Cheapest 4-bay HDD enclosure or alternatives...

[manniraj]

Finally, upgraded the firmware to 6.1.5 and did a factory default. Now copying the data off my PC and external drives.
Getting transfer rates of 60-65MB/s (this was a relief) and its much responsive than before. Planning to install 2x 4TB drives very soon, so that I can accommodate my growing data.

New apps like Serviio, Logitech Media Server, CouchPotato, SickBeard and a few more have increased the value of this NAS.
FLAC Audio transcoding (on-the-fly) works perfectly for my Samsung TV thru the Serviio app.

Just a curious question, almost all the professional NAS while updating the firmware the data has to be backed up is it? I mean if you have 4TB of data already present in the NAS you need to take the entire backup to external HDD and then update the firmware and factory reset. This just does not look good as you should have the same amount of free space to back up the data and getting them over the NAS drives is too costly affair.

 

[saketb]

Just a curious question, almost all the professional NAS while updating the firmware the data has to be backed up is it? I mean if you have 4TB of data already present in the NAS you need to take the entire backup to external HDD and then update the firmware and factory reset. This just does not look good as you should have the same amount of free space to back up the data and getting them over the NAS drives is too costly affair.

No, for updating the firmware you need not back-up the data. It is only necessary if the firmware requires for some specific reason like in RN104, it was specified by the Netgear team to do a factory reset before upgrading to the new firmware. The file system present in the NAS (BTRFS) was modified to give better performance for large volumes.

On the other hand, backing up your data is entirely on one's choice. Many people do not backup the entire data, and only be specific to something more important to them. Previous disasters with hdd failures have made me to take complete back-up of my data. Yes, its a costly affair, but you have to live with it. When, any new data is added to the NAS, I make a copy to either internal or external drive as the case maybe.

 

[saketb]

New firmware update version 6.1.6 (46 MB) for ReadyNAS OS available for download and update.

Some major enhancements are as below:
Fixes USB device detection with certain devices or multiple hot plugs.
Updates a few components to address security vulnerabilities.
Optimizes filesystem behavior to avoid occasional high I/O latency.
Optimizes filesystem block allocator for efficiency in finding free spaces.
Reduces disk readahead size for better random performance.
Fixes Antivirus app errors after firmware upgrade.
Fixes SMB home directory access from trusted domain users in ADS mode.
Updates backup manager to improve CPU resource usage.
Accepts keyword "AUTO" in NETBIOS domain name field to auto-discover the proper value when joining domain.
Fixes rare case of disappearing single-character files/folders in Windows AD.
Fixes potential RAID 6 superblock update issue.
Fixes ReadyDLNA specification compliance issues.
Fixes Web UI authentication with usernames containing "@".
Fixes broken filesystem scrub progress calculation.
Fixes possible crash during defrag of very large files in ReadyNAS 102, 104 and 2120.
Fixes potential system hang during extreme iSCSI loads.
Fixes access problem from Windows 8.1 clients using Microsoft accounts.
Fixes power supply unit (PSU) status errors on RN3220 and RN4220.

Direct link to download (zip file) the arm version for RN102 & RN104...
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/READYNAS-100/ReadyNASOS-6.1.6-arm.zip

 

[saketb]

New firmware update version 6.1.7 (46.1 MB) for ReadyNAS OS available for download and update.

Some major enhancements are as below:
Fixed automated antivirus definition update process to prevent a condition which the definition updates do not occur until a system reboot.
Added informative logs when failing to join an Active Directory (ADS) domain.
Fixed backup job issue to improve support for SCO FTP servers.
Fixed backup job issue when empty directories on FTP server could cause the following directory contents to be skipped.
Fixed network setting error in UI when there are no DNS servers configured.
Fixed defrag hangs with large, very fragmented files.
Fixed iTunes video playback support.
Applied various security updates.
Supports DLNA/UPnP-AV searches issued by clients using the Grilo framework.
Fixed DLNA video stuttering issue on Panasonic clients.
Added system serial number to SNMP queries.
Fixed possible large file transfer failure immediately after a reboot. Additional attempts would succeed.
Fixed incremental backup when the job is configured to do a full backup every 1 & 2 weeks.
Compression option can be enabled when creating a new shared folder.

Direct link to download (zip file) the arm version for RN102 & RN104...
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/READYNAS-100/ReadyNASOS-6.1.7-arm.zip

 

[GeorgeO]

Even the Synology NAS units allow you to update firmware on the fly so to speak

 

[saketb]

New major firmware update version 6.2.0 for ReadyNAS OS available for download and update.

Some major enhancements are as below:
ReadyDROP has been replaced by a more granular syncing solution. PC clients using ReadyCLOUD desktop app can sync multiple folders and share with multiple users. Users can find the desktop app installation link by logging into readycloud.netgear.com
ReadyNAS Remote app for Windows and Mac has been replaced by ReadyCLOUD desktop app. The new desktop apps support advanced syncing as well as backing up content from a PC to a ReadyNAS.
Share files with users by sending an email link. Users that receive the email will download the file directly from ReadyNAS. Security permissions are configurable.
Support bitrot data protection. Automatically detect and correct corruption due to media degradation. Enabled per Share.
Time Machine functionality has been improved to better manage multiple users. Each user will receive a private virtual Time Machine target. Capacity quota can be set for each user
Genie Marketplace has been removed. Users will no longer be required to setup a Genie account to download and install add-on applications. All add-on applications can be installed directly from the Available tab.
Support for disk spin down added. Included in the new Power tab under System.
Format USB drives from the GUI
New default user profile. Setup default user settings for Home Folders, Private Time Machine, and Group membership which are applied automatically to new users (Home Folder applies to local, domain, and cloud users. Private Time Machine applies to local users only. Group Membership only works for local users).
iTunes and DLNA have been implemented as protocols. Users can enable iTunes and DLNA for any share.
Backup job workflow has been updated and included ability to browse local sources and destinations
Support Home folder snapshots
Local Admin GUI page supports HTTP as well as HTTPS
Support static route configurations
Schedule volume maintenance tasks such as Scrub, Defragment, Balance, and Disk Test
ReadyNAS and ReadyCLOUD portal will attempt to connect over local area network (LAN) when possible. This will improve transfer speeds.
New default settings based on ReadyNAS model Users will see the new default settings after a factory default or on units that shipped with 6.2.0.

Direct link to download (zip file) the arm version for RN102 & RN104...
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/READYNAS-100/ReadyNASOS_6.2.0-arm.zip

A follow up of the firmware with version 6.2.2
Enhancements & Bug Fixes:
Fixed LAN instability in some IPv6-enabled environments.
Fixed FQDN validation for modifying existing backup jobs.
Fixed potential dangling external storage lock, which could cause external drives to not mount.
Fixed issue with expansion not completing.

Direct link to download (zip file) the arm version for RN102 & RN104...
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/READYNAS-100/ReadyNASOS-6.2.2-arm.zip

Kindly Note...
ReadyNAS devices updated to ReadyNAS 6.2.0 or later cannot be downgraded to ReadyNAS 6.1.x or earlier.

 

[mgdelhi]

I am on 6.1.4.

Can I upgrade to 6.2.2 without loosing data?

 

[saketb]

I am on 6.1.4.

Can I upgrade to 6.2.2 without loosing data?

Yes, why not... But taking a backup of the data is always recommended.
Download the firmware on your PC and then upload the file to do an update, this way you are sure that the file is uploaded to the NAS, if there is a network issue or Netgear servers are down.

I'm in 6.1.9 and haven't upgraded yet, as there is an issue of fan speed with Seagate drives. The drives run a bit hotter in the latest firmware as compared to in 6.1.9. This should be resolved in the next release ie., 6.2.3, I guess. So, I'm waiting for the next release as I cannot downgrade, if any problems arise.

Otherwise, the latest firmware is fine and you can even check the ReadyNAS forum for the same.

 

[jsmithe]

The RN104 was available at 14900 or so via a Lightning Deal at amazon.in yesterday and looks like it's going to be listed again today at 1.00 pm.

Anyone interested in getting this could keep an eye on this deal.