I was hoping someone would have had a nice matrix of tested drive sizes for the Terastation III but I searched the forum and came up short.
I have a TS-RIX8.0 TL/R5 with 2TB drives.
I found in this family of Terastations III that 3TB drives was an option (TS-RIX12.0TL/R5).
So looking like 3TB are supported in this model.
Has anyone has tried to use 4TB or larger drives in this model?
I noticed someone mentioned in the forums these large format drives have firmware that emulates smaller sector size for compatibility.
If the drive supports this will any drive emulating the smaller sector size work in the Terastation III?
Would be helpful to know the controller and driver used in these models.
3TB disks should work without issue.
Do you think the 4TB drives would work or is that over the limit the controller can handle for Terastation III?
A 4tb ST4000VN000 was recognized with no issues.
The large drive support looks to function correctly in this older terastation!
A ST6000VN0021 6TB works with no issues.
Sector size is only an issue on legacy WSS units. TS-RX did ship with 4TB drives for a very short time before it EoL'd.
Nice to know the 6TB works, but it's not especially simple to replace all the drives, as the OS needs to be put on the new drives, an unsupported process that can be tricky.
Posting to update my findings with using 6TB drives in a Terastation III with the latest firmware (1.66).
(4) ST6000 drives in Raid 5 config.
16.5Tb useable.
Takes a while to raid scan but working with no issues.
Have you tried filling it up completely?
There is a 16TB volume limit that should apply to these devices but it doesn't manifest until you actually try to write to a block past 16TB (in my experience on an LS-QVL at least).
Has anybody tested any drives above 6TB on the Terastation 3? or have we concluded that 16TB is the absolute max that is usable on this NAS.
ie. 4x 6TB HDD drives configured in RAID 5 giving a usable volume of just over 16TB.
I own four Terastation III and four Terastation II whereby I'd like to gradually upgrade the capacity of each NAS to its absolute max size as I have a lot of data.
Can anyone advise? Many thanks
16TB (TiB?) is the limit for this and (almost) all 32-bit arm devices. Basically that works out to 2^32*4K blocks. If I remember correctly the block size is limited to the memory page size which is limited to 4K for some reason or other. The version of the filesystems/tools included in this era of firmware also tend to be limited to 32-bit as well.
This is separate from the 2TB MBR limit, though similar since that limit is 2^32 * 512 byte sectors. Some older sata controllers and usb->sata adapters also had 2TB limits but I haven't seen that for a very long time.
I suspect if you try to write to the RAID5 past the 16TB mark you will run into IO errors. I did exactly that on an LS-QVL with 2x4tb and 2x6tb in a linear array (I did weird stuff back then). It was not fun, the volume formatted and operated normally until several months into using it transfers would mysteriously fail.
Please be careful.
Many thanks for the info, most helpful.
I'll give it a go in the next 3 months with 4x 6TB WD drives on the first of my four Buffalo Terastation III NAS units and I'll report back to this forum on how it goes and list any recommendations and lessons learn't for other users.
___________
Has anyone upgraded the Buffalo Terastation II in the same way?
I've done some research and found the only resolution is people have successfully upgraded this NAS with 4x 3TB drives giving a total RAW capacity of 12TB before configuring it into a RAID 5 volume. People seem to suggest you can go above 3TB per drive, with more recent drives, but i've not really found anyone I have confidence in yet!
I don't think the Terastation II's bootloader can natively boot anything other than MBR partition tables which have a 2TB size limit.
It is possible to work around that limit using a hybrid GPT/MBR partition table. I did it once with a 6tb drive on mine while testing a process for doing so with a Debian https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Buffalo/wiki/Alternate-install-method-via-debootstrap-script
It might be possible to do something similar with the stock firmware though it would involve a lot of manual work and the firmware may not handle the resulting arrays properly.
...mmmmh, some of that has gone over my head and is bouncing around the walls of the room next door. Not all of the detail though, I got some of it. 😂
It sounds like I'd be far better off repopulating my 4x Terastation II's with 2TB drives giving me a raw capacity of 8TB per NAS, and subsequent ~6TB in RAID5 per NAS. It's either that, or I go the whole hog and invest in a new and more modern NAS that can handle much larger drives (8+ drive bays etc). I am more likely going for both type of systems and using one type of system as a critical data backup and the other as my NAS system for day-to-day working files.
If I do go for buying a number of 2TB drives for the Terastation II's anybody got any recommendations?
Many thanks for your help and advice
It always depends what your goals are, what your budget is, and what is available to you. I think the last time I bought 2TB drives was in 2010.
I have done exactly this recently, and populated a II with 4x2TB HGST. My use case is offline data storage and backups. The HGSTs are extraordinarily inexpensive these days on that big auction site. It seems data centers on the west coast of the USA are swapping out their old 2TB drives with newer, larger units and selling off the old stock for peanuts. HGST has an excellent reputation, and I have had nothing but good service out of them. I stay away from Seagate on general principle.
You should be able to fully populate your NAS with 4 2TB drives for ~$100, all in.
Quote from: TheBaron on February 11, 2022, 07:03:32 PM
Has anybody tested any drives above 6TB on the Terastation 3? or have we concluded that 16TB is the absolute max that is usable on this NAS.
I am acutely interested in the answer to this. I see in another reply to the thread that it seems to be the logical limit...however I also have a III that needs repopulating (4 disks), and also a TS5800DN that needs repopulating (8 disks). Once I get a few dollars scraped together to pick up 4 12TB drives to try in the III, I will do that. It might be a while...they are currently ~$200 each used. Then, if the III cannot use the drives, I'll swap them over to the TS5800DN. I'm not aware of such a drivesize limitation on the TS5800DN, but that doesn't mean there isn't one.
The 16TB limit applies to both the Terastation II and III (and most 32-bit systems), it may not start experiencing errors until you actually fill it past that point, please be careful.
The TS5800DN is a 64-bit system and does not suffer from that specific limitation. If you are running the linux-based firmware it should be using XFS which I believe supported >16TB filesystems even back when that firmware was written. I don't have a clue what limits apply to the Windows-based firmware.
I'm currently running Debian Bullseye on my TS5800DN with an 18TB volume with an EXT4 filesystem and everything is working fine. EXT4 used to have a 32-bit/16TB limit by default but that changed several years ago.
Here's a page from RedHat that shows the various filesystem limits and how they've changed over time.
https://access.redhat.com/solutions/1532
In case you're interested in running Debian on your TS5800DN:
https://github.com/1000001101000/Debian_on_Intel_Terastations
Absolutely spectacular intel...thanks for that.
Apologies for a thread hijack...if the following is offensive to the OP I'll delete and create another thread:
My use case is simply very boring information storage for research that I'm compiling for papers, a few music/video files here and there, and backup for CCTV surveillance. I've poked at the idea of installing Debian on one of the newer TS...but stopped short of actually doing it. I've noted that you're a bit of a Debian evangelist, 1000001101000 (I've read your Miraheze wikis on these units extensively...thank you for maintaining those), but considering my use case...would the installation of Debian be of much use? I'm seeking reliability in data retention more than performance or just tinkering with the units as an enthusiast would.
It depends on your priorities and somewhat on skillset.
I've been using my TS5800DN with Debian for about 3 years at this point. I haven't had any issues with stability or reliability. Running modern Debian gives you software that is much newer than the versions built into the stock firmware and allows you to install anything you want, and only what you want for that matter.
The downside is that you have to do more of the installation/configuration yourself. If you have some linux experience it's not so bad (it's half the fun). If you're not comfortable (yet) with setting up things like samba or software raid under Linux I wouldn't suggest using it for anything critical until you've had some practice.
....though between the LCD with the RGB backlight, the buzzer, and USB3 ports....there's a lot of fun tinkering you can do with that model
Success!.....of a sort. I re-populated my Terastation III (TS-XEL/R5) with 4x Western Digital 6TB drives in July 2022.
The Drive model number was 'WD60EDAZ-11U78B0' which gave a formatted, reported capacity of 5,589GB each.
I tried to create a RAID5 array which failed on every attempt with the Terastation creating the array, but then reporting it could not mount the array and failed at the system reported "50% complete" stage. The only RAID I could successfully create was a RAID10 which gave me a formatted, reported capacity of 11,687028736 (10.8TB). I've mounted and used this array for over a month without any issues and I have filled it to full capacity with video files, also without any issues.
It's not given me a RAID5 which is what I really wanted from the update, but it has given me a reliable RAID10 NAS with nearly 11TB of storage. Good re-use of an old Terastation III.
Hope that helps
Quote from: TheBaron on July 03, 2022, 02:10:39 PMIt's not given me a RAID5 which is what I really wanted from the update, but it has given me a reliable RAID10 NAS with nearly 11TB of storage. Good re-use of an old Terastation III.
Hope that helps
I absolutely does, thank you for the update. I appreciate the time you invested in exploring the limits of these older machines, as they are still very worthwhile to have around for data storage.
I have 4x TS-XEL/R5 Terastation III units, one refurbished with the 6TB drives in a RAID10 format and the other 3 units all have 4x 2TB drives in them giving a native, unformatted 8TB each. Now I've successfully done my learning on the first Terastation III and got it reliably operating as a formatted 10.8TB NAS in RAID10 mode, I'm going to refurbish the remaining 3 units over the next few months. All my units have seen slight use only and although Terastation III's & II's are considered 'old tech' these days, they're all MINT cosmetically and in as new condition electrically, so good for backups and the like.
As said, I also have 4x Terastation II units as well as my Terastation III's that I also want to re-purpose. After much searching around, I believe you are limited to updating these units with 4x 2TB drives each, so I'll re-use all the original HDD drives from all four of my Terastation III units.
I'm in no way a clever IT person, and only have a basic understanding of how these drives work. I do not fully understand why I cannot create a RAID5 Array on the Terastation III which is what I originally wanted which would give me an overall larger storage capacity NAS, but I'm reasonably satisfied that the RAID10 configuration is reliable in use, you can safely use the fully formatted capacity of 10.8TB and you have the perceived safety of RAID10. I suspect the Terastation III (with 4x 6TB HDD installed) will not mount a RAID5 Array due to the aforementioned addressing limitations that are mentioned by other more informed forum users due to the limitations above 16.5TB on a 32Bit machine.
Also, a previous forum member said they repopulated their Terastation III with Seagate ST6000-021, 6TB drives and successfully configured the unit in RAID5 with a resulting formatted capacity of 16TB. However, what's not clear is if that resulting 16TB volume is actually fully useable, safe and is stable when used up to its limit.
I found a typed process someone else kindly listed elsewhere online that they had used to update a Terastation-PRO (not sure what model). Using their and my notes, and my experience of a bit of tinkering around with the machine, this is a brief rundown of the steps I took:-
*** WARNING: THIS LIST IS ONLY AN INDICATIVE PROCESS TO FOLLOW AND IS NOT ABSOLUTE & DEFINITIVE. ***
STEP 1:
Download the latest Firmware for a Terastation III TS-XL/R5 (it was version 1.76 in July 2022) from the Buffalo (America) support pages. Store in a folder on your PC's desktop for ease of use
STEP2:
Backup onto another device any files you may want to keep from your original shared folder on your Terastation III. Also make a note of your Terastation's settings if you want the resulting NAS to operate in exactly the same way it originally did.....albeit with the resulting larger capacity.
STEP3:
Once backed-up, log into your Terastation III's web interface, go to SYSTEM then go to STORAGE, scroll down to 'Raid Array', click on the original raid you want to break, click on DELETE Raid array. You will be asked to enter in the four digit code to confirm that this is the action you want to perform. This will take a few minutes and once finished, you will need to log back into your web interface to proceed once the raid is broken.
STEP 4:
Once you log back into the web interface for your Terastation click on SYSTEM, click on STORAGE, scroll down to see a list of hard drives. Start by selecting the 4th hard drive from the list and click REMOVE: the fourth physical hard drive (the bottom HDD in the four disc stack). Click on the fourth hard drive, then click on REMOVE you will be asked to enter the four digit number and asked to confirm that this is what you want to do. Once complete do the same for the third and second hard drives. Very important - LEAVE THE FIRST HARD ALONE AT THIS POINT (the HDD is the one located in the top slot)
STEP 5:
All three lower hard drives should now have been "system removed" from the hard drive listing, go to the MAINTENANCE tab of your Terastation and click on SHUT DOWN. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, shutting down this way is the preferred way ALWAYS so as not to ruin the controller board or any of the hardware inside.
STEP 6:
Open the front panel of your Terastation and slide out the old disks, physically removing disc 2, 3 and 4, leaving the top disc 1 in place. Unscrew the old drives from the three lower hard drive caddies, screw the caddies to the new 6TB disks, then slide the new drives into your Terastation and power back on. PLEASE NOTE: Once your Terastation comes back online you will be greeted with warning beeps, click on the function button on the front panel of the unit to turn off these sounds. This is normal so do not be alarmed.
STEP 7:
Here is why you did not replace the first hard drive from the Terastation. This hard drive has the boot up log information and will allow you to update the firmware version, and allow you to log back into the web interface to add your three new 6TB hard drives to the hard drives listing. From the downloaded 'Bios' folder you downloaded in Step 1, run the firmware updater follow the steps prompted to begin the firmware update. PLEASE DO NOT SHUT DOWN THE DEVICE UNTIL THE FIRMWARE UPDATE IS FINISHED. The firmware updater will inform you a restart is needed and will do the restart on its own. Once the Terastation is back up and running, it will let you know when it has finished the BIOS update.
STEP 8:
Log into your Terastation, go to SYSTEM, click on STORAGE then click on one of the new hard drives click on FORMAT, enter your four digit code and follow the prompts. Wait for the format to finish and click on the next new hard drive, select FORMAT, enter the four digit code when prompted, wait for the format to finish and do the same for the third hard drive. Once all three new 6TB hard drives are formatted you can now add the new hard drives to your Terastation. Click on the second hard drive, click on ADD, enter your four digit code when prompted and wait until the add process has finished. Do the same for the third and fourth hard drives. What this does is write the boot code onto all three of the new hard drives even thought they do not have anything else on them, this makes the Terastation bootable from anyone of the hard drives even though no raid has yet been configured at this time. Once all hard drives have been added to the hard drive listing and are ready, then shut down your Terastation via the MAINTENANCE tab as before. Remove the first hard drive, swap in the last of your new 6TB hard drives and install it following the same process used for discs 2, 3 and 4. Power up your device once again you will get the warning beeps, click on the FUNCTION button to mute the warning sounds and proceed. As previously through the web interface, click on SYSTEM, click on STORAGE, and then FORMAT the new hard drive just added, once format is finished, select the new drive (Disc 1) and click on ADD, once finished you have successfully added all the new hard drives.
STEP 9:
You are now past the hardest part of the HDD upgrade. Now you can rebuild your raid selection. This is where I tried every configuration available: RAID0, RAID1 and RAID5. Warning: on one occasion I left the Terastation trying to create a RAID5 Array for 3+ days. It was temperamental but on one attempt, it did eventually finish in creating the array, but the Terastation couldn't subsequently mount the array. It would just 'hang'....I left it for another 3+ days trying to mount the array without success. Eventually, I worked out with trial and error that the only RAID configuration that would actually reliably and safely work with these Western Digital drives was RAID10. After logging into your Terastation, click on SYSTEM, then STORAGE, scroll down to CREATE a RAID10 array using all 4 disks. The machine should successfully create a RAID10 array in less than 15 minutes. Once created, CREATE a shared folder in the usual way and mount the shared folder as a networked drive through your Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 based PC as normal.
One note of caution. I don't fully understand why, it may be coincidence, but the front LCD panel of my Terastation III stopped working at the beginning of this whole update. I've tried everything I know in switching the panel on (which does illuminate, but is blank) but without success. Even though the LCD panel is blank, the Terastation operates as it should and reports back through NAS Navigator and it's web interface properly and operates as expected. As I've said, the resulting 10.8TB formatted capacity operates perfectly and reliably without any problems, even up to its maximum storage capacity.
An additional note of caution. The resulting NAS system attempts to "Re-sync your new RAID10 array" and reports error code "I17" whilst it is resyncing It took nearly 10+ days, 24 hours a day for my Terastation III to fully finish this activity automatically and successfully. No user intervention is needed, the Terastation III re-sync's itself without any issues, it just takes a lot of time. However, you can access and use your new RAID10 array and create a shared folder whilst the Terastation is trying to re-sync your new array and is reporting error I17.
I know this thread is for Terastion III, but I have successfully updated one of my Terastation II units following exactly the same process given above using the 4x 2TB drives that were originally in the Terastation III. After formatting the drives, the unit easily configured into a RAID5 which took an hour or so, and then again, successfully re-sync's itself over the following 2-3 days. I've comprehensively tested the resulting unit to full capacity and everything is working as it should.
I hope everyone finds that useful and I would appreciate any other advice/tips on updating the Terastation III & Terastation II. Many thanks.
I mounted an iSCSI volume in vmware using all the space available and I have not had any issues yet.
I then created a 8tb datastore which I am using with VM's leaving 8tb unused in that mount point.
Wondering now if creating an iSCSI volume on the Tera does the Tera system init all the space on mounting?
I would think it would need to check blocks to the end.
Vmware is happy with the iSCSI and I just checked the extent and vmware shows 8TB available to expand.
Making mental note if I change this I might lose data.
Quote from: 1000001101000 on February 11, 2022, 11:08:24 PM
16TB (TiB?) is the limit for this and (almost) all 32-bit arm devices. Basically that works out to 2^32*4K blocks. If I remember correctly the block size is limited to the memory page size which is limited to 4K for some reason or other. The version of the filesystems/tools included in this era of firmware also tend to be limited to 32-bit as well.
This is separate from the 2TB MBR limit, though similar since that limit is 2^32 * 512 byte sectors. Some older sata controllers and usb->sata adapters also had 2TB limits but I haven't seen that for a very long time.
I suspect if you try to write to the RAID5 past the 16TB mark you will run into IO errors. I did exactly that on an LS-QVL with 2x4tb and 2x6tb in a linear array (I did weird stuff back then). It was not fun, the volume formatted and operated normally until several months into using it transfers would mysteriously fail.
Please be careful.
Mine is working fine, but I have noted the issue one poster brought up about the 32bit limit that these boxes have and 16TB.
My vmware has mounted a 16TB iSCSI volume presented by the tera but the question now is does the tera or vmware check this volume if all sectors are read/write when mounting?
At some point I am going to test this, but I need to backup my data. :D
Quote from: TheBaron on July 03, 2022, 03:48:45 PM
I have 4x TS-XEL/R5 Terastation III units, one refurbished with the 6TB drives in a RAID10 format and the other 3 units all have 4x 2TB drives in them giving a native, unformatted 8TB each. Now I've successfully done my learning on the first Terastation III and got it reliably operating as a formatted 10.8TB NAS in RAID10 mode, I'm going to refurbish the remaining 3 units over the next few months. All my units have seen slight use only and although Terastation III's & II's are considered 'old tech' these days, they're all MINT cosmetically and in as new condition electrically, so good for backups and the like.
As said, I also have 4x Terastation II units as well as my Terastation III's that I also want to re-purpose. After much searching around, I believe you are limited to updating these units with 4x 2TB drives each, so I'll re-use all the original HDD drives from all four of my Terastation III units.
I'm in no way a clever IT person, and only have a basic understanding of how these drives work. I do not fully understand why I cannot create a RAID5 Array on the Terastation III which is what I originally wanted which would give me an overall larger storage capacity NAS, but I'm reasonably satisfied that the RAID10 configuration is reliable in use, you can safely use the fully formatted capacity of 10.8TB and you have the perceived safety of RAID10. I suspect the Terastation III (with 4x 6TB HDD installed) will not mount a RAID5 Array due to the aforementioned addressing limitations that are mentioned by other more informed forum users due to the limitations above 16.5TB on a 32Bit machine.
Also, a previous forum member said they repopulated their Terastation III with Seagate ST6000-021, 6TB drives and successfully configured the unit in RAID5 with a resulting formatted capacity of 16TB. However, what's not clear is if that resulting 16TB volume is actually fully useable, safe and is stable when used up to its limit.
I found a typed process someone else kindly listed elsewhere online that they had used to update a Terastation-PRO (not sure what model). Using their and my notes, and my experience of a bit of tinkering around with the machine, this is a brief rundown of the steps I took:-
*** WARNING: THIS LIST IS ONLY AN INDICATIVE PROCESS TO FOLLOW AND IS NOT ABSOLUTE & DEFINITIVE. ***
STEP 1:
Download the latest Firmware for a Terastation III TS-XL/R5 (it was version 1.76 in July 2022) from the Buffalo (America) support pages. Store in a folder on your PC's desktop for ease of use
STEP2:
Backup onto another device any files you may want to keep from your original shared folder on your Terastation III. Also make a note of your Terastation's settings if you want the resulting NAS to operate in exactly the same way it originally did.....albeit with the resulting larger capacity.
STEP3:
Once backed-up, log into your Terastation III's web interface, go to SYSTEM then go to STORAGE, scroll down to 'Raid Array', click on the original raid you want to break, click on DELETE Raid array. You will be asked to enter in the four digit code to confirm that this is the action you want to perform. This will take a few minutes and once finished, you will need to log back into your web interface to proceed once the raid is broken.
STEP 4:
Once you log back into the web interface for your Terastation click on SYSTEM, click on STORAGE, scroll down to see a list of hard drives. Start by selecting the 4th hard drive from the list and click REMOVE: the fourth physical hard drive (the bottom HDD in the four disc stack). Click on the fourth hard drive, then click on REMOVE you will be asked to enter the four digit number and asked to confirm that this is what you want to do. Once complete do the same for the third and second hard drives. Very important - LEAVE THE FIRST HARD ALONE AT THIS POINT (the HDD is the one located in the top slot)
STEP 5:
All three lower hard drives should now have been "system removed" from the hard drive listing, go to the MAINTENANCE tab of your Terastation and click on SHUT DOWN. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, shutting down this way is the preferred way ALWAYS so as not to ruin the controller board or any of the hardware inside.
STEP 6:
Open the front panel of your Terastation and slide out the old disks, physically removing disc 2, 3 and 4, leaving the top disc 1 in place. Unscrew the old drives from the three lower hard drive caddies, screw the caddies to the new 6TB disks, then slide the new drives into your Terastation and power back on. PLEASE NOTE: Once your Terastation comes back online you will be greeted with warning beeps, click on the function button on the front panel of the unit to turn off these sounds. This is normal so do not be alarmed.
STEP 7:
Here is why you did not replace the first hard drive from the Terastation. This hard drive has the boot up log information and will allow you to update the firmware version, and allow you to log back into the web interface to add your three new 6TB hard drives to the hard drives listing. From the downloaded 'Bios' folder you downloaded in Step 1, run the firmware updater follow the steps prompted to begin the firmware update. PLEASE DO NOT SHUT DOWN THE DEVICE UNTIL THE FIRMWARE UPDATE IS FINISHED. The firmware updater will inform you a restart is needed and will do the restart on its own. Once the Terastation is back up and running, it will let you know when it has finished the BIOS update.
STEP 8:
Log into your Terastation, go to SYSTEM, click on STORAGE then click on one of the new hard drives click on FORMAT, enter your four digit code and follow the prompts. Wait for the format to finish and click on the next new hard drive, select FORMAT, enter the four digit code when prompted, wait for the format to finish and do the same for the third hard drive. Once all three new 6TB hard drives are formatted you can now add the new hard drives to your Terastation. Click on the second hard drive, click on ADD, enter your four digit code when prompted and wait until the add process has finished. Do the same for the third and fourth hard drives. What this does is write the boot code onto all three of the new hard drives even thought they do not have anything else on them, this makes the Terastation bootable from anyone of the hard drives even though no raid has yet been configured at this time. Once all hard drives have been added to the hard drive listing and are ready, then shut down your Terastation via the MAINTENANCE tab as before. Remove the first hard drive, swap in the last of your new 6TB hard drives and install it following the same process used for discs 2, 3 and 4. Power up your device once again you will get the warning beeps, click on the FUNCTION button to mute the warning sounds and proceed. As previously through the web interface, click on SYSTEM, click on STORAGE, and then FORMAT the new hard drive just added, once format is finished, select the new drive (Disc 1) and click on ADD, once finished you have successfully added all the new hard drives.
STEP 9:
You are now past the hardest part of the HDD upgrade. Now you can rebuild your raid selection. This is where I tried every configuration available: RAID0, RAID1 and RAID5. Warning: on one occasion I left the Terastation trying to create a RAID5 Array for 3+ days. It was temperamental but on one attempt, it did eventually finish in creating the array, but the Terastation couldn't subsequently mount the array. It would just 'hang'....I left it for another 3+ days trying to mount the array without success. Eventually, I worked out with trial and error that the only RAID configuration that would actually reliably and safely work with these Western Digital drives was RAID10. After logging into your Terastation, click on SYSTEM, then STORAGE, scroll down to CREATE a RAID10 array using all 4 disks. The machine should successfully create a RAID10 array in less than 15 minutes. Once created, CREATE a shared folder in the usual way and mount the shared folder as a networked drive through your Windows 7, 8, 10, 11 based PC as normal.
One note of caution. I don't fully understand why, it may be coincidence, but the front LCD panel of my Terastation III stopped working at the beginning of this whole update. I've tried everything I know in switching the panel on (which does illuminate, but is blank) but without success. Even though the LCD panel is blank, the Terastation operates as it should and reports back through NAS Navigator and it's web interface properly and operates as expected. As I've said, the resulting 10.8TB formatted capacity operates perfectly and reliably without any problems, even up to its maximum storage capacity.
An additional note of caution. The resulting NAS system attempts to "Re-sync your new RAID10 array" and reports error code "I17" whilst it is resyncing It took nearly 10+ days, 24 hours a day for my Terastation III to fully finish this activity automatically and successfully. No user intervention is needed, the Terastation III re-sync's itself without any issues, it just takes a lot of time. However, you can access and use your new RAID10 array and create a shared folder whilst the Terastation is trying to re-sync your new array and is reporting error I17.
I know this thread is for Terastion III, but I have successfully updated one of my Terastation II units following exactly the same process given above using the 4x 2TB drives that were originally in the Terastation III. After formatting the drives, the unit easily configured into a RAID5 which took an hour or so, and then again, successfully re-sync's itself over the following 2-3 days. I've comprehensively tested the resulting unit to full capacity and everything is working as it should.
I hope everyone finds that useful and I would appreciate any other advice/tips on updating the Terastation III & Terastation II. Many thanks.
Nope... post away!
Quote from: JoeAsheville on February 16, 2022, 11:17:25 AM
Absolutely spectacular intel...thanks for that.
Apologies for a thread hijack...if the following is offensive to the OP I'll delete and create another thread:
My use case is simply very boring information storage for research that I'm compiling for papers, a few music/video files here and there, and backup for CCTV surveillance. I've poked at the idea of installing Debian on one of the newer TS...but stopped short of actually doing it. I've noted that you're a bit of a Debian evangelist, 1000001101000 (I've read your Miraheze wikis on these units extensively...thank you for maintaining those), but considering my use case...would the installation of Debian be of much use? I'm seeking reliability in data retention more than performance or just tinkering with the units as an enthusiast would.