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[keithmac]

I find it very disappointing that DLink has no solution for the everyday joe that is not a propeller head to load their data back onto the NAS after completing an upgrade.  Since this device has been out for about 2 years (I'm guessing here) many people are going to want to get more space since it is so cheap now.  With that said.  I need a little help.

I have a DNS 323 with 2 Hitachi Deskstar 7K1000.C hard drive 1T drives in Raid 1.  Firmware 1.09
I upgraded from a Seagate Barracuda 400GB drive.

I downloaded Ext2 File System Driver for Windows.  For some reason I cannot assign a drive letter to where all my data is.  So there for I cannot see it to move it.  So it sits here on my desk attaches to a SATA to USB converter.  I am running Windows 7 Professional 64Bit

I downloaded the funPlug and put both files into Volume 1 but to be honest I do not know or really understand linux and there is so much on their wiki site its is pretty overwhelming to a person who does not know what he looking for or at for that matter so I stopped there.  I'm feeling kinda crazy so I also enabled Telenet on my PC so I can di in and make a mess

Can somebody on here help me out and dumb down exactly what I need to do to try and make this work?  I know you cannot discuss the fun plug here so a private message would be fine.  I would be even ok with e-mail.

[dosborne]

One option is to install one of the 1TB drives in your PC (if you need space) as a secondary drive. Put the original drive back in the DNS323, copy the data from the DNS323 to your PC. Put one (or both) of the 1TB drive back in the NAS. Copy the data from your PC to the DNS323. Install the second 1tb drive, if necessary and rebuild the mirror. Slow, but easy, and does not require Linux knowledge.

[ddestefa]

I'm in the same boat, but am considering purchasing a backup 1.5 or 2 TB external drive, copying the files over, then doing the upgrade and restoring the files from backup.  I need to get a separate backup anyway since RAID 1 is really not a valid backup, so this is forcing me to do the right thing from a data standpoint.

Now to find some good backup software that will let me to incremental backups over time instead of doing full transfers.  Suggestions are welcome.

[keithmac]

One option is to install one of the 1TB drives in your PC (if you need space) as a secondary drive. Put the original drive back in the DNS323, copy the data from the DNS323 to your PC. Put one (or both) of the 1TB drive back in the NAS. Copy the data from your PC to the DNS323. Install the second 1tb drive, if necessary and rebuild the mirror. Slow, but easy, and does not require Linux knowledge.

This isn't actually a bad Idea.  I had not thought of this.

Once I get the data copied to the new hard drive that is now plugged into my PC it will be in NTFS format.  When I plug this back into the NAS will the NAS recognize this format?

Once I get all the files back on to the drive. will I be able to setup Raid1 without formatting?

I'm in the same boat, but am considering purchasing a backup 1.5 or 2 TB external drive, copying the files over, then doing the upgrade and restoring the files from backup.  I need to get a separate backup anyway since RAID 1 is really not a valid backup, so this is forcing me to do the right thing from a data standpoint.

Now to find some good backup software that will let me to incremental backups over time instead of doing full transfers.  Suggestions are welcome.

What are the backup issues with Raid 1?

[fordem]

One does not need to be a "propeller head" to follow standard business practice which dictates that you backup your data or risk losing it - reloading data is as simple as following the exact same steps that you took to put the data on the DNS-323 originally - create a folder, copy the data - did D-Link have to tell you how to do that?

In your case, you appear to be upgrading disks - moving from a single 400GB disk to a 1TB RAID1 pair ...

 - step 1 - backup the data from the 400GB disk using whatever method you choose (drag & drop in Windows explorer works, but is time consuming) to whatever mdeium you have available.
 - step 2 - remove disk from DNS-323
 - step 3 - install new disks and create RAID1 array
 - step 4 - restore data from backup - as before drag & drop works.

No linux knowledge required, and YOU are responsible for finding the storage space for the backup, this holds true regardless of who makes the NAS.

Re - your last post..

No - the DNS-323 will not recognize an NTFS formatted disk and will attempt to format it - be warned, however, if you insert a disk with existing partitions, the unit may not behave in the expected fashion and loss of data may result.

Yes - there is a way to get the NAS to create a RAID1 pair, when adding a new disk, without formatting the existing disk (there will be a check box in the format page that appears when you power the unit on after inserting the new drive)

Be absolutely certain that you have a backup of your data before attempting the procedure you have in mind.

The backup issues with RAID1 are simple and straight forward - RAID1 is not a form of data backup - it is a method of providing disk redundancy - it will only protect from a disk failure.  There are many other causes of data loss besides failed disks - viruses, accidental (or deliberate) deletion of data, accidental formats, NAS failure, and if your data is stored on a network device, network failure.

[keithmac]

In your case, you appear to be upgrading disks - moving from a single 400GB disk to a 1TB RAID1 pair ...

Correct

- step 1 - backup the data from the 400GB disk using whatever method you choose (drag & drop in Windows explorer works, but is time consuming) to whatever medium you have available.
 - step 2 - remove disk from DNS-323
 - step 3 - install new disks and create RAID1 array
 - step 4 - restore data from backup - as before drag & drop works.

Ok since I do not have the extra space this is what I have done.
I took 1 TB Drive Formatted it to NTFS.  Copied all of the data from the 400GB disk to it.  I am not going to install the other TB drive into the NAS and copy it all from the first TB drive to it.  Then I will format the original TB drive and install it in the DNS 323 and setup the Raid1 and make sure I check the box NOT to format.  Either way at this point I still have everything on my 400GB drive. 

No - the DNS-323 will not recognize an NTFS formatted disk and will attempt to format it - be warned, however, if you insert a disk with existing partitions, the unit may not behave in the expected fashion and loss of data may result.
Yes - there is a way to get the NAS to create a RAID1 pair, when adding a new disk, without formatting the existing disk (there will be a check box in the format page that appears when you power the unit on after inserting the new drive)
Be absolutely certain that you have a backup of your data before attempting the procedure you have in mind.
 

[fordem]

Ok since I do not have the extra space this is what I have done.

I took 1 TB Drive Formatted it to NTFS.  Copied all of the data from the 400GB disk to it.  I am not going to install the other TB drive into the NAS and copy it all from the first TB drive to it.  Then I will format the original TB drive and install it in the DNS 323 and setup the Raid1 and make sure I check the box NOT to format.  Either way at this point I still have everything on my 400GB drive. 

Presumably that first "not" is a typo, and should have been "now".

1 - Ideally what you want to do with the "original" 1TB drive is delete the partitions, formatting it will leave an NTFS partition on it which, as I mentioned before, may cause the unit not to behave as expected.

2 - When you install the second drive (or any "new" drive), not formatting it before use is NOT an option - it has to be formatted before use.

Purely for the sake of discussion - let's assume your capacity upgrade goes well and you're enjoying all that additional space, six months down the road you've used another 400GB so you have a total of 800GB of data on the unit, what are your plans to prevent data loss?

[keithmac]

Presumably that first "not" is a typo, and should have been "now".

1 - Ideally what you want to do with the "original" 1TB drive is delete the partitions, formatting it will leave an NTFS partition on it which, as I mentioned before, may cause the unit not to behave as expected.

2 - When you install the second drive (or any "new" drive), not formatting it before use is NOT an option - it has to be formatted before use.

Purely for the sake of discussion - let's assume your capacity upgrade goes well and you're enjoying all that additional space, six months down the road you've used another 400GB so you have a total of 800GB of data on the unit, what are your plans to prevent data loss?

Either Buy another TB Drive and offload the information that I do not need.  Or Carbonite.  Carbonite seems to be a logical choice because now my data is no longer stored locally.  I can't imagine using up that much space.

[keithmac]

HARD DRIVE CONFIGURATION:
This section allows you to setup a RAID configuration on the selected hard drives. Please note that the data stored on the drives will be erased during the formatting process.
RAID CONFIGURATION :
 Vendor  Model  Serial Number  Size
 Hitachi  HDS721010CLA332  JP2940HD0PRLHC  1000 GB
 Hitachi  HDS721010CLA332  JP2940HD0RHWLC  1000 GB
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Select a RAID type:   Standard (Individual Disks)
JBOD (Linear - Combines Both Disks)
RAID 0 (Striping - Best Performance)
RAID 1 (Mirroring - Keeps Data Safe)

When I chose the RAID 1 option I do not have an option not to format.....
 
           

[keithmac]

Do I want to setup the Auto Rebuild Option?

I assume yes.  Is there a reason I would not want to?

[fordem]

Either Buy another TB Drive and offload the information that I do not need.  Or Carbonite.  Carbonite seems to be a logical choice because now my data is no longer stored locally.  I can't imagine using up that much space.

I remember when ...

- my diskette drive stored 160 kB, and was so much faster than cassette tape
- my first hard drive (14") stored 5MB, I couldn't imagine using up that much space.

Trust me - data, like a gas, expands to fill the available space.

Anyway - you missed the point - offloading the data you do not need, doesn't help you when the data you do need is on a device that has gone "belly up".

When I chose the RAID 1 option I do not have an option not to format.....
 

No it doesn't - I guess you didn't believe me when I said not formatting it was not an option.

In case you haven't figured it out, you're in the wrong "screen", the one you want is the first screen after you log in to the interface, one which prompts you to format the disk, and where you probably hit "skip" - that one has a check box you can tick to form a RAID1 array - BUT - be aware, it WILL format the disk.

Do I want to setup the Auto Rebuild Option?

I assume yes.  Is there a reason I would not want to?

This is an option, and you can change it later, so it doesn't really make a difference what you choose - and by the way, it doesn't do what it says it does D-Link may one day, change either the documentation to match the firmwware, or the firmware to match the documentation - who knows?