Learn how to migrate storage volumes to a higher RAID level and expand the volume storage capacity.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

1. Have a general understanding of RAID migration and capacity expansion.
2. Be able to migrate and expand a storage volume with new hard drives.

PREREQUISITES

Course Prerequisites:

NAS 251: Introduction to RAID

Students are expected to have a working knowledge of:

RAID

OUTLINE

1. Introduction to RAID Migration

1.1 About RAID migration and capacity expansion

1.2 Replacing hard drives of the same capacity

2. Configuring your NAS

2.1 Migrating to a different RAID level

3. Expanding the Capacity of your NAS

3.1 Adding new hard drives to expand capacity

3.2 Replacing existing hard drives with larger drives

1. Introduction to RAID Migration

1.1 About RAID migration and capacity expansion

With ASUSTOR NAS it is possible to change the RAID levels of your storage volumes and add hard drives to volumes to expand storage space. All this is done while the NAS Unit is online. You won't lose any of your currently stored data and you can continue to access your files while migration and expansion is in progress.
However, certain limitations exist with respect to migration and expansion between various configurations. Please see the following chart for a summary of the migration and expansion possibilities that are supported by ASUSTOR NAS.

Note:

1. Please unmount SSD Caching first before migrating the RAID level or expanding the capacity.
2. NAS devices with M.2 slots: Please first shut down your NAS, install SSDs and turn NAS back on.

• Add drives to existing volume to expand storage space:

• Add drives for RAID level migration:

Additional notes:

• RAID 0 or JBOD volumes cannot migrate to other RAID levels. Data will need to be offloaded to another storage device to set up a new RAID array.

  

• ADM only supports the addition of hard drives to upgrade the RAID level of a volume or expand volume capacity.
  • RAID level downgrades are not possible.
    Example: It is not possible to downgrade a volume consisting of four drives from RAID 6 to RAID 5 or downgrade to a RAID 5 volume with three drives.

    

  • RAID levels cannot be upgraded if the number of hard drives remains the same as the capacity of the volume will be reduced.
    Example: Migrating a RAID 5 volume containing four drives to RAID 6.

    

  • RAID 6 is unable to migrate to RAID 10. You can only add new hard drives to a RAID 6 or RAID 10 volume to expand capacity.

    

The total storage space will be calculated based on the size of the smallest drive, and the new drive capacity must be equal or greater than the smallest drive capacity in current RAID level.

(NAS RAID Calculator)

1.2 Replacing hard drives of the same capacity

You may find that for one reason or another, you need to replace a hard drive inside your NAS. Replacing hard drives is easy and is necessary in the event of hard drive failure. RAID volumes in an ASUSTOR NAS can have their hard drives replaced without loss of data and settings. Data will need to be offloaded when replacing a single drive volume, RAID 0 or JBOD volumes.

Additional notes:

• If replacing M.2 SSDs or hard drives without hot-swap functionality, your NAS will need to be powered down before removing drives.
• Hard drives or M.2 SSD can only be replaced one at a time. Attempts to replace multiple drives simultaneously or while the NAS is synchronizing will cause data loss.
• Please unmount SSD Caching first before replacing hard drives.

Steps to replacing hard drives either due to failure or maintenance:

• On a NAS with removable hard drive bays, simply take out the hard drive and insert a new hard drive. ADM will automatically synchronize the data with the new hard drive.
• The volume with the missing drive will be in a degraded state and will begin rebuilding upon detection of the new hard drive. This is normal. The state of the volume will return to normal upon completion.

2. Configuring your NAS

In the following example we will walk you through the process of using the Volume Setup Wizard to add storage capacity to an existing volume and to migrate it to a different RAID level.

2.1 Migrating to a different RAID level

We will be demonstrating this process using Volume 1, the same process can apply to all Volumes.
We will be migrating from a RAID 5 * 3 drives configuration to a RAID 6 * 4 drives configuration. Please note that in the example we have already inserted a new drive into the ASUSTOR NAS that is ready to be added to our existing volume.

Note:

1. Please unmount SSD Caching first before migrating the RAID level.
2. It is recommended that you add a drive equal to the size of the smallest drive in the current RAID.
3. NAS devices with M.2 slots: Please first shut down your NAS, install SSDs and turn NAS back on.

STEP 1

• Open [Storage Manager] and click on [Management] [RAID] under the [Volume] tab.

STEP 2

• The Volume Setup Wizard window will now appear. Select the [Migrate this volume from the current RAID level to a higher one] radio button and select [RAID 6] from the RAID level drop-down list. Click [Next] to continue.

STEP 3

• Select the corresponding check box for the drive that you would like to add to the existing volume and click [Next].

STEP 4

• Look over a final summary of the settings for the new volume. Once you're done, confirm these settings by clicking [Finish].

STEP 5

• You will now be able to see that the volume is in the process of migrating and that the drives are synchronizing. This means that a portion of the data from the original three hard drives is being synchronized to the newly added drive. Moreover, because the volume is changing from a RAID 5 configuration to a RAID 6 configuration, the data distribution pattern across the drives will be altered. During this process, you will still be able to read and write data on the NAS. The total time required to complete migration will differ depending on the capacity of the hard drives and total amount of data. Please wait patiently.

STEP 6

• This is what the screen should look like once the volume is ready for use.

3. Expanding the Capacity of your NAS

3.1 Adding new hard drives to expand capacity

We will be demonstrating this process using Volume 1, the same process can apply to all Volumes.
We will be expanding from a RAID 5 * 3 drives configuration to a RAID 5 * 4 drives configuration. Please note that in the example we have already inserted a new drive into the ASUSTOR NAS that is ready to be added to our existing volume.

Note:

1. Only supported on RAID 5, RAID 6 and RAID 10 volumes.
2. Please unmount SSD Caching first before expanding the capacity.
3. It is recommended that you add a drive equal to the size of the smallest drive in the current RAID.
4. NAS devices with M.2 slots: Please first shut down your NAS, install SSDs and turn NAS back on.

STEP 1

• Open [Storage Manager] and click on [Management] [RAID] under the [Volume] tab.

STEP 2

• The Volume Setup Wizard will now appear. Select the [Add disk(s) to this volume] radio button and then click [Next].

STEP 3

• Select the corresponding check box for the drive that you would like to add to the existing volume and click [Next].

STEP 4

• Look over a final summary of the settings for the new volume. Once you're done, confirm these settings by clicking [Finish].

STEP 5

• You will now be able to see that the volume is in the process of merging and that the drives are synchronizing. This means that a portion of the data from the original three hard drives is being synchronized to the newly added drive. During this process, you will still be able to read and write data on the NAS. The total time required to expand capacity will differ depending on the capacity of the hard drives and total amount of data. Please wait patiently.

STEP 6

• This is what the screen should look like once capacity has finished expanding.

3.2 Replacing existing hard drives with larger drives

In the following example we will walk you through the process of using the Volume Setup Wizard to expand the storage capacity of an existing volume by replacing its hard drives with higher capacity ones. We will be demonstrating this process using Volume 1, the same process can apply to all Volumes.

Note:

1. Only supported on RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6 and RAID 10 volumes.
2. Please unmount SSD Caching first before expanding the capacity.
3. If replacing M.2 SSDs or hard drives without hot-swap functionality, your NAS will need to be powered down before removing drives.
4. Hard drives or M.2 SSD can only be replaced one at a time. Attempts to replace multiple drives simultaneously or while the NAS is synchronizing will cause data loss.

STEP 1

• Open [Storage Manager] and click on [Management] [RAID] under the [Volume] tab.

STEP 2

• The Volume Setup Wizard will now appear. Select the [Replace the existing drives in "Volume1" with larger ones] radio button and then click [Next].

STEP 3

• Take a look over the procedures for expanding volume capacity and then click [Finish] once you are done.

STEP 4

• You will now be ready to replace your first drive. The [Status] field will provide you with instructions to guide you through the drive replacement process. Eject the drive tray for the first drive and then replace the old drive with the new higher capacity drive.

STEP 5

• The [Status] field will change as "Degraded" once you eject the drive. At this time, you can insert a larger capacity hard drive into the same position for replacement.

STEP 6

• After you have finished replacing the drive, the drive will then begin to synchronize. The time required for synchronization will differ depending on the capacity of the hard drives and the amount data stored on them. Therefore, synchronization for a single drive may take a couple of hours to complete. After the drive has finished synchronizing, the [Status] field will indicate to you that you may begin to replace the second drive. Follow the same procedures that you did for the first drive until all the drives in the volume are replaced.

STEP 7

• After all the drives in the volume have been replaced, the [Expand Capacity] button will appear. Click on the [Expand Capacity] button to expand the capacity of the entire volume.

STEP 8

• This is what the screen should look like once capacity has finished expanding.

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