will eventually obtain.

current NAS: »www.amazon.com/D-Link-DN ··· 019OZ3OO

RN102 NAS: »www.amazon.com/gp/produc ··· F8&psc=1

I'm posting here because I have been shopping NAS boxes for a while now, and am hoping there are users here who can point me in the right direction for what I'm looking for in a NAS: it needs to be fairly simple as far as style, as it will replace the DNS-321's currently in use. I need something that with Gigabit Ethernet (seems standard anymore) and capability of seeing my 6TB WD Red drives. 2 drive bays is all I need, and the purpose is simply a storage box, it doesn't need to do anything except be available for a Windows PC to map a drive letter to.

Thanks to anyone who can help

Lenovo NAS under consideration: »www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Di ··· duct_top

aurgathor
join:2002-12-01
Lynnwood, WA

aurgathor

Member

said by anon_5224:

On impulse, I purchased 2x 6TB WD Red HDD's to consolidate the 5 units to a single 6TB RAID-1 in a new Netgear ReadyNAS RN102 enclosure, without fully reading the specs for the RN102. Man I feel stupid knowing now that the RN102 has a max capacity of 8TB for RAID-0 or 4TB RAID-1. Even worse, the HCL listed in plain sight on the Netgear support site isn't even that extensive. So at the moment, I have incompatible parts and it is not cost-effective to return any of this stuff; after all I will make use of the HDD's and the RN102 is otherwise functional, just needs compatible HDD's which I will eventually obtain.

Did you try to talk to Netgear's support? I see no reason why it wouldn't support disks over 4TB aside from some artificial limit set somewhere, so maybe they'll have a SW upgrade at some point in time.

anon_5224
join:2001-10-23
united state

anon_5224

Member

yes i was on chat for a while and was told no way not now anyway.

aurgathor
join:2002-12-01
Lynnwood, WA

aurgathor

Member

Interesting. Did they give you any technical reason for that? 4TB drives already have large sectors, and that was the last size related issue I know of.

anon_5224
join:2001-10-23
united state
Asus RT-AC66

anon_5224

Member

no reason given nope

i think i should've spent more time reading the 'less than 3 star' reviews on amazon before purchasing too; oh well i'll find a use for it and maybe in time a firmware update will 'allow' higher capacity HDD's. netgear seems to have gone downhill since i last shopped their products.

Oregonian
Premium Member
join:2000-12-21
West Linn, OR

Oregonian to anon_5224

Premium Member

to anon_5224
I have a four bay Synology NAS and have been very happy with it.

For a two bay unit you might consider this:

»www.amazon.com/Synology- ··· synology

It has a GB LAN and supports 6TB drives.

»www.synology.com/en-us/c ··· d/DS215j

AzDragonLord
join:2003-10-21
Florence, AZ

AzDragonLord to anon_5224

Member

to anon_5224
I have a Drobo 5N that I like a lot. Self-configuring, easy to expand and auto-healing.

»www.drobo.com/storage-pr ··· ucts/5n/

anon_5224
join:2001-10-23
united state
Asus RT-AC66

anon_5224

Member

anyone have any experience with Lenovo's offerings?

»www.amazon.com/gp/produc ··· F8&psc=1

looks hopeful but some of the reviews make it seem less so. still for $50 right now seems way too good to be true!
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

1 edit

LittleBill to anon_5224

Member

to anon_5224
another synology lover here. i know 3 people who now own them

rolfp
no-shill zone
Premium Member
join:2011-03-27
Oakland, CA

rolfp to anon_5224

Premium Member

to anon_5224
said by READYNAS FORUM :

AFAIK the 6 TB drives work on the RN100 series now, as long as you stay below the 16 TiB total volume size. If so, Netgear doesn't need a firmware release to support them.

In the case of the RN102, its impossible to exceed the 16 TiB volume size anyway. But as lxa/vandermere are saying, you will lose support if you use them. Seems a bit silly to me.

Sounds like an open invitation to slap those 6TB puppies in there and fire 'er up.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

dave to LittleBill

Premium Member

to LittleBill
Me also: DS214+.

Requires very little attention beyond installing a security update now and then.

rolfp
no-shill zone
Premium Member
join:2011-03-27
Oakland, CA

rolfp to anon_5224

Premium Member

to anon_5224
I'm using a DNS-323 with Alt-F firmware:

»sourceforge.net/projects ··· /support

»sites.google.com/site/al ··· irmware/

It's in active development and I find it easy to use for my purposes. It appears to me this firmware now supports 6TB and this might be a slightly more conservative option to explore.

»groups.google.com/forum/ ··· gyOJIzUJ

»www.google.com/url?q=htt ··· 6Axn3a8g

anon_5224
join:2001-10-23
united state

anon_5224 to rolfp

Member

to rolfp
already tried this prior to reaching out to support, no luck.
ImpetusEra
Premium Member
join:2004-05-19
00000

ImpetusEra to anon_5224

Premium Member

to anon_5224
I have two of the kind that came with drives installed, one for a month and the other 2 years. For what I paid it was basically buying drives and getting the NAS part for free. I think they are the best value for cost to transfer speed and features. A Synology would be a better unit but at much higher cost. I don't know that it will support 6TB disks though. I think they only claim support up to 3TB drives though I see reviews that 4TB works fine.
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

LittleBill

Member

said by ImpetusEra:

I have two of the kind that came with drives installed, one for a month and the other 2 years. For what I paid it was basically buying drives and getting the NAS part for free. I think they are the best value for cost to transfer speed and features. A Synology would be a better unit but at much higher cost. I don't know that it will support 6TB disks though. I think they only claim support up to 3TB drives though I see reviews that 4TB works fine.

synology supports 6tb just fine and is documented on their site
ImpetusEra
Premium Member
join:2004-05-19
00000

ImpetusEra

Premium Member

said by LittleBill:

synology supports 6tb just fine and is documented on their site

Threw it in as an after thought to the Lenovo. I've since seen UK vendors selling the IX2 paired with 6TB WD reds so would assume it will work fine. Support from Synology I would imagine is better than Lenovo, if ever required. When I bought mine I was looking for a NAS but needed drives as well. Diskless Synology with Ethernet was a bit over $150, IX2 with 2x 2TB drives was $160 so it wasn't costing me anything to try the Lenovo when bare 2TB drives were $80 each.

KoolMoe
Aw Man
Premium Member
join:2001-02-14
Annapolis, MD

KoolMoe to anon_5224

Premium Member

to anon_5224
I have an older Thecus n5200. It originally maxed out at 1tb max/RAID, I think. I've got two 2tb in there now in a simple RAID 1 and it works just fine, even without the latest firmware.

I really like this Thecus unit and while I've no experience with other models, I think it's a worthy addition to any research.
»www.thecus.com/sp_comtable.php

»www.thecus.com/sp_comlist.php

Worth a look. Lots of features, and my older one is pretty rock solid.
NefCanuck
join:2007-06-26
Mississauga, ON

NefCanuck to anon_5224

Member

to anon_5224
Synology 411j+ here, solid as a rock, even when using supposedly "bad for it" WD Greens.

Though I think I got drives with firmware that was produced just before the aggressive head parking algorithms were baked in.

NefCanuck
LittleBill
join:2013-05-24

LittleBill

Member

said by NefCanuck:

Synology 411j+ here, solid as a rock, even when using supposedly "bad for it" WD Greens.

Though I think I got drives with firmware that was produced just before the aggressive head parking algorithms were baked in.

NefCanuck

what is this bad for it? i have green drives as well for several years in it and it has been flawless. you mean because they aren't red? i guess WD is brain washing enough people
LittleBill

LittleBill to dave

Member

to dave
said by dave:

Me also: DS214+.

Requires very little attention beyond installing a security update now and then.

211j here, and i beat the crap out of mine. very solid device

anon_5224
join:2001-10-23
united state
Asus RT-AC66

anon_5224

Member

i went ahead and took a chance on the above-referenced Lenovo and so far i'm very impressed. it was less than $60 shipped next-day and after a 13hr RAID-1 build, it's been copying files in from multiple existing DNS-321's at full speeds. again, very impressed: even with just 256MB DDR3 and a simple construction this thing has been working for almost 24hrs straight at this point without a hiccup. definitely would recommend based on the first day of use, but we'll see as time goes on... from my experience if electronics fail it's during the first few weeks of heavy use.
decx
Premium Member
join:2002-06-07
Vancouver, BC

decx to anon_5224

Premium Member

to anon_5224
I'll also throw my recommendation in for Synology. I'm running a 5 bay and a 8 bay. They're pricey but they do work quite well.

As for the 6TB drive, it works according to Synology. Plus others in the Synology forums have tried it with 6TB drive. I haven't yet, but I will likely start installing 6TB drives in my 5 bay next time I need to replace/add drives.