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[nightshocker]

the subject is my question. i do not have enough space to move files over so i really need to know if anyone has lost data after update? i have a lot of pictures from vacation and family plus im storing other family members pictures so i can not lose them.

please let me know thanks.

[Fatman]

I know this isn't terribly helpful to your original question, but if that information is important to you, you should have it backed up.

[klein]

i didn't lose anything when i upgraded the firmware but what Fatman mentioned is also very true

[Banshee1971]

In my case, i convert my file structure to ext3. For this conversion, i backup everything because i was originaly in ext2
so i was force to format !

[Fatman]

Good point!

[nightshocker]

backing up would be great if i can afford another hard drive.   the dns 323 is the backup. do i would have to backup a backup?  lol...  that is why i was asking. i have 130gigs free on c drive. but the 323 has about 550 gigs, so i can not do that.

[Fatman]

If you can't afford to lose the data on the DNS-323 it is not a backup any more.  I think this is the point we were all trying to get across.

[Banshee1971]

Don't forget one thing... nothing are 100 % safe. You can purchase a bad hardrive, or 2 bad hardrive... sometime manufacture having defective batch of hardrive. Of course, they are under waranty, but you're data are not !


In my case, i have 2 Drive in my NAS, and i synch one drive on the other each 2 days, and i synch one drive to my computer drive each week. My NAS are 100 FT away from my PC, and plug into a UPS. If the NAS fail, and broke everything... i have my backup 1 week old. If my powersupply of my PC blow-up and damage my internal hardrive, i have my NAS... I also MAP only the primary hardrive. The other only MAP during the synch, and after, the MAP letter disconnect. I use SecondCopy for the synch (because the internal synch application of the NAS not working correctly).


Having more backup increase the chance of not loosing data, but you need all the time to access you're data from only 1 location (the other location are the backup).

[ttmcmurry]

My favorite explanation for why multiple forms of media are appropriate to be truly backed up:

Lightning

[spoonman]

I too am new to the DNS-323, and I too wonder if the firmware update could possibly cause the device to lose data.  I believe the DNS stands for Data Network Storage, NOT Data Network Backup!  All you all could do was flame this guy for asking a totally legitimate question.  I think it is you all who need get a clue and either contribute with USEFUL information, or just keep quiet!  Jeez, ya know, it is people like you all who make forums a scary place. 

@nightshocker-don't apologize to these "posters" for NOT answering your question.  I am sure they are just trying to boost their #of posts.

And @ you flamers--nightshocker didn't ask you your thoughts on how to back up data, or what you think is the best way to back up data.  Moderators are SUPPOSED to moderate and keep threads on topic, and oh, maybe offer an answer to the question.

a simple question was asked, and if you have anything useful to contribute to the topic, please do so.  I am sure hearing ON TOPIC accounts of what did or did not happen when you upgraded ( or even IF you did upgrade) your firmware would be very useful to all of us.

So, please, can we get an answer to the question?  What problems may we run into when upgrading the firmware?  Is there a higher than expected risk of data loss?  what can we do to minimize the potential for data loss?  I read something about formatting ext3, but I have mine as NTFS, and formatting to ext3 sounds dangerous ( data loss?)

[ttmcmurry]

All things created by man are subject to failure because we are also flawed by our own nature.

Philsophy aside, while statistically improbable there is always a chance that a firmware flash could do anything from rendering one or more drives inoperable or otherwise damage the data contained therein to rendering the dns-323 itself inoperable or non-recoverable, or both.

D-Link wouldn't be a good company if they wrote firmware with a liklihood for failure built in- a "russian roulette" routine so to speak.  The code in the firmware, by its nature, just like any other device on this planet that uses reprogrammable firmware, is designed to do a specific task within specific operating parameters.

So in retrospect your question is kind of silly and your rants somewhat amusing. 

Which is why D-Link, just as any other company who deals with user data, always suggests and goes out of their way to remind you in multiple ways, that any time you make a firmware update to please back up your data before proceeding.

PS:  It isn't possible to format the drives in the DNS-323 as NTFS.  EXT2 or EXT3 are your only options and the format cannot be changed without erasing all of your data.

[spoonman]

Well I am glad you were amused.  At least my post invoked some emotion.  You definitely get the award for most sheets used from your word of the day toilet paper.  I think you hit a triple word score in every sentence.  Nice work!  But seriously, thank you for replying.

 The reason I asked for clarification is because I am running firmware 1.05, and when I bought it, it was at 1.04 and all the forum posts I read at the time went on and on about how upgrading from 1.04 to 1.05 would cause both drives to re-format, and all data would be lost (I upgraded the firmware before I copied the data to the drive, and the update DID cause the drives to lose formatting and the small amount of data that was on it).  I am sure that nightshocker had also read that earlier firmware upgrades often caused data loss and was concerned that it would happen again.

What we all want to know is if this firmware - 1.08 (yes, I know it is beta) or 1.07 more times than not causes data loss, or re-formatting of the drives.

and yes you are correct, it is not NTFS, Win7 properties of the drive show it as NTFS, but the DFS tells another story.  It was about 18 months ago when I set it up, so my memory was fuzzy.  Thank you for correcting me.  To further this point, how can you tell if it is ext2, or ext3?  I believe at the time, firmware 1.05 did not offer ext3.  And are you saying that you cannot take a ext2 partition and re-format it to ext3 and preserve the data? and that 1.08/1.07 forces you to format ext3?

[ttmcmurry]

Win7 is weird how it reports a network share in the 323's case.  DFS isn't in use despite its visibility in the drive properties.  The 323 makes the share look like a NTFS drive even though it isn't.

When 1.02b, EXT3 was removed.  Since you started with 1.04, it isn't possible you formatted with EXT3 and there isn't a chance for data loss there.  I would take a moment to point out if the release notes are read carefully, you wouldn't be put into such a scenario.

The 323 doesn't tell you what format the drive is from the Web Interface.  They should improve that in the status tab.  If you started with 1.04, it's EXT2.  There is no way to "upgrade" the filesystem without a format (which will destroy data).  It's not a huge issue if you don't go to EXT3, you'll likely never notice a difference.

[spoonman]

Well, I started with 1.04 and then upgraded to 1.05 than I rebuilt the array, reformatted and then copied all my data.  The question I need the answer to is does the newest firmware require the drives to be ext3?  and yes, I agree that the web interface should tell you the details of the file system. What is the benefit of ext3 over ext2?

[fordem]

No - the new firmware does not require ext3, it offers it as an option.

What are the benefits - google "journaled file system" for details.

Essentially ext3 is the ext2 file system with the addition of a journal - it provides a little more security in that changes to the file system are first written to a journal and then made, so that in the event of a power failure or similar occurence, the system can, at the next power up, either complete those changes or back them out.

Journaling comes with a performance penalty, and, at least in my opinion can be dispensed with on a stable system with power protection.