LaCie 5big NAS Pro: New Storage Volume Wizard

Building New Storage Volumes

This guide details the process of creating new storage volumes and configuring RAID levels on your LaCie NAS device. You can select from various options, including Quick setup and Custom RAID configurations.

Understanding RAID Options

The LaCie NAS offers several RAID configurations, each with different benefits for capacity, protection, performance, and scalability:

• Quick setup: Utilizes LaCie SimplyRAID for optimized capacity and data protection. It configures a SimplyRAID volume with single-disk security for maximum disk space. For double-disk security, use the Custom option.
• Custom: Allows for a wide range of RAID configurations, including:
  • SimplyRAID with double-disk security (minimum of four disks)
  • JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks)
  • RAID 0 (two disks minimum)
  • RAID 1 (two disks minimum for data protection)
  • RAID 1+Spare (three disks minimum)
  • RAID 5 (three disks minimum)
  • RAID 5+Spare (four disks minimum)
  • RAID 6 (four disks minimum)
  • RAID 6+Spare (five disks minimum)

Important Notes on SimplyRAID

• SimplyRAID optimizes storage capacity using all disks in a volume. It is not possible to add a spare disk to a SimplyRAID volume.
• To configure five disks as SimplyRAID with double-disk security, you must use the Custom option.
• The New storage volume wizard does not offer a migration path from SimplyRAID single-disk security to SimplyRAID double-disk security.

Creating a Single-Disk Volume

Single-disk volumes can be created with expansion in mind. You can launch the New storage volume wizard to create a single-disk volume using SimplyRAID, JBOD, or RAID 1. While this configuration does not provide data protection, it is prepared for expansion. For volumes intended to reach four or more disks, it is recommended to use SimplyRAID, as RAID 1 cannot extend beyond three disks.

Backup Recommendations

Backing up data stored on your LaCie NAS to desktop storage or another NAS is crucial for keeping critical files safe from hardware failure. This is especially important for volumes not configured for RAID protection. Frequent backups are highly recommended. Refer to the 'Backup Jobs' section for detailed instructions.

Steps to Create a New Storage Volume

The default names for newly created volumes are Volume 1, Volume 2, etc. Refer to 'Volume Tools' to change volume names.

Quick Setup Example (SimplyRAID)

1. Insert disks into the enclosure. Refer to 'Remove/Insert a Hard Disk' or 'Connect to the Network: Diskless LaCie 5big NAS Pro' for instructions.
2. On the Dashboard > Storage page, select the new disk(s) from the left-hand column.
3. Choose the 'Add storage' button to launch the New storage volume wizard.
4. Select 'Network volume' and click 'Next'.
5. In the 'Select disks' window, choose the available (white) disks for the new volume by checking the box beneath them. Click 'Next'. Note: All data on the selected disks will be deleted to create the RAID configuration.
6. Select 'Quick setup' to create a SimplyRAID volume. Click 'Next' to continue.
7. Review the summary window and click 'Finish'. Confirm the action in the subsequent popup window by selecting 'Yes'.

Custom Setup Example (RAID 0)

1. Follow steps 1-4 from the Quick Setup example to select disks and choose 'Network volume'.
2. Select 'Custom' and click 'Next'.
3. Choose the desired RAID level (e.g., RAID 0) from the list. The window will display the strengths and weaknesses of the selected RAID mode.
4. Review the summary and click 'Finish'. Confirm by selecting 'Yes' in the popup window.

Creating Multiple Volumes

This section demonstrates creating two volumes: one using RAID 0 (performance) and another using SimplyRAID (protection). For enhanced performance, consider bonding Ethernet ports and creating an iSCSI target on the RAID 0 volume (refer to 'Network' and 'iSCSI Target' for details). A router supporting port aggregation is required for Ethernet bonding.

Creating the First Volume (RAID 0 Example)

1. Ensure hard drives are inserted. Refer to 'Remove/Insert a Hard Disk' and 'Connect to the Network: Diskless LaCie 5big NAS Pro' for instructions.
2. Choose 'Add storage'.
3. Select 'Network volume' and click 'Next'.
4. In the 'Select disks' window, note that disks used in the first volume are unavailable. Select the check box under the desired disks for the new volume and click 'Next'. This example uses the first two disks for a RAID 0 volume.
5. Choose 'Custom' to select the RAID level. Click 'Next'.
6. Select 'RAID 0' and click 'Next'.
7. Review the summary and click 'Finish'. Confirm by selecting 'Yes' in the popup window. A RAID 0 volume typically takes less than five minutes to build.

Creating the Second Volume (SimplyRAID Example)

1. Choose 'Add storage'. Important: Do not select an existing volume with 'Add storage' as this may risk deleting the existing volume and its data.
2. Select 'Network volume' and click 'Next'.
3. Select the check box under the remaining disks (in this example, three disks) and click 'Next'.
4. Select 'Quick setup' for SimplyRAID and click 'Next'.
5. Review the summary and click 'Finish'. Confirm by selecting 'Yes' in the popup window.

Adding a Spare Drive

To add a spare drive, first create the RAID volume using the 'Custom' option, leaving at least one hard drive free for the spare. For example, a four-disk RAID 6 array with a spare requires creating the RAID 6 with the first four disks before adding the fifth disk as a spare. This process can be followed for RAID 1, RAID 5, or RAID 6 volumes.

1. Insert the spare hard drive(s) into the LaCie 5big NAS Pro. The Dashboard > Storage should display at least one new hard drive.
2. Choose 'Manage'.
3. Select 'Add drive' and click 'Next'.
4. Check the box under the new hard drive(s) and click 'Next'.
5. Select 'Custom' and click 'Next'.
6. Select 'Add spare drives' and click 'Next'.
7. Review the summary and click 'Finish'. Confirm by selecting 'Yes' in the popup window. The spare drive is now available.

Synchronizing Times

The time it takes to synchronize a volume varies from five minutes to many hours, depending on the RAID level, disk capacity, and available NAS resources. Concurrent tasks like backups or torrent downloads can slow down synchronization. For instance, an unprotected RAID volume might take less than five minutes, while RAID 6 with large capacity disks could take a day or more. You can access the volume while it is synchronizing.