http://duov2.bott.ca:81/wordpress/

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_210_212&item_id=035599

Rather than drop $400+ on a couple of new drives, I decided that I since I hadn’t upgraded Prosey to 4.2.19 yet (nor done the obligatory factory default to get ext4), it might be a good time to do a little “drive shuflling” and rebuild Prosey with 2 x 500 GB and the 2 x 2 TB drives I was using in my DuoV2 during the beta test.

The DuoV2 will get 2 old 500 GB drives from the Pro, while the 2 other 500 GB drives are being RMA’d to Seagate.

• X-RAID (Duo, NV+ and earlier models)
• X-RAID2 (Ultra and Pro models)
• X-RAID2 with dual-redundancy (6-bay models only and must start with at least 4 drives installed)
• Flex-RAID 0
• Flex-RAID 1
• Flex-RAID 5
• Flex-RAID 6 (6-bay models only and must start with at least 4 drives installed)
• Flex-RAID 10 (requires RAIDiator 4.2.16+)

In order to expand your volume automatically, you must have configured your ReadyNAS for one of the X-RAID modes.  If you are running any of the Flex-RAID modes, you will not be able to expand your volume without backing up & restoring your data*.

*Notes: starting with RAIDiator 4.2.16 (for x86-based ReadyNAS devices only) volume expansion is now supported in Flex-RAID mode.

See this demonstration of X-RAID2 in action: http://www.readynas.com/?cat=53

What to do in the event that expansion does not start after upgrading your disks

There are a few options that can prevent X-RAID from expanding automatically:

• journaling is disabled
• spin-down is enabled
• snapshots are active and scheduled

Login to Frontview and check to see if any apply and temporarily change the setting to what is listed below.

• Frontview > System > Performance > Enable Journaling
• Frontview > System > Power > Disable disk spin-down
• Frontview > Volumes > Volume Settings > Snapshot > Delete any active snapshots & turn off snapshot schedule

After changing the settings go into Frontview > System > Shutdown > Check and Fix Quotas on next boot and expansion should begin.

If you’re still having difficulties, please see this very thorough how-to by mdgm over at the ReadyNAS forums: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=66&t=42113

Earlier this month, HarperCollins (a major publisher) decided to change the licensing model used by libraries when purchasing ebooks from OverDrive (an ebook lending service for libraries). Prior to this change, libraries could purchase titles from OverDrive and allow their patrons to borrow the material for the desired lending period (1 week, 2 weeks, etc.). Once a library purchased a title they owned it forever, however, they could only circulate the number of copies purchased. In other words, if a library only had one copy of an ebook, only one patron could borrow it at a time. As of March 7, 2011, HarperCollins decided to change the licensing terms and force their ebooks to self-destruct after 26 circulations. Their reasoning was that regular books wear out and they needed to come up with a new business model:

We have serious concerns that our previous e-book policy, selling e-books to libraries in perpetuity, if left unchanged, would undermine the emerging e-book eco-system, hurt the growing e-book channel, place additional pressure on physical bookstores, and in the end lead to a decrease in book sales and royalties paid to authors.

This change outraged the library community and has led to wide-spread boycotting of ebooks published by HarperCollins (just search Twitter for #hcod to get an idea). Libraries promote reading and literacy, provide free advertising and promotion, as well as collectively spend over a billion dollars in the US buying materials every year – all of which benefit the publishers. And how do they reward us? By charging MORE* for ebooks than for print books and then having the audacity to “kill” it after 26 circulations.  Intentionally forcing the destruction of ebooks (or any material, for that matter) is wrong. There is absolutely no reason to ever artificially limit an ebook. As it stands, HarperCollins draconian digital book-burning policies will force libraries to make a choice: buy the same titles over and over and over every few years and forego purchasing new titles or only buy new titles.  To make matters worse, libraries don’t actually own the ebooks — they are licensed to them and lose the first sale doctrine.

HarperCollins has not learned the lessons of the last decade from the music industry. Their leaders lack the vision that Steve Jobs was able to harness and turn into iTunes (with well-over 10 billion downloads – http://gigaom.com/apple/10-billion-itunes-song-downloads-could-equal-10k-for-one-lucky-customer/).

HarperCollins can continue down this path of self-destruction, but I’m sure their authors are already thinking about jumping this sinking ship.  No sales, no authors, no HarperCollins.

A Solution:

1. Add a new option to “Borrow it now” **
   (using “maximum access”-style licensing arrangement that allows unlimited downloads at .99 per download).
2. Add an option to “Buy it now” (both ebook & print, if desired).
3. Include links in the front and back of the ebook to allow patrons to purchase items from the publisher.

Monetize OverDrive

Revenue Sharing – A Win-win-win-win (and win) Solution

Revenues could be divided up to allow all parties to be winners (publishers, authors, provider (i.e. OverDrive), library (and most importantly, me).  For example:

1. 30% Publisher
2. 30% Author
3. 15% Service Provider (i.e. OverDrive)
4. 15% Library
5. 10% Me!

Remove the DRM, integrate my idea above,  lower the price and place a few links at the front & back of the ebook to allow patrons to purchase items from the publisher. Publishers will get more sales, more authors will make money and libraries will be able to expand their collections to serve our communities.

** Note: “Borrow it now” is trademarked, patent-pending and copyrighted technology developed by yours truly and may only be licensed for 26 uses.

More Reading

Cory Doctorow on DRM: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/25/harpercollins-to-lib.html

Neil Gaiman on piracy: http://kindlewriters.com/2011/02/12/ebook-promotion-neil-gaiman-says-piracy-is-really-marketing/

in 2009, Apple passed 10 billion downloads and dumped DRM in: http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=14773

So did Sony. They partnered with Freegal to offer libraries DRM-free downloads of the entire Sony Music catalog: http://www.freegalmusic.com/users/sndlogin

* Need proof that publishers are gouging libraries for ebooks? Here’s a recent study on the economics of publishing ebooks from the New York Times. In the NYT example, our library is actually paying closer to $30.00 for the ebook, not $12.99!  Publishers are making 4x the profit on ebooks compared to print!

New York Times - click to enlarge

Sparc Line

Duo – sparc-based IT3107
NV+ – sparc-based IT3107

Ultra Line

Ultra2 – 1.8 GHz Atom D425 (single core) [Update: Starting May 2011 Ultra2 will ship with 1.5 GHz CPU; performance difference is minimal, if any; price decreased by $100.]
Ultra2 Plus – 1.8 GHz Atom D525 (dual core)
Ultra4 – 1.66 GHz Atom D410 (single core)
Ultra4 Plus – 1.66 GHz Atom D510 (dual core)
Ultra6 – 1.66 GHz Atom D510 (dual core)
Ultra6 Plus – E2160 1.8Ghz CPU (dual core)

Pro Line

First Generation (which will likely be discontinued once current supply has been sold off):
NVX Pioneer Edition – Intel Tolapai SiC @ 1.06 GHz
NVX Business Edition – Intel Tolapai SiC @ 1.06 GHz
Pro Pioneer Edition – E2160 1.8Ghz CPU (dual core)
Pro Business Edition – E2160 1.8Ghz CPU (dual core)

Second Generation:
Pro2 – 1.8 GHz Atom D525 (dual core)
Pro4 – 1.66 GHz Atom D510 (dual core)
Pro6 – E5300 2.6Ghz CPU (dual core)

When the Pro was first announced a few years back, a number of users requested a diskless version of the Pro. Netgear released the “Pioneer Edition” of the Pro (and subsequently, the NVX) with a reduced feature-set (no Active Directory support, no SNMP, no snapshots, etc.) in a diskless chassis to satisfy these users. The problem was that it created some confusion, as some folks bought it thinking that it had the same features as the pre-populated units (aka “Business Edition”).

I’m guessing that Netgear has decided to re-brand the products to avoid confusion. Business users requiring things like AD support, snapshots, rsync-over-ssh, enterprise-class disks, 5-yr warranty, etc. should buy the Pro. Home users not requiring those features should buy the Ultra.

Basically, you need to install WinNUT on your PC.  Instructions for OSX and Linux can be found below.

You also need to configure your ReadyNAS to communicate with the PC:

1. Connect the UPS to the NAS via USB.
2. Login to Frontview on your NAS.
3. Click SYSTEM –> POWER.
4. Scroll down to the UPS section.
5. Check the box that says “Enable network sharing of attached UPS“
6. Enter the IP address of the PC or the subnet (i.e. 192.168.1.0/24).

7. Edit the WinNUT configuration file (typically C:\Program Files\WinNUT\upsmon.conf). In my case, my ReadyNAS uses a static IP (192.168.1.2) and my computers use DHCP on the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet). I’ve edited out most author comments, just leaving the values I used:

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  MONITOR <system> <powervalue> <username>  <password> ("master"|"slave")

MONITOR UPS@192.168.1.2 1  monuser pass slave

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  MINSUPPLIES <num>

MINSUPPLIES 1

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  NOTIFYCMD <command>

NOTIFYCMD "c:\\Program  Files\\WinNUT\\alertPopup.exe"

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  POLLFREQ <n> 

POLLFREQ 5

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  POLLFREQALERT <n>

POLLFREQALERT 5

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  HOSTSYNC - How long upsmon will wait before giving up on another upsmon

HOSTSYNC  15

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  DEADTIME - Interval to wait before declaring a stale ups "dead"

DEADTIME  15

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  NOTIFYMSG - change messages sent by upsmon when certain events occur

NOTIFYMSG  ONLINE "UPS %s is getting line power"
NOTIFYMSG ONBATT "Someone  pulled the plug on %s"
NOTIFYMSG LOWBATT "UPS has a low battery"
NOTIFYMSG  SHUTDOWN "The system is being shutdown"

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  NOTIFYFLAG - change behavior of upsmon when NOTIFY events occur

NOTIFYFLAG  ONLINE EXEC
NOTIFYFLAG ONBATT EXEC
NOTIFYFLAG LOWBATT EXEC
NOTIFYFLAG  SHUTDOWN EXEC

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  RBWARNTIME - replace battery warning time in seconds

RBWARNTIME  43200

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  NOCOMMWARNTIME - no communications warning time in seconds

NOCOMMWARNTIME  300

#  --------------------------------------------------------------------------
#  FINALDELAY - last sleep interval before shutting down the system

FINALDELAY  5

Here’s a couple of screenshots from my PC when the UPS gets disconnected:

Mac Users

Update 2: See Infinite’s post here for OSX users: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=35314&p=196117#p195952

Update 1: See Egg’s post here for OSX users: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=29452&p=166024#p166024

It looks like there’s an OSX port of NUT:

http://boxster.ghz.cc/projects/nut/wiki/NutOnMacOSX

I took a quick read of the HOWTO above.  The HOWTO explains how to setup a MASTER on OSX (which is the device that the UPS is directly connected to), as well as CLIENT machines to monitor the UPS.

For OSX users, the NAS is the MASTER and you’ll just need to configure NUT as a client that points to your NAS.

Then configure the conf file to suit your network.

Linux Users

Most distros should have NUT available through the package management software repositories.  The link below provides links to some related packages:

http://www.networkupstools.org/client-projects/

More Information

The original how-to is documented in the ReadyNAS forums here: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16744&p=89080#p89080

Read this thread for more information/background on networking a UPS device: http://www.readynas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16348

Steps

1. Install RAIDar on your computer
2. After testing and installing your drives into the ReadyNAS, connect the NAS to the network and power it on.
3. On your computer, run the RAIDar discovery tool and scan for your ReadyNAS before 10-minutes expires, otherwise the NAS will default to X-RAID mode
4. Once the NAS has been discovered you can select your desired RAID level:
   
5. After selecting Flex-RAID, the system will create a RAID 1 volume automatically. You need to delete the existing volume first:
6. Once that’s done, you should be able to select which type of RAID array you wish to create, as well as which drives it should be created on:
7. After creating the volume, you will be prompted to restart the device before the volume is added:
   

   If you’ve already put data on it & the RAID level is X-RAID, you’ll need to backup your data & start again.

In the event that your ReadyNAS is not functioning properly, it is quite possible that you are suffering from a failing or flaky disk.  Under normal circumstances, the ReadyNAS should detect a failed disk and kick it from the array.  In those cases, you will also receive alerts from the NAS and see information in the log files.

If you are noticing poor performance, frequent lock-ups, re-syncs or volume scans (aka fsck or file-system checks), then you should check your disks thoroughly.

Quick Ways to Check for Disk Problems

• Login to Frontview and check the SMART status of each disk:

Frontview > Status > Health

• Use RAIDar, the ReadyNAS discovery tool to check the status of the NAS:

Check the Status of Your Disks and Volume

• Download your log files from Frontview (Frontview > Status >Logs > Download All Logs)

It is important to remember that information regarding your disks obtained from SMART status or RAIDar is not a thorough test, nor does it mean that the disks are 100% healthy.  In some instances the disk may be having intermittent read and/or write problems that can cause all sorts of weird issues ranging from a decrease in performance to data re-syncs.  It is also possible that you may not receive any alerts or notification of disk trouble, making it difficult to determine if the disks are actually the problem.

Thorough Tests

Starting in RAIDiator 4.2.9, the x86-based ReadyNAS devices included an option to test the disks in the firmware.  This is an offline utility that will test each disk in sequence and can take a number of hours per disk.  See this post on how to invoke the “Test Disks” option: http://home.bott.ca/webserver/?p=252

Whenever removing disks from your NAS, it is important that you return the disk to it’s original location.  Returning the disk to the wrong slot when the array is degraded can result in catastrophic data loss.  Be sure to label the disks.

Vendor Utilities

For those that don’t have an x86-based ReadyNAS (Ultra, NVX, Pro, 2100, 3100, 3200 & 4200) with the “Test Disks” option, you will need to thoroughly test the disks with the vendor tools in order to eliminate or confirm that they are the source of the problem.  Testing the disks requires the following:

1. Installation of the suspect disk in a SATA-capable PC:
2. The hard disk manufacturer’s diagnostic utility (i.e. SeaTools for Seagate drives).
3. A few hours to run a thorough test for each disk.
4. 

Most of the hard disk vendors offer the utility in a number of versions, such as a bootable CD ISO version, a bootable floppy disk version, as well as a version that can be run from within Windows.  As far as I’m aware, only the Windows version allows the suspect drive to be installed in a portable USB enclosure.  Most of the other versions of the utilities will require you to connect the drive directly to the SATA channel.  Please check with your disk vendor.

SeaTools for Windows

SeaTools for Windows tests SATA, USB, 1394, ATA (PATA/IDE) and SCSI drives. It installs onto your system. SeaTools for Windows is completely data safe. If the drive passes SeaTools for Windows, your troubleshooting can move to other areas.

SeaTools for DOS

SeaTools for DOS tests SATA or ATA drives from a bootable CD-ROM or floppy. It can test a SATA (Serial ATA) or older ATA (PATA/IDE) interface hard drive. Because the software boots to its own operating system you can test your drive regardless of the OS installed on it. You can even test a new or completely blank drive. In addition, this version offers limited repair and data erasure.

The Old “pull one-disk-at-a-time” Trick:

Mac users, as well as those users that only have a notebook/laptop/netbook may need to borrow a friend’s computer or take it to a local computer shop for testing or revert to the old “pull one-disk-at-a-time” trick:

1. Power off the NAS.
2. Remove drive 1 (leave 2, 3, 4 in)
3. Power on the NAS.
4. See if it boots.
5. If not, start over at step 1 and replace disk 1 and remove disk 2. Repeat with all drives.

During the boot process, be sure to monitor the NAS with RAIDar.

If you can’t access your data -or- if RAIDar prompts you to configure your NAS (i.e. factory default), power off the NAS before the 10 minute window expires.

Additional Information:

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. 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.
   

   Delete Partition in Windows

3. 4K sector alignment vs. 512-byte (x86-based units: Ultra, NVX, Pro, 2100, 3100, 3200, 4200 & sparc-based units: Duo, X6/600, NV/NV+, 1000s/1100)
4. Increasing LCC counts – WDIDLE3 utility

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:

• gigabit ethernet cards in each computer
• a gigabit-capable router or switch
• category 5e or 6 ethernet cable
• optional jumbo frame support

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?

• Check for network errors in Frontview > Network > Interfaces > Show Errors.
• Direct-connection between PC and NAS. This will eliminate any incompatible network equipment.
• Replace ethernet cables with new or known-working CAT 5e cables.  A flaky cable on the NAS or PC can cause all sorts of grief.
• Disable or uninstall any security software.  Some security software can be overly agressive.
• Try a different protocol.  If using CIFS/SMB (Windows), try copying files using FTP to see if the performance is comparable.
• Try a different computer.  If possible, try using a different computer to eliminate the PC as the source of the trouble.
• Try a different operating system.  If your PC has multiple OSes (or you have a Live Linux CD), try booting into another OS.
• Check hard disks. Flaky hard disks can cause intermittent read/write issues that can slow the NAS to a crawl.
• Check your RAM memory. If you have upgraded your memory, you may want to re-install the original memory to eliminate the RAM as the culprit.
• Factory Default. Sometimes the OS on the NAS becomes corrupt and can be corrected by resetting the unit.  Be sure to backup any data on the unit.
• Contact support. If you’ve exhausted all of the above, you should download your log files and contact support.

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