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The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => D-Link Storage => DNS-323 => Topic started by: Stepan on September 30, 2009, 02:52:41 PM

Title: Preformated drives
Post by: Stepan on September 30, 2009, 02:52:41 PM

Can you use preformated drives in DSN-323?  I have 1G hard drives with all of my files, and I don't want to reformatted it.

Title: Re: Preformated drives
Post by: hilaireg on September 30, 2009, 03:42:27 PM

Unless your HDD is preformatted with an EXT2/EXT3 file system, I'm afraid you will need to copy the files to the DNS post-DNS formatting and RAID'ing.

If it is EXT2/EXT3; I highly recommend a backup and then initially inserting only the one HDD - one with the data on it (which has been backed up).  If the DNS recognizes the EXT2/EXT3 partition at this point, remove all partitions (file systems) of the 2nd HDD and insert it into the available bay.  You should be prompted at that point to format the newly insert HDD and given the option to make it RAID1.

Not many folks have had success with this so once again ... I stess, BACKUP backup BACKUP backup BACKUP backup BACKUP your data. ;)

Cheers,

Title: Re: Preformated drives
Post by: Stepan on September 30, 2009, 04:58:02 PM

Thank you for the information.   Backup is one of the reasons I am getting DNS.   

So if DNS-323 fails and it is not the hard drives, can I read the hard drives in a Vista computer to get at the data?  Or I will only be able to read the drive in a DNS?

Title: Re: Preformated drives
Post by: hilaireg on September 30, 2009, 05:04:56 PM

Hi Stephan,

It's a common theme on this forum for folks to assume that RAID is a reliable form of backup.  Unfortunately, RAID solutions are not the same as backups. 

A RAID solution provides real-time disk redundancy; so as to reduce the possibility of complete loss of data before a backup has been done.  It does not protect your data from accidental erasure, failed RAID sub-system, or other catastrophic event.

IMHO, you should ensure that you have a backup of your data ... at all times.

In the event of a DNS-323 catastrophic failure, you may be able to remove the HDD and gain access to its contents using EXT2IFS (http://www.fs-driver.org) or similar utility - assuming of course, that the HDD volume was not damaged at the moment of the catastrophic failure.

HTH,

Title: Re: Preformated drives
Post by: Stepan on September 30, 2009, 08:22:57 PM

This is very good information.  I will be using DNS as a backup for 3 computers on my home network and as storage for my MP3 music, so that I don't have to keep my main computer on all the time.   Before I will put anything on it, I will try this utility to see if I can read the drives on my computer after they are formatted in the DNS.   I have learned my lesson in the past and had to keep hard drive on ice to get the data of it.  Lucky for me it worked.

Stepan.

Title: Re: Preformated drives
Post by: gunrunnerjohn on October 01, 2009, 06:15:30 AM

Well, that "storage" of your music should be backed up somewhere if you plan on keeping it. :)

Title: Re: Preformated drives
Post by: Stepan on October 03, 2009, 11:00:22 AM

EXT2IFS did not work.  I am running Windows 7.  I got it to install under Vista Compatibility mode.  It did not see the drive. 

I found another program Ext2Fsd-0.48.  It worked perfectly.  I can see the drive and read and write to it.


Stepan.