1. ReadyNAS L2 Training Session 3 (Technical section)
Presented by Michael Ellis
May 31, 2007

2. Current ReadyNAS Support System
Wiki Support
Community Support Forum
and Phone Support
Netgear Support – That’s us people!

3. Wiki Support http://www.readynas.com/wiki/
Comprehensive resource site for ReadyNAS
FAQ
Hardware Compatibility List
How-to’s
Add-ons
Useful links
Self-service support site to reduce Support calls
Wiki FAQ links frequently used to answer forum and Support questions
Write access currently restricted to NETGEAR employees for now

4. Common Terminology Used
ReadyNAS
Family name for the 600, X6, 1000S, 1100, NV, and NV+
RAIDiator
The Linux-based firmware that powers the ReadyNAS
Think of how the radiator keeps the engine running
RAIDar
Finds and lists ReadyNAS systems on your network like a radar
FrontView
THE Web-based management system invoked by RAIDar
NSP (Network Storage Processor)
IT1004 (first-gen used in 600, 1000S, 1100)
IT3107 (2nd-gen used in X6, NV, and NV+)

5. Installation tasks Ways installation can be started
RAID type selection
Root filesystem installation
Data filesystem creation
Serial console

6. Ways installation can be started
Inserting blank disks
Will not proceed automatically on disks that have been used inside a ReadyNAS in the past
Factory default button
This will be logged in the kernel log
Will destroy any contents on the disks
Frontview

7. Power and Reset switch: Boot method and purpose
5-second 1st blink: OS reinstall
30-second 2nd blink: Factory reset
50-second 3rd blink: TFTP
Power button:
5-second 1st blink: Short diagnostic (Reserved)
10-second 2nd blink: TFTP
15-second 3rd blink: Long diagnostic (Reserved)
20-second 4th blink: USB
25-second 5th blink: Memory test
50-second 6th blink: TFTP
Stuck Power or Reset switch: TFTP (Safe)

8. LED: Patterns and codes
Four Important Power (Status) LED patterns
Fast blinking (mini-boot / iboot confusion): BIOS (<30 seconds)
Slow blinking: Kernel Init (<3 minutes)
Pulsing: Booting (about 1 minute)
Solid: Normal

9. RAID type selection
The ReadyNAS will wait 10 minutes with the disk activity LED flashing before proceeding with the system’s current RAID type
Changing the RAID type will cause a change on flash to VPD and a reboot

10. Root filesystem installation
After RAID type selection, the RAID device will be created, and the sync started
Each disk will have a 2.5 GB area reserved for the OS
The root/OS area of all disks are set up in a mirrored configuration, so the system should still boot completely as long as there is at least one disk still present.
OS contents are kept compressed in flash, and extracted to the hard disks during installation

11. Common Boot Issues Corrupted OS image: Raw write CF/USB
CF/USB limitations: 1st partition, no built-in Hub
Memory
No response to power button
No LED
Older than RAIDiator 2.00c1-p6 systems

12. Boot Recovery and Firmware Re-install
A method to change a boot option(such as fsck, quota check)
A way to re-flash the firmware at low level
A means for users to regain access to their ReadyNAS
Boot recovery is non-destructive, it will not affect user’s data
Firmware Re-install:
Quick procedure that re-installs the firmware from the onboard flash to the root volume
Will reset the admin password back to the default (currently netgear1)
Will change from static IP assignment back to DHCP
Will disable jumbo frames

13. Why perform a firmware re-install?
Users will forget their Frontview admin password
Users move the ReadyNAS to a new network and forget the IP was assigned as a static address
Users enable jumbo frames on accident and the network hardware cannot handle even at poor performance level
FrontView is not allowing access to random screens
ReadyNAS once connected to a 100mbit switch will get stuck as 100mbit and not properly auto negotiate back to gigabit without a firmware re-install. (Rare but known issue)

14. TFTP Boot A procedure to re-flash iboot2 on onboard NAND
Can also be used to change boot states and regain access
Has issues with some network hardware, may require several attempts to complete
Why perform a TFTP Boot?
Can resolve some NAND corruption issues
Can be used to skip filesystem check state
Can be used to skip quota check state
Skipping the FSCK and quota check requires special packages
TFTP_Diag package also available when standard remote access fails
TFTP Boot recovery program available at
(Follow Readme.txt instructions for use)

15. USB Boot
User’s USB flash drive is used instead of TFTP over the network
Data will be deleted from the USB flash drive when writing firmware image for procedure(reminder to backup!)
USB boot avoids network issues and does not require repeated attempts
User needs to have a 64MB or larger USB flash drive, and Windows PC for Rawrite32 application
Burning a compact flash card, USB drive
Similar procedure used in USB boot recovery
Restores firmware image onto compact flash for revision a 600, x6, 1000s legacy models
Newer 1100 model has onboard USB flash drive containing image

16. Hardware Photo’s
Current Products NV+, 1100

17. System Overview – ReadyNAS NV/NV+ (Notes: NV is Legacy product; NV+ has LCD)

18. PCB Overview – Raindance board (ReadyNAS NV/NV+)

19. System Overview – ReadyNAS 1100

20. PCB Overview – K1Z board (ReadyNAS 1100)

21. Hardware Photo’s
Legacy Products 600/X6, NV, 1000

22. System Overview – Rev A ReadyNAS 600/X6

23. PCB Overview – Paseo board (ReadyNAS 600/X6/1000S)

24. ReadyNAS system comparison
PCB/Case
Speed
Eth
Fan
USB BD
BIOS
MEM
LCD
LED HD
PSU
Rev A
600/X6
Paseo
Cube
240 1
CFL 2 CF
EPROM
DIMM N
4 Dual
1 Blue
Cable
Bracket
ATX
Selector
Rev B
Sundance 92
NAND SO
5 GRN
1000S 1U 40 x3
BKPL
Auto
Rev A NV
Raindance
280 3
Tray
Non-ATX
Rev B NV
NV+ Y
1100
K1Z
266 x6

25. Hardware compatibility overview
SATA Drive: SATA1 and SATA2 backward compatible mode, No NCQ support
Memory: PC3200/2700 (DDR400/333) DDR SDRAM, DIMM or SODIMM depends on system. CAS 2 or 2.5 must be supported
Ethernet: 10/100/1000Mb Half/Full duplex Auto sensing, Half duplex HUBs are not fully supported (Flow control problem)
PSU: Paseo board uses standard ATX PSU with SATA power connectors, Sundance board uses standard ATX PSU with 12V connector, Raindance/K1Z board use modified ATX PSU
Fan: Rev A ReadyNAS 600/X6/1000S uses cross flow fan, Rev B ReadyNAS 600/X6 and NV uses standard 92mm PC case fan, 1U ReadyNAS uses 40mm case fan. 12V and 2 pulses/Rotation.
USB: 0.5A Bus power, USB 2.0
NO Wake On LAN (WOL) support

26. FlexRAID and X-RAID

27. Flex-RAID and X-RAID tidbits
ReadyNAS can switch between Flex-RAID and X-RAID modes
10-minute window with RAIDar during installation or factory default
default RAID mode is kept on flash
once switched, future factory default will default to that mode
Common features
Both driven by hardware RAID engine on the NSP
Both support disk roaming – disks are not slot-specific
Both support disk migration – disks can be moved from one box to another box (even if box has a different default RAID mode in flash)
Both support life-support mode – when a 2nd disk has failed or has gone offline, writes to RAID volume is suspended
X-RAID technology is still patent-pending
Avoid going into details with partners and customers

28. Data filesystem creation
XRAID
With one disk, XRAID will behave like a degraded RAID 1, which is equivalent to a single disk configuration
With two disks, XRAID will behave as RAID 1
With 3 or more disks, XRAID will be in true XRAID mode
Flex-RAID
With one disk, it will be a single-disk RAID 0, which is equivalent to a single disk configuration
With two disks, it will default to RAID 1
With 3 or more disks, it will default to RAID

29. X-RAID spans using LVM
X-RAID does not pool the physical disks into one logical volume like typical RAID implementation
X-RAID exposes all disks except one which is hidden to act as parity
X-RAID uses Linux LVM (Logical Volume Manager) to pool disks into one “logical” volume
LVM volume spans disks – it does not stripe like RAID 0 or RAID 5
Disk 1 2 3 4
100 GB
Data
flow 1
100 GB
100 GB
100 GB
100 GB 2
100 GB 3

30. Windows Domain and Active Directory

31. Introduction
Purpose
Centralize account management on an existing Windows server
Avoid the hassle of recreating accounts on each system
Add the convenience of a single sign-on on Windows clients

32. Limitations Number of accounts
The ReadyNAS can import up to 35,000 user and machine accounts combined
Joining the domain
Currently, you must have domain admin privilege to join the ReadyNAS to the domain, unlike recent Windows clients

33. Common Problems DNS issues
Most commonly, ADS domain issues come from misconfigured DNS
The DNS server used by the ReadyNAS must have all the proper SRV records for ADS services
Sometimes DNS issues can be worked around by specifying an IP address to use as the domain controller, instead of letting the ReadyNAS detect it
Time skew issues
Usually the cause if the NAS joined the domain, but the client always prompts for authentication when accessing a NAS share
If the user can access using \\[ip]\[share], but not \\[hostname]\[share], this is probably the cause
Time zone is important

34. ReadyNAS Integrated Backup Manager

35. Why use the Backup Manager?
Ease of use
Centralized backup job management
No licensing issues
No need to install software on all backup source machines
Why use 3rd party software?
May have more features, such as finer-grained scheduling
Possibly better performance

36. Essential configuration info for backup job
Edit by clicking job number
Manually start and delete backup jobs

37. Protocol caveats and limitations
CIFS: archive bit more modern and full-featured implementation than timestamp
Foreign character support
Timestamp improved with 2.6 kernel releases
rsync backup only supports module-based rsync setups
Most users use rsh-based transports instead outside of NAS
Very resource intensive, may cause out of memory conditions if large number of files in archive, not archive disk size
Local to local backups can be used to efficiently copy/move data from one share to another without network overhead

38. Backup button
Backup button on the front of the NV/NV+, 1100 can be used to initiate backups.
Default backup job is [backup] -> HD attached to front USB port
Can be configured to run one or more backup jobs in order

39. Performance Troubleshooting

40. Performance Troubleshooting
Network driver in RAIDiator 3.01 is a little aggressive with hardware acceleration
This causes compatibility issues with some routers/switches
RAIDiator 4 takes a more conservative approach in lieu of better compatibility

41. Performance Troubleshooting
Common problems and suggestions
Marginal cabling (check Network tab for errors, replace cable as needed)
Incompatible or bad switch/router (try setting ReadyNAS for static and going direct-connect)
Wireless router (try updating firmware)
NIC on PC (if you have a Intel or Airlink gigE, try using that)
Disk fragmentation. To workaround this is a little harder. You would need to back up your data and remove your data before running the test. Sorry, there's no defrag option at this time.
UPS device causing connection timeouts. Try disconnecting USB storage and UPS cable.
Marginal disks. Check the SMART logs in the Health tab. Check for non-zero ATA errors and re-allocated sector counts. They usually point to possible timeout conditions causing slowness.
Check System.log. Do a Download All Logs and check System.log. Sometimes this will give you some clues with low-level errors codes.
Delete any active snapshot. Snapshot will add extra delay to your write performance.
Disable virus scanner.
Close RAIDar and FrontView. Running them will cause extra scanning of device health every minute.

42. Common hardware issues
Sockets oxidization and memory
ReadyNAS NV+ PSU
Schedule power on
Ethernet cable
Stuck disk tray
(Legacy product issues: rarely seen now)
Cross flow fan
Raindance and Sundance fan driver circuit
ReadyNAS 1000S SATA cabling

43. Stuck Trays D If trays are locked use point A to open the tray.
If tray is stuck please use a point B or C to open the tray.
Alternate: use a paperclip in point D at a 45 degree angle (pointing upward), once inserted pull upward to open tray. D

44. Password Reset Go to http://ip_address_of_readynas/password_recovery
Enter your address and recovery question
You will receive the reset password in your .

45. Battery Reset Procedure
Step 1) Un-plug AC cable from a unit, and remove all disks. Please mark each disk so that you can insert to the same slots.
Step 2) Place a unit up side down. And prepare ball-point pen cap. Use “Bic” ballpoint pen. (“Papermate” ball-point pen, for example, will not work because it is not skinny. You can see battery holder under left slot in below picture (disk4 slot).
Step 3) Insert skinny part of pen cap between
the clamp and the battery. And twist pen cap
and lift clamp from battery for 5~10 seconds
so that battery power is off and reset circuitry.

46. Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues

47. Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues Power Supply failure Failed Drive Permissions
Connection errors
Not seeing the ReadyNAS
Not Booting Up
Lost Volume
Backup Jobs not working
Overheating
Volume size issue

48. Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues - Power Supply Failure Possible Symptom(s):
Power supply fan does not spin up
no indicator lights on front panel
no drive activity
Troubleshooting:
Determine that the unit definitely is not powering up
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: If the unit does not power on, ask the user to remove all drives and see if the unit will power on without the drives installed. (Remind user to keep the order of drives exactly the same when reinstalling)
Option 2: Test with a new HDD if possible. Instances have occurred where failed hard drives prevent the ReadyNAS from powering on. (This is very rare.)
Option 3: If the unit is located in Europe, ask the customer to try a different power cord.
Option 4: Check that the unit didn’t have a scheduled power on/off; if so follow the instructions to perform a battery reset.
RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

49. Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues - Failed Drive Possible Symptom(s):
Determine that the unit has a failed drive by:
Received an alert
Checking the LED state on the front of the unit
Checking the LCD panel in the front of the NV+
Checking the status using the RAIDar utility
Checking the status using Frontview
Troubleshooting:
first identify which drive has failed
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: Check that the drive is properly locked in place
Option 2: Power-cycle the unit
Option 3: Check to see if the drive is on the HCL(see Hardware Compatibility List), if the drives are listed as incompatible suggest the customer replace all the drives.
 Additional Notes:
If the user is running a RAID 0 configuration or multiple drive failures occur, inform the user of the major possibility of data loss
to perform a battery reset.
RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

50. Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues - Permissions Possible Symptom(s):
User gets “access denied” when trying to access files
Username and password required (even though no rights were set)
Troubleshooting:
Find out what security mode they are in
Double-check all the settings
Find out more about the environment the user is running in
Check the User and Group listings to make sure all the users were provided a UID and all the groups were provided a GID
Verify that the ReadyNAS actually joined the domain if in domain mode
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: Use the advanced share options to reset the permissions for the files
Option 2: If in Domain mode, change to User mode then try re-joining the Domain
 RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

51. Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues - Connection Errors Possible Symptom(s):
One or more systems on network having poor or sporadic connections
One or more systems on network have slow transfer rate with ReadyNAS
Troubleshooting:
Check other systems to make sure it’s not just one system having the problem
Check the logs for obvious errors
Try a new cable from the ReadyNAS to rule out a bad cable
Check the performance settings in the ReadyNAS for incompatibilities, such as jumbo frames.
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: Check ReadyNAS to make sure it isn’t doing a file check or syncing
Option 2: Turn off Jumbo frames if enabled on the ReadyNAS
Option 3: If poor performance, turn off “full Journaling” if enabled on ReadyNAS
Option 4: If poor performance from all systems try rebooting router etc.
Option 5: Perform a direct connection from a pc to the ReadyNAS to rule out a network problem (can try IOmeter to test connection)
 RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

52. - ReadyNAS not seen on Network (slide 1 of 2)
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- ReadyNAS not seen on Network (slide 1 of 2)
Possible Symptom(s):
ReadyNAS not seen in RAIDar
ReadyNAS not seen in Network Neighborhood
Troubleshooting:
Determine where the ReadyNAS is not being seen from
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: Check if the user is running a DHCP server on the network, or is using static IP addresses
The ReadyNAS is set by default to use DHCP, if no DHCP server is found on the network then the ReadyNAS will sets its IP address to (subnet ) by default.
If there is no DHCP server, you will need to set up a directly connected PC with a temporary IP of xxx to access the ReadyNAS and set it with a static IP.
(Continue on next slide)

53. - ReadyNAS not seen on Network (slide 2 of 2)
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- ReadyNAS not seen on Network (slide 2 of 2)
Possible Solutions:
ReadyNAS not seen in RAIDar (cont)
Option 2: If it is only the RAIDar program that can’t find the ReadyNAS:
Some Wi-Fi routers do not support the use of RAIDar
Some VPN connections do not support the use of RAIDar
ReadyNAS not seen in Network Neighborhood
Option 1: If ReadyNAS can be seen in RAIDar but not Network Neighborhood:
Try using Internet Explorer to browse \\<ReadyNAS IP addrs>
RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

54. - ReadyNAS not booting up
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- ReadyNAS not booting up
Possible Symptom(s):
LCD panel on NV+ has stopped partway through the boot cycle
Unit is not appearing on network or RAIDar after boot
Troubleshooting:
Check the LED pattern sheet.
Establish the cause of the problem, or the events leading up to the failure.
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: Make sure the unit is not performing a Quota or a File System check. (If NV+ check the front panel LCD for current status)
Option 2: Depending on the Led pattern perform a TFTP boot recovery or USB recovery, Firmware reinstall or a TFTP quota, file system check skip.
Additional Notes:
In order of ease, the recovery sequence would be firmware re-install, USB boot, TFTP boot. In the event a quota or fsck skip is needed, a TFTP boot will have to be performed.
keep in mind that there are two methods for a TFTP boot, and the tech handling this should be aware that there are two boot loaders. If the second boot loader has failed, a TFTP boot will not be possible from the power button and the reset button(50s) will need to be used. Be sure to warn the user that letting go of the reset switch between 30s and 50s will initiate a factory default, but as mentioned can be cancelled within 10 minutes by a restart.
 RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

55. - Lost or inaccessible Volume
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- Lost or inaccessible Volume
Possible Symptom(s):
Volume cannot be seen (through anything including Frontview)
Troubleshooting:
Establish the cause of the problem, or the events leading up to the failure.
Establish Remote Control session.
Gather logs.
Escalate the case.
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: Before escalating the case try performing a firmware re-install first (with no USB devices connected) as this can sometimes resolve the issue.
 RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

56. - Backup Jobs not working properly (Slide 1 of 2)
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- Backup Jobs not working properly (Slide 1 of 2)
Possible Symptom(s):
Alert is received that backup job did not complete correctly
When checking backup log, backup job is shown to have not completed
Troubleshooting:
Determine which backup utility is being used (i.e. rsync; internal backup; 3rd party backup)
Check the backup logs for errors.
Possible Solutions:
Option 1: If logs shows source or destination was not online rerun backup job after checking connection
Option 2: Check all settings and make sure all settings are correct.
Option 3: Make sure no permissions or firewalls are blocking the backup jobs.
Option 4: Make sure the backup jobs are scheduled correctly with no interferences and enough time to be completed.
Option 5: Try performing the backup job on a direct connection, to eliminate network problems.

57. - Backup Jobs not working properly (Slide 2 of 2)
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- Backup Jobs not working properly (Slide 2 of 2)
Possible Solutions: (cont)
Option 6: If using Rsync:
Make sure that when using an RSYNC job that the user entered the path as displayed <ip_addr>::/<module>/<path>
In the event of an RSYNC backup failure, get the logs from the other ReadyNAS or the Linux/Unix system that the ReadyNAS was pushing data to or pulling from. Rsync events are logged on both sides of the connection.
The user most also make sure that the Linux/Unix system is running rsync in daemon mode, known as RSYNCD. Refer to section 3:
If in Domain mode, verify that SMB signing is disabled on the server, and if the user is trying to backup the entire hard drive refer to 8.11 of the Wiki FAQ.
 RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

58. - Overheating (Slide 1 of 2)
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- Overheating (Slide 1 of 2)
Possible Symptom(s):
alert has been received stating system overheating
Unit is locking up
Fan speed is always on high
Troubleshooting:
Check RAIDar, SMART drive functions and logs to determine where the overheating is occurring.
Find out where the unit is placed and how much room it has. (i.e. enough ventilation)
Find out what the ambient temperature is where the unit is installed in.
Possible Solutions:
Option1: Check the fan to make sure the fan is working properly (are the RPM’s too low? Are they spinning at all? Etc.)
Option 2: Ask the customer to check all the vents to see if they are clogged with dust, if an NV or NV+ ask the user to clean out the front door dust filter. (A simple check would be to leave the door open)

59. - Overheating (Slide 2 of 2)
Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues
- Overheating (Slide 2 of 2)
Possible Solutions: (cont)
Option3: Check what drives are installed in the unit, since some Western Digital JS/KS/YD/YS have false temperature readings. (Also if the drives are on the HCL’s “incompatibility” list recommend they change all the drives)
Option 4: If the ambient temperature where the unit is installed is to high, move the unit to someplace cooler
Option 5: If one drive temperature is very high, recommend replacing the drive since it may be failing
 RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

60. Top 10 ReadyNAS Issues - Volume Size Issues Possible Symptom(s):
User cannot add an additional volume to the drive
User cannot create a volume over 2TB
Unit will not recognize 750GB drives that user installed
Troubleshooting:
Identify the specific issue
Possible Solutions:
ReadyNAS supports the maximum of 2 volumes per drive.
ReadyNAS supports a maximum volume size of 2 TB
If customer is installing 750GB Drives make sure they update to latest firmware, older firmware's prior to Radiator 3 did not support 750GB drives.
 RMA: See ReadyNAS RMA procedure documentation

61. Misc Information

62. Fans NV and NV+ uses a 92mm fan. 1100 uses dual micro high rpm fans
X6/600 rev A uses cross flow fan
X6/600 rev B uses 92 mm fan or optional 120 mm fan.
1000s rev A uses micro high rpm fans
1000s rev B uses 1 single micro fan and one dual micro fan

63. Internet Knowledge Resources

64. Links for users wanting more information
Contains our FAQ and Hardware Compatibility List(HCL)
Our community forum for users with support staff and engineers assisting with issues. Search function can help with a multitude of problems(like searching for a printer model to see if another user got it working)
Users can search for more technical information regarding different RAID levels and exactly what an xor is.
The Official Samba HOWTO
Other places to get information
Forum
Wiki

65. Continued More information on LVM On the web
Google “LVM Howto”
On Linux
man pvcreate
man lvscan
etc.