Hi all,
First post. Recently got interested in a NAS for a DLNA type server. Picked up a Terastation TS-XE8.0TL/R5 on the cheap on Ebay -- main caveat being that it was untested and it's missing drive caddies. Indeed, the device had the missing firmware error when I booted it up, but after some research on these forums and a great Reddit how to post, I managed to do get the TFTP client to serve the initial firmware files, so at least the flashing lights/jarring beeps have stopped. Unfortunately, I only have one hard drive and I read that all 4 slots need to be filled for the firmware upgrade to go through, so I ordered 3 more small ones on the cheap to get through this last step. (The whole project has been a test in patience!)
While I wait, I wanted to ask about the caddy/tray bit. All 4 caddies are missing, though my one hard drive seemed to be detected just fine when I added it to a slot/lined it up with the connectors. I imagine the caddies secure the connection and make it easier to swap out drives, but are they a must-have? If yes, is there anywhere that I could obtain these parts or are there third party equivalents I could use? (A search on Ebay came up empty, and I unsurprisingly seem to be outside of the warranty period.)
Help appreciated, and am grateful for the help I was able to mine to date that got me this far. Thanks!