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ReadyNAS - Boot, Installation and Upgrade FAQs

ReadyNAS - Boot, Installation and Upgrade FAQs

Boot, Installation, and Upgrade

Boot, Installation, and Upgrade

How can I properly shutdown the ReadyNAS?

You can depress the power button on the front of the ReadyNAS for about 5 secs until the disk LEDs start blinking, and then release. The shutdown process will take about 10 secs or so. Alternatively, you can shutdown from FrontView from the System→Shutdown page.

Can I update the ReadyNAS firmware before doing the installing my disks?

No, you need to have at least one disk installed before you can update to the new firmware. You can do a factory default with all your disks after the firmware has been loaded.

Can I mix disk models and sizes when installing the ReadyNAS?

Yes you can, however, please note that the smallest capacity disk will be used to determine the overall size of your data volume. Also, your performance may be limited by the slowest of the disks.

Does the ReadyNAS support SATA II hard disks?

Yes, however, the ReadyNAS will utilize the disks in SATA I (150MB/sec) mode.

Can I use the disk(s) that were previously used in a PC/MAC?

Yes you can. But old data will not be able to be preserved, because of this, it is always better to start from factory reset when old disks are used. This will ensure that you have a clean installation on used disk(s).

How do I configure a RAID 1 or RAID 5 volume with a spare disk?

After installation, delete the existing RAID volume and recreate it with one disk configured as a hot spare. Please be aware that X-RAID does not support hot spare.

How do I upgrade the ReadyNAS firmware when the ReadyNAS is not connected to the Internet?

Download the ReadyNAS firmware to your PC and perform a local update from FrontView.

How do I re-install the firmware?

You can force a re-installation of the firmware from flash to the disk. This is helpful if you have lost your admin password and want to set it back to default, if errors in your network settings has made it impossible to connect to the ReadyNAS, or if you suspect that the operating system on your disk may somehow be corrupt. The firmware re-installation process will not touch your data volume.

Here are the steps:

  1. Power down the ReadyNAS.
  2. Locate a pinhole at the lower left corner of the ReadyNAS 600 or X6 on the back. On the ReadyNAS 1000S, the pinhole is in the front. On the NV, the pinhole is next to the USB port in the back.
  3. Get a straightened paper clip and depress the hidden switch in the pinhole while the power is off, and then power on the ReadyNAS, keeping the switch depressed for about 5 secs.
  4. You will see the drive LEDs in the front blink once. Release the switch at immediately. Do not wait for the 2nd blink which will cause the ReadyNAS to reset itself to factory default and wiping out your data. If you see the LED flash a 2nd time, turn off the power immediately from the back.

The firmware installation will begin from that point. You can monitor the progress with RAIDar. You admin password will reset to 'infrant1' or 'netgear1'.

How do I install/remove an add-on?

Simply download the add-on and upload it from FrontView System→Update→Local tab. You will need to reboot before the add-on is installed.

Some of the Add-on packages will not be removable after they are installed. Add-on packages that install a service can be removed from the Services tab.

RAIDar is unable to find the ReadyNAS on my network. How do I resolve this?
  1. Make sure all the software firewall is turned off or disabled.
  2. Make sure UDP ports on the routers are not blocked.
  3. Make sure both client PC and the ReadyNAS are in same subnet.
How do I reset my ReadyNAS admin password?

You can reset your ReadyNAS Admin password by accessing http://ip_address_of_readynas/password_recovery . If you have forgotten the password recovery answer, you will need to perform a firmware re-installation to reset the admin password.

How do I direct-connect between ReadyNAS and PC/Mac?
  1. Assign a static IP address to the ReadyNAS, and set your PC with a static IP in the same subnet.
  2. Connect the ReadyNAS and PC NIC using a straight or crossover Ethernet cable.
  3. Power on the ReadyNAS and scan with RAIDar to locate the ReadyNAS.

Note: If the ReadyNAS is set for DHCP (default mode), it will appear as IP 192.168.168.168.

How many data volumes does the ReadyNAS support in Flex-RAID mode?

The ReadyNAS supports up to 4 data volumes, but each disk is limited to 2 data partitions.

How many data volumes does the ReadyNAS support in X-RAID mode?

X-RAID mode is designed as a single-volume system, so only one.

Why is my volume capacity is lower than expected?

There are several things that factor into the usable capacity of your ReadyNAS volume.

  1. Disk manufacturers use 1GB = 1000^3, whereas most modern operating systems, including RAIDiator, use 1GB = 1024^3. This means a 500GB disk will show up as 465 GB in FrontView.
  2. RAID requires one disk capacity to maintain redundancy. This means if you have 4 x 500GB disks, your end usable capacity will be 3 x 500GB.
  3. RAIDiator operating system takes up roughly 2.25GB per disk.
  4. The overhead of RAID and filesystem takes up roughly 2% of the total space.
  5. Snapshot space takes up 5GB by default during installation. This is resizable.

For example, let's calculate the usable capacity of a 4 x 500GB system in RAID 5 or X-RAID mode. For simplicity, we'll calculate this based on

Raw capacity (GB = 1000^3) = 2000 Conversion to (GB = 1024^3) = 1862 Minus one disk for redundancy (-465) = 1397 Minus OS (10) = 1387 Minus RAID/Filesystem overhead (2%) = 1359 Minus snapshot reserved space (5GB) = 1354

Based on our calculation, the approximate usable capacity for a 4 x 500GB system is 1354GB.

How do I replace a failed disk?

On ReadyNAS systems supporting disk hot-swap (i.e. NV, 1000S), you can take out the failed disk and replace it with a new disk while the ReadyNAS is online (there's no need to shutdown the ReadyNAS). Make sure after taking out the failed disk, you wait about 10 secs before inserting the replacement. On other ReadyNAS systems, you'll need to shutdown the ReadyNAS and replace the failed disk while powered off, and then power-on the ReadyNAS. Once the replacement disk is in-place, the disk will be initialized and sync'd into the RAID volume.

How long does it take to sync a replacement disk?

This depends on the size of the disk. Typically it'll take anywhere from an hour to several hours. You can monitor the progress in RAIDar or FrontView RAID Settings tab.

How do I switch between Flex-RAID and X-RAID mode?

RAID 0, 1, and 5 are part of the Flex-RAID RAID levels. If you want to switch from this mode to X-RAID (expandable RAID), you will need to backup your data first, and then perform a factory default. During the factory default process, there will be a 10-minute window during the boot where you can use RAIDar to click the Setup and set the box to the desired RAID mode (Flex-RAID or X-RAID). RAIDar will prompt with "Click Setup" during this 10-minute period.

How do I migrate disks over from an existing ReadyNAS to another?

Never migrate disks if your volume is in degraded mode. Make sure the volume is redundant first. Then follow the steps below:

  1. Power down both systems, and move the disks over to the target ReadyNAS. Although not required, it's always a good idea to keep the ordering the same.
  2. Perform an update to the latest RAIDiator release. This will sync up the firmware on disk with what's on flash.
  3. After reboot, go to the Status/Health tab, and recalibrate the fan.
How do I add disks to an existing X-RAID volume?

First, make sure the disk is at least as large as the smallest disk in the existing X-RAID volume. Then simply add the disk into the ReadyNAS. If the ReadyNAS supports drive hot-swapping (NV, 1000S), you can hot-add it while the ReadyNAS is online. Otherwise, you will need to shutdown, add the disk, and reboot.

The newly added disk will go through an initialization and sync phase. This can take several hours (e.g. 750GB disk can take about 7 hours). You will be notified by email after this is done, and you will need to reboot the ReadyNAS. Upon boot, your existing volume will either be made redundant if this is the 2nd disk, or your volume capacity will expand if this is your 3rd disk or higher. This is an offline process that can take several hours. You can monitor this with RAIDar, and you will receive an email when the process is complete.

How do I expand an existing X-RAID volume with larger disks?

Replace one disk at a time with a larger disk, letting it finish initializing and syncing after each replacement (this process can take several hours depending on disk capacity, but you can continue access to the ReadyNAS), and after the last disk has been replaced, reboot the ReadyNAS. The expansion will occur at boot time. The expansion time will depend on your existing volume size, the ending volume size, and the number of files in your volume. Typically, it'll take anywhere from an hour to several hours. You will be notified by email at each step of the process.

Keep in mind that when your replace your disks, with ReadyNAS that supports drive hot-swapping (NV, 1000S), you do not need to shutdown the box before replacing the disks. Simply pull out the disk, wait at least 10 secs, and then add the replacement disk.

Is it possible for ReadyNAS to restart when power is restored?

ReadyNAS 600/X6/1000S (Rev A and Rev B) will restart automatically, however, ReadyNAS NV/NV+ will not. ReadyNAS 1100 is configurable by on board jumper(J6, Default is on).

RAIDar status said "Corrupted Root" during factory reset or installation. What should I do?

First, make sure your memory DIMM is seated securely. It may have come loose during shipment. Otherwise, the flash image may be corrupted and will need to be restored. For NAND Flash based systems, please use TFTP Boot Recovery, for USB Flash or Compact Flash based systems, please use Raw-writer.

How do I perform a TFTP Boot Recovery?

TFTP Boot Recovery is useful in cases where the ReadyNAS fails to boot, and you suspect the flash may be corrupted. Download the TFTP Boot Recovery package from here and follow the instructions in Readme.txt

Can I do the TFTP Boot Recovery from a Mac?

Yes. You can download the TFTPServer for Mac here and use it instead of the Windows-based tftpd32.exe included in the TFTP Boot Recovery package.

How can I perform a Boot Recovery using a USB flash device?

If you are experiencing boot problems and TFTP Boot Recovery process cannot be performed, you can use the USB Boot Recovery instead. You'll need to download the latest RAIDiator image here and write that image to the USB flash device. To write the image on a Windows PC, you'll need to use Rawrite32.exe. Make sure to click the Eject button after the write is complete. On Macs and Linux systems, you'll need to use the 'dd' command in the shell to write the image to the flash device(dd the image to the first partition of the USB drive).

Power down the ReadyNAS, insert the USB flash device, and depress the power button on the front for approximately 20 secs -- you'll see all the disk LEDs blink once at 5 secs, 10 secs, 15 secs, and 20 secs. Release the button right after the 4th blink. This will start the USB boot recovery process.

Note: ReadyNAS boot loader does not support USB flash drives with USB hub built-in, if RAIDar does not detect NAS after 5 minutes, please try other brand/model USB flash drives or you can check if the flash drive has built-in hub using Windows device manager.

I've scheduled auto Power-On, but why is the ReadyNAS not powering up automatically?

You'll need to allow the ReadyNAS to automatically power-down for the auto power-on to work. Manually powering off the ReadyNAS overrides the automatic Power-On feature.

I've enabled the schedule Power-Off/Power-On option on my NV, but now I cannot power-on my ReadyNAS. What should I do?

Older revision of the NV mainboard will get into this state if the Power-On event comes on while the NV has no AC, or if there was a power-outage during this time. To recover from this, you will need to reset the timer following the instructions here. When lift battery clamp in Step 3), please do it gently.

My shares are missing after the ReadyNAS was rebooted. What should I do?
  1. Check the Volume tab and see if the volume usage information is as expected.
  2. Make sure you did not encounter multiple disk failures. Check your logs.
  3. Do a Download All Logs, file a support request with NETGEAR Support.
How do I reset the ReadyNAS to factory default?

Resetting the ReadyNAS back to factory default will wipe out all configuration and data. Please understand this before continuing. If you choose to continue, here are the steps:

  1. Power down the ReadyNAS.
  2. Locate a pinhole at the lower left corner of the ReadyNAS 600 on the back. On the ReadyNAS 1000S, the pinhole is in the front. On the ReadyNAS NV, the pinhole is on the back next to USB ports.
  3. Get a straightened paper clip and depress the hidden switch in the pinhole while the power is off, and then power on the ReadyNAS, keeping the switch depressed for about 30 secs.
  4. You will see the drive LEDs in the front blink once at about 5 secs and again at about 30 secs. Release the switch at the 2nd blink.

There will be a 10-minute window where you can use RAIDar to change the RAID mode and/or select the snapshot reserved space. RAIDar will prompt with "Click Setup". If you do not click Setup, the installation will begin with the default settings. Otherwise, it will begin when you've confirmed your option selection in RAIDar. You can monitor the installation progress with RAIDar.

What is the FrontView default login and password after a factory default?

Prior to RAIDiator 4.0, the default login and password is 'admin' and 'infrant1'. Starting with RAIDiator 4.0, login and password is 'admin' and 'netgear1'. Please make sure you change the admin password after doing a factory default.

Will clients with non-jumbo frame network interfaces be able to access the ReadyNAS if jumbo frames is enabled?

Yes, the frame size will be negotiated down to the non-jumbo size with clients not supporting jumbo frames.

RAIDar shows ReadyNAS IP is 192.168.168.168 and cannot access NAS, why? and how to fix?

This may happen when ReadyNAS is configured to obtain IP address from DHCP server, but DHCP server does not provide IP when ReadyNAS request for IP address. When this happen, correct DHCP server problem, etc. And wait for a while or until ReadyNAS obtain correct IP address from Server. You can also unplug and then plug ethernet cable to force re-initialize network.

This may happen in below situations for examples.

  • After power outage, DHCP server's boot process takes longer than ReadyNAS.
  • DHCP lease period expired while DHCP server die.
  • Click "renew" button in 'Ethernet' tab under 'Network' menu of FrontView, while DHCP server die.
When I used IE7 or Windows Vista, I get security warning. How to get rid of this?

ReadyNAS uses self-signed certificate. IE7 or Windows Vista will not trust this certificate unless you explicitly import this certificate by yourself. Below is brief procedure to import certificate.

  1. First, examine certificate. (Left click on "Certificate Error" in address bar, and click "View Certificate".) If certificate's "Issued to:" and current IP is different, navigate FrontView/Services/Standard_FIle_protocol. Under "HTTPS" service, there is "Generate new key" button. Specify "SSL key host" match with your ReadyNAS' IP, and click "Generate" button. And exit IE7 (to flush cache), and connect to FrontView again.
  2. Then install certificate into IE7. Left click on "Certificate Error" in address bar of IE7, and click "View Certificate". There is "Install Certificate.." button. Click this button to start "Certificate Import Wizard", so follow Wizard to install certificate.
  3. Once certificate is installed properly, you will not be warned.

Note for Vista Users: Please note that Windows Vista works different than XP. When you are using Vista, you need to specify ReadyNAS as "Trusted Zone", otherwise you don't see "Install Certificate.." button when viewing certificate. And while walking through "Certificate Import Wizard", you need to click "Place all certificates in the following store" radio button, and specify "Trusted Root Certification Authorities". (If you place a certificate in your personal store, IE will not trust it.)

System boot seems hang on a bad disk, how do I know which one is bad?

If you suspect that one of disks is bad and hanging system boot, please follow these steps to quick locate which one may be bad:

  • Starts RAIDar on PC
  • Power up ReadyNAS and keep rescan in RAIDar
  • As soon as disk LEDs shown in RAIDar, before bad disk hangs system, hover mouse on each disk LED, a pop up message should show disk model only if no ATA errors detected, otherwise, ATA error count will also be displayed

High ATA error count usually means that disk is failing. The best thing to do is to non-destructive test it on PC using vendor's tools, UBCD is one of the best disk utilities compilation, or simply replace the bad disk. The signs of bad disks: Clicking noise from disk, ACT LED flash only once or twice in half minute repeatedly, No ACT blinking while power LED is not solid. General advises on bad disk handling: Backup data first, keep disks in original order, replace bad disk as soon as possible, never take more than 1 disk out of RAID.

 

 

n101696.asp Aug 23, 2007

 
   


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