hdd for my nas ReadyNas NV+

[anm]

See details here - http://www.hifivision.com/sale-owner/31034-netgear-readynas-nv-4-bay-diskless.html

It has been lying packed since I received it as I was not able to give it time.

I have researched a little, it seems I can connect a 3TB hdd to it, though it would detect only 2TB on it. Not too sure, but someone said "version matters". so I am assuming latest version of this model would be able to show 2TB.

Now should I buy 4x3TB, so that they can be used even when I upgrade the NAS, or should I just buy 4x2TB?


Is this a good HDD? approx 8600 at flipkart - Seagate Barracuda 3 TB Desktop Internal Hard Drive (ST3000DM001) - Seagate: Flipkart.com

Or a 2TB - approx 5900 - Seagate Barracuda 2 TB Desktop Internal Hard Drive (ST2000DM001) - Seagate: Flipkart.com

Since this is a seller on flipkart, I am not sure is it a good idea to buy from him. Any other place I should buy it from?

 

[jagdish_p]

Never had a problem with buying on Flipkart.

My suggestion is not to buy 3 TB if your NAS does not recognize 3 TB.

By the time you think of upgrading the HDDs life would have come down

 

[Shivam]

Just buy the least expensive HDDs upto 2TB that serve your purpose but remember to keep a separate backup. RAID is not a replacement for backup.

 

[jagdish_p]

Raid 1 and above provide for Data recovery when one disk fails.

 

[anm]

thanks guys. please suggest disks that I should go for. Shivam - do u also suggest 2TB?

Is the barracuda expensive on flipkart?

 

[yesh1th]

ideal HDDs for NAS are the WD Reds, but they are not easily available !! I stacked my Synology NAS with WD Caviar Green 2 TB HDDs .. they each costed around Rs.5400 .. i bought them from a local dealer ..

 

[Shivam]

Raid 1 and above provide for Data recovery when one disk fails.

What if the data is corrupt ?
If RAID is your only attempt at back-up then the same corrupt data will be backed up. RAID is good in case of a disc failure or for speed but never a replacement for backup.

I use a NAS without RAID since it provides me more space and then I have a back-up in a different location with a RAID.

 

[GeorgeO]

anm

Check the ReadyNAS form for a list of the HDDs that they "recommend"-that doesnt mean that no other HDD works-all it means is that they have tested these and they work. There is no single ideal HDD recommended by them. I have used Samsung and Seagate drives successfully, with no problem whatsoever.
"Version" means that the ReadayNAS NV+ V.2 is designed to have 3TB drives installed, unlike the NV+.

My person suggestion is to consider 2TBs and once you cross the storage limit-which may take longer than you think, then initially add an external to beef up your capacity, and then consider an upgrade. I have the NV+ V.2, currently have installed 2 X 3TB, plan to install another 2 more shortly.

 

[anm]

What if the data is corrupt ?
If RAID is your only attempt at back-up then the same corrupt data will be backed up. RAID is good in case of a disc failure or for speed but never a replacement for backup.

I use a NAS without RAID since it provides me more space and then I have a back-up in a different location with a RAID.

where/ how do you backup so much data?

 

[anm]

anm

Check the ReadyNAS form for a list of the HDDs that they "recommend"-that doesnt mean that no other HDD works-all it means is that they have tested these and they work. There is no single ideal HDD recommended by them. I have used Samsung and Seagate drives successfully, with no problem whatsoever.
"Version" means that the ReadayNAS NV+ V.2 is designed to have 3TB drives installed, unlike the NV+.

My person suggestion is to consider 2TBs and once you cross the storage limit-which may take longer than you think, then initially add an external to beef up your capacity, and then consider an upgrade. I have the NV+ V.2, currently have installed 2 X 3TB, plan to install another 2 more shortly.

Some hdd are better than others in terms of 24x7 operation as in a NAS, low heat etc. Based on that understanding, WD Red and barracuda could be the better ones.

Low noise, low heat, low rate of failure would be the criteria.

 

[anm]

how does this compare? Wd 2 TB SATA Survelliance Hard Drive Price in India, Buy Western Digital Internal Hard Disc Online - Infibeam.com

 

[Shivam]

where/ how do you backup so much data?

One single 2TB for storing all my music in a NAS for regular use. Even this is more than half empty. I have only the music that I like and not everything that I can find.

Back up is on another NAS with RAID . This is used only for backup purposes. It has music, documents, photos and other important data.

 

[hydra]

how does this compare? Wd 2 TB SATA Survelliance Hard Drive Price in India, Buy Western Digital Internal Hard Disc Online - Infibeam.com

anm, these are the WD AV-GP drives, code EURS, as against WD EARS which are the WD Green drives. I don't think buying this drive for your NAS would be a good idea.

The EURS drives have much weaker (or non-existent) error correction, if I remember what I've read right. They are optimised to record data, mostly video, and to stream video, and not to read/write data without errors. It does not matter if a couple of frames are dropped (not recorded or retrieved) when we're using it for video purposes, but for data purposes, that would be pretty much disastrous. They will not be a good fit, unless you need them for a DVR, or for CC-TV recording purposes. I also remember reading somewhere that WD does not recommend using these drives in RAID.

The Green series (EARS) or the new RED series would be good for NAS purposes. In fact, the RED series is specifically designed for NAS use. But I do think the RED drives are costlier than the Green drives.

 

[manoj.p]

If you are doing RAID or any of that sort, make sure the drive has TLER. WD red drives have it and certain Seagate drives as well.

 

[anm]

thanks guys. Manoj - can you please let me know which ones from seagate?
red is quite expensive.

 

[anm]

If you are doing RAID or any of that sort, make sure the drive has TLER. WD red drives have it and certain Seagate drives as well.

pls read this - they say that TLER etc are not needed for software RAIDs like readynas.

Should You Use TLER Drives In Your RAID NAS? - SmallNetBuilder

 

[dazoy]

Make sure you use "Non Green" disks. Green disks hibernate every so often and have to be woken up by the NAS OS. This results in very high start-up count for the disks. Every time your disk is woken up, the probability of failure increases as well. There are work around for this - you can disable hibernation mechanism all together, but the disks are still not designed for 24 hours on operation, which your NAS is always on. These droives can get pretty hot, and there is no better killer of disks than heat (apart from dropping them).

In non green drives, like WD RED, the hibernating mechanism is switched off, and NAS controls the hibernation, not the disk. This will eventually increase the disk lifespan. The NAS disks are manufactured for reliability and not speed or economy or low power consumption, which desktop disks are. They run cooler than green drives too.

In my Synology NAS, I have 4 3 TB WD red disks. They are working pretty well. I have scheduled SMART test for all 4 of them every weekend, just to make sure I catch any signs of them failing.

One more thing - Keep one spare disk of same size (and if possible make) as the disks in NAS handy. When (not if) you have a disk failure, you'll thank your Gods for the ready spare disk for recovery of damaged RAID. If you don't have the disk ready for recovery, and there are any more disk failures in the meantime, you could lose all the data in the RAID.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Saurabh

 

[anm]

so wd red is good. but what is a cheaper option?

 

[dazoy]

so wd red is good. but what is a cheaper option?

Why don't you start off with 2 disks, and add as your budget increases? You don't want to skimp on disks, trust me.

How much data do you have now?

If its less than 2 TB and I were you, Ill start with 2 3 TB disks, configure them in raid 1 configuration.

Later when you have more money to spare, buy an external 2 TB disk for Backup.

Once your mirrored disks near 2 TB, buy another 2 3 TB disks, back everything up on the external disk. Break the raid 1 mirror and create a raid 5 system, where you can use 9 TB, and restore the backup from the external disk.

From then on, you can use the external disk to back all the important data up, and you have 9 TB of storage still that you can use.

Cheers,

Saurabh

 

[anm]

thanks Saurabh
but I am having a hard time believing that there is no deal other than wd red there should be something out there that is as good or is better than wd red. I was reading some reviews where WD red was not considered as good.