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ReadyNAS Performance Expectations

By dbott | May 15, 2010

So, you’ve got your new ReadyNAS device and are wondering why it’s not screaming at gigabit speeds.  Before going to much further, let’s be sure that our equipment is capable of delivering the speeds we’re looking for.

The Slowest Network Link

One of the problems is that many people fail to take into account that network performance is limited to the speed of the slowest link. Even though the ReadyNAS has a gigabit interface, if your router or network switch does not support gigabit, you will only get speeds that match the network device (typically 100 Mbps for most devices).

You also need to consider the speed on the network card on the PC.  If the NIC on the PC is not gigabit or you’re  using a wireless connection, performance will also be reduced.

In order to achieve maximum performance, all device connections would need to be wired gigabit connections. This requires:

If you’re looking to upgrade any of your network equipment, be sure to check the Hardware Compatibility List to make sure that the equipment is supported by the ReadyNAS.

Bits-per-second vs. Bytes-per-second

Network throughput is generally measured in bits-per-second (i.e. 100 Mbps, 54 Mbps, etc.) and disk I/O is typically measured in bytes-per-second (i.e. MB/s). When measuring performance, pay close attention to the big B (as in Bytes) vs. the little b (as in bits). A hard-wired connection of 100 Mbps is theoretically capable of 12.5 MB/s (12.5 MB/s x 8 bits-per-byte = 100 Mbps), however, network overhead typically reduces it to about 80% (9 MB/s on average). Same for wireless 802.11g, however, the overhead is much greater and results in about 22 Mbps max (or approximately 3 MB/s).

The only way to maximize performance is to make all links wired gigabit, which should increase disk I/O to it’s maximum.

Typical Performance Expectations

There are a number of factors that can affect performance, such as the size, type and number of files, as well as the protocol used (CIFS, NFS, AFP, FTP, HTTP, etc.).  Under ideal conditions, a typical user should be able to achieve the following performance:

  1. Wireless 802.11g: 2-3 MB/s average (Vista / Windows 7 users should read this)
  2. Wireless 802.11n: up to 6 or 7 MB/s average
  3. Fast ethernet (wired 100 Mbps): Max 12.5 MB/s – average 9-10 MB/s
  4. Gigabit ethernet (wired 1000 Mbps):
    • Click on the link for each model to get detailed performance specs & hardware used
    • ReadyNAS Duo/NV+: 25 – 40 MB/s
    • ReadyNAS NVX/2100: 70-80 MB/s
    • ReadyNAS Ultra4/Ultra6: 80-90 MB/s (depending on model)
    • ReadyNAS Pro/3100/3200: 100+ MB/s
  5. 10 GbE (wired 10,000 MB/s):
    • ReadyNAS 4200: 852 MB/s (using 802.3 ad Teaming, drag & drop 20 GB file over CIFS)

ReadyNAS Device Limitations

Performance is also limited by the CPU in the ReadyNAS device itself.  The ReadyNAS devices that use the sparc-based IT3107 CPU are limited to a maximum speed of about 25-40 MB/s, where as the Intel-based models like the Pro can surpass 100 MB/s. There are also a number of tweaks that you can make in order to optimize performance on the NAS.  Be sure to read the article on optimizing performance: http://www.readynas.com/?p=310

Desktop PC Limitations

Another limitation people fail to take into consideration is the performance of the desktop client computer that they’re using.  The disk I/O of most desktop-class PCs are limited to about 60 MB/s and would never be able to reach the capabilities of a product like the ReadyNAS Pro, unless your PC was configured for some sort of RAID.  Some might wonder what the benefit of owning a ReadyNAS Pro is if you will never be able to max out the performance.  A single PC might not be able to max out the Pro, however, if you have multiple gigabit clients simultaneously reading and writing to the Pro, it will be able to keep up.  Using 802.3ad LAG, the ReadyNAS Pro has achieved 240 MB/s read speeds and 140 MB/s write speeds when being accessed with multiple Macs.

Next Steps

Okay, so you’ve checked everything and you’re still not getting the performance you expect.  What should you try next?

Topics: ReadyNAS, Tech | No Comments »

Golden Games

By dbott | March 1, 2010

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr9j-MRTxz8

Topics: Ramblings | No Comments »

Unofficial ReadyNAS Getting Started Guide

By dbott | February 2, 2010

This guide is designed to help users avoid some common problems when setting up and configuring their new ReadyNAS device.

Generally speaking, the ReadyNAS devices are quite easy to setup. Most units come with the drives pre-installed and configured, however, there are a few models that are available in a diskless version (notably the Pioneer Editions of the Pro and NVX, as well as some models of the Duo and NV+). Basically, you just install the disks, turn the unit on and configure the NAS.  In my experience, however, I found it best to do a few things before configuring the NAS to avoid problems down the road.

This guide makes the assumption that you will be purchasing your own disks, but even if the disks came pre-installed, I recommend taking the time to follow this procedure.

Selecting and Testing Your Disks

  1. Be sure to only select disks that appear on the Hardware Compatibility List.  Using non-approved disks can result in various issues ranging from disks dropping out of the array to catastrophic data loss.
  2. Before installing the disks in the array, please take the time to test the disks using the vendor tools.  Disks can get damaged during shipping and handling, as well as just be flaky straight from the factory.  You will need to install each disk into a SATA-capable PC in order to test the disks.  If any of the disks fail the vendor test then you should replace the drive before proceeding.
  3. If you are going to use HCL-approved disks that were used elsewhere (such as a computer or other device), be advised that the ReadyNAS will initialize the disk and wipe any data that exists on the disk. In order to get the NAS to initialize the disks, you may need to delete any/all partitions from the disk as the ReadyNAS may detect a valid partition signature on the disk and refuse to initialize it.  Even if the disk was working fine previously, you should still take the time to test it.

Installation

Now that the disks are tested and verified to be error free, you can install them into the ReadyNAS.  The ReadyNAS should come with a disk tray for each slot, as well as 4 screws for each tray.

  1. Install the disks into the trays as per the Quick Start Guide.
  2. Install the latest version of RAIDar on your computer.
  3. Once the disks are installed into the chassis and RAIDar is installed on your computer, perform a factory default:
  4. After the factory default process begins, you will have a 10-minute window to connect to the ReadyNAS using RAIDar to configure the unit for X-RAID or Flex-RAID.  Select your desired level of RAID and complete the configuration.  Please note that the process of initializing each disk and creating the volume can take a number of hours to complete.
  5. After basic configuration, but before copying any data, it is recommended to upgrade to the latest version of firmware.

Configuration

The configuration process is quite easy for the creation of users and shares, however, there are some configuration issues that can cause problems if you’re not careful.  Many access problems stem from some sort of naming conflict, such as creating a share with the same name as a user account:

  1. Password for the Admin Account on the ReadyNAS: You should change the admin password on the ReadyNAS from the default setting (netgear1).  The admin password should be different than any password used in Windows.
  2. Hostname for the NAS: By default, the ReadyNAS will be named something like “NAS-xx-xx-xx” (where xx-xx-xx is the last 3 segments of the MAC address).  If you decide to change it, the hostname should be a unique name on the network that is not the same as any other share, username or computer on the network.
  3. User Accounts on the NAS: You should create a user account for each user that requires access to the ReadyNAS.  Usernames must be unique and cannot be the same as any share or computername on the NAS or network.  When you create each user account on the NAS, a private user share will be created for that user.
  4. Share Names on the NAS: Share names must be unique and cannot be the same as any username or computername on the NAS or network. For example, you should not create a share with the same name as one of the user accounts, as the NAS is configured to create a private share for each user at the time of account creation.
  5. User Accounts in Windows: In order to provide seamless/transparent access from Windows to the ReadyNAS, it is recommended that your Windows Login Account be the same as your ReadyNAS User Account (same username and password).  This way, when the NAS challenges Windows for credentials, Windows will send the current username and password to the NAS for authentication and the user will have the appropriate level of access that has been granted.  It is also recommended that you not login to Windows using an account called “admin”, as this may create problems when connecting to the NAS.

There are a number of additional unofficial guides on this site that can help if you run into problems such as poor wireless performance in Vista/Windows 7 or a NAS disappearing from the network, as well as how to use the NAS for WINS or DHCP or Wake-on-LAN.

The most important thing to keep in mind is that although network attached storage devices can help protect against a failed disk, they are still not immune to other sorts of problems like multiple disk failures, accidental or intentional deletions, fire, flood or theft.  It is always advisable to make sure that you have multiple backups: http://www.readynas.com/?p=3153.

Topics: ReadyNAS, Tech | 2 Comments »


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