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[gbogh]

First off I am sorry if this has been covered. I did do a search as well as browsed and didn't find anything to answer my question (though I am sure this isn't the first time it has been asked).

I have been running my DNS-323 with twin Seagate 500GB drives and have reached the end of their capacity. I got two new Seagate 1500GB drives for their replacement and I am trying to figure out how to have the 323 transfer the data over automatically. I started by taking out one of the 500s and putting in a 1500GB, formatting and rebuilding the array. It, of course, worked but had the 500GB Raid1 array and approx 1TB of 'JBOD'. I then pulled the other 500GB drive and replaced it with the second 1500GB drive, again formatting and rebuilding the array. As many of you have possibly guessed, I now still only have my 500GB array. The strange thing is I no longer have any JBOD allotment of space, I seem to be simply missing 2TB of capacity.

The question is how can I get the array rebuilt on the larger capacity drives without manually transferring the files with a computer?


Info:

Firmware 1.06

Total Drive(s):    2
Volume Name:    Volume_1
Volume Type:    RAID 1
Sync Time Remaining:    Completed
Total Hard Drive Capacity:    490402 MB
Used Space:    482518 MB
Unused Space:    7883 MB

Slot     Vendor     Model             Serial Number     Size
1    Seagate    ST31500341AS    9VS1HNLZ    1500 G    
2    Seagate    ST31500341AS    9VS1P42Q    1500 G    

[Chill]

The question is how can I get the array rebuilt on the larger capacity drives without manually transferring the files with a computer?

You cant

When you first configured your array, you were prompted how much of the disk you would want utilized as RAID1 (I take it you utilized the whole 500gb). Plugging in a higher capacity wont increase the array, it will still be reconfigured back to 500gb and the remaining volume as JBOD.

HTH

[fordem]

As Chill has indicated, you can't.

What you can do, assuming you still the data on the original disks, is connect one of them to a computer and see if you can get access to the data (I've used Windows XP and the ext2ifs file system driver) and then format the new disks as a RAID1 array, and transfer the data from the computer across.

[gbogh]

Well it wasn't the answer I was hoping for but at least its an answer . Actually right now I have almost 5 full copies of my data, now that's data redundancy, lol. (I have a third 500GB HD, not quite as up-2-date, in a fire safe).

Thanks for the answers guys, I'll reformat the two 1500GBs and manually transfer the data with a computer. I was just hoping there was a feature to do this since its a lot slower going through the computer and I'm sure it isn't too uncommon for someone to increase their drive size. May take some fancy coding... but maybe a feature in 1.08?


Cheers

[gbogh]

Ok.... gggrrrrr

I formatted my 1500GB drives, good 2 go, 1500GB Raid1 available.

I put one of the 500GB drives in an external HD enclosure and I am having issues. I have tried on both my mac and on our win xp laptop, with a nexstar enclosure as well as a startech. The mac kept saying the the data couldn't be recognized, but it could see the drive. The pc gave me the 'your new hardware is installed and ready to use', but doesn't list the drive in My Computer. I went to 'Disk Management' in 'Storage' under 'Computer Management' and it's listing the drive as active like everything is fine. I have the four partitions I understand I should have (518MB, 502MB, 464GB and 777MB), but it says they are all 100% free space.

I understand the filesystem with raid maybe a bit different, but surely I don't have copy everything off the 500GB drives while in the 323 onto a normal drive, then put in my 1500GB drives and copy the 500GB of data back to the 323? Upgrading a hard drive can't be that painful...

I am sorry if these questions seem novis, I really thought this would be a simple matter of putting one of my 500GB drives into an external caddy and tada.... normal external drive. I am in the process of residing the house and just don't have time to spend many more hours tinkering with this thing.

[Chill]

Ok.... gggrrrrr

I formatted my 1500GB drives, good 2 go, 1500GB Raid1 available.

I put one of the 500GB drives in an external HD enclosure and I am having issues. I have tried on both my mac and on our win xp laptop, with a nexstar enclosure as well as a startech. The mac kept saying the the data couldn't be recognized, but it could see the drive. The pc gave me the 'your new hardware is installed and ready to use', but doesn't list the drive in My Computer. I went to 'Disk Management' in 'Storage' under 'Computer Management' and it's listing the drive as active like everything is fine. I have the four partitions I understand I should have (518MB, 502MB, 464GB and 777MB), but it says they are all 100% free space.

I understand the filesystem with raid maybe a bit different, but surely I don't have copy everything off the 500GB drives while in the 323 onto a normal drive, then put in my 1500GB drives and copy the 500GB of data back to the 323? Upgrading a hard drive can't be that painful...

I am sorry if these questions seem novis, I really thought this would be a simple matter of putting one of my 500GB drives into an external caddy and tada.... normal external drive. I am in the process of residing the house and just don't have time to spend many more hours tinkering with this thing.

Do you have a Linux machine?
Try this http://www.ubuntu.com/
This Operating system is so much like Windows only better (its FREE, does not get infected with viruses, etc...)
Create a CD of the ubuntu OS and boot from it without installing and you will be able to read your 500GB HDD from it

or

use these:
http://www.fs-driver.org/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2fsd
http://www.howtoforge.com/access-linux-partitions-from-windows

Once you have access to your ext2 filesystem just copy/paste them to your new 1.5TB HDD on your NAS (this will take a long while since you will be transferring 500GB worth of data, better grab a good thick book while you're at it).

HTH

[gbogh]

Do you have a Linux machine?
Try this http://www.ubuntu.com/
This Operating system is so much like Windows only better (its FREE, does not get infected with viruses, etc...)
Create a CD of the ubuntu OS and boot from it without installing and you will be able to read your 500GB HDD from it

or

use these:
http://www.fs-driver.org/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2fsd
http://www.howtoforge.com/access-linux-partitions-from-windows

Once you have access to your ext2 filesystem just copy/paste them to your new 1.5TB HDD on your NAS (this will take a long while since you will be transferring 500GB worth of data, better grab a good thick book while you're at it).

HTH

Thanks for the info, Chill. I haven't forgot about the thread, I just actually  got to working on it again and the files are currently transferring. I personally use a mac and I found a program that was supposed to allow me to at least access the ext2 file system (read only), but for the life of me I couldn't get it to work properly. I am currently transferring the files with a windows machine and it seems to be working.

Thanks again

[rkaye]

hmm... I did somethign like the following when I switched my dns323 from raid1 to 'standard' a long time ago. I can't remember if i had to plug the right drive into a linux pc and manually change the drive from volume_1 to volume_2

would this work?
to go from 500gb raid1 to 1500gb raid1:

• power down the dns323
• remove both 500gb drives, noting which goes on the right side and which goes on the left (the dns323 sees the left side as vol1, and right side as vol2)
• put both new 1500gb drives into the dns323
   
• start the dns323 up
• access the dns323 config, select raid1, use the whole 1500gb, format the drives
• power down the dns323
• remove the 1500gb drives, note which is right and left
   
• start the dns323 (with no drives)
• connect to the dns323 config and change the 'type' from raid1 to 'standard'
• power down the dns323
   
• put the new 1500gb volume1 (left side) hard drive back, along with the 500gb volume2(right side)
• start the dns323
• copy the data from the 500gb vol2 to the 1500gb vol1
• power down the dns323
• remove both drives, labeling the 1500gb vol1 "new vol1" or something to that effect
   
• start the dns323 (with no drives)
• connect to the dns323 config and change the 'type' from 'standard' to raid1
• power down the dns323
   
• put the 1500gb "new vol1" in the left side and the other 1500gb drive in the right
• start the dns323
• tell the dns323 to rebuild the raid

if the above wouldn't work, i would think the easiest way would be to remove the 500gb drives, put the 1500drives in and tell the dns323 config to format them and make them into a raid1. then take the left 1500gb and the right 500gb and plug them into a pc running a bootable linux cd. copy the data over, then put both 1500gb drives into the dns323 and tell it to rebuild the raid.

[fordem]

I'd be very surprised if it did work - I don't think you can change the drive configuration with no drives in it (going from RAID1 to standard) and I KNOW you can't configure RAID1 unless you have two drives in it.

The DNS-323 tracks the drives by serial number and is not particularly happy when drives are being switched, don't be surprised if it insists on formatting a "newly" inserted drive and/or formats the "other" drive.

Oh - I would strongly suggest you back up your data before starting.

[zanewm]

Rkaye idea for upgrading the Hard Drives does not work.  I just tried this and there is no way to change the Raid type with no drives in the bay. 

[aglio]

http://www.fs-driver.org/
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2fsd

I use both of those on a regular basis at work, should do the trick for you if you slap one of the old disks in a USB enclosure.

It would be a nice feature to be able to swap in a bigger drive and have it copy, but we should all remember, this is a $200 consumer device, not a $2000 hot-swappable enterprise grade disk enclosure.