Recent Posts

Archives

Topics


« | Main | »

ReadyNAS Pro & NVX – Boot/Diagnostics Menu

By dbott | September 29, 2009

In the event that your ReadyNAS Pro or NVX is not functioning properly, you can boot the unit into diagnostics mode.  This mode will allow you to perform a number of tasks as noted below:

  1. Depress the system reset switch on the back (it’s located between the Ethernet and USB ports) while you power on from the front.
  2. Keep it down for about 20 secs until you see “Boot Menu” on the OLED display.
  3. There, you press the Backup button on the front to select between:
    • Normal
    • Factory Default
    • OS Reinstall
    • Tech Support (Telnet-mode)
    • Skip Vol Check
    • Memory Test
    • Test Disks (new option as of 4.2.9)
  4. Once you have selected the desired option, press the system reset switch on the back once. It may take a few seconds for the LCD to respond.

According to chirpa, the “Test Disks” option does the following:

It runs a SMART Offline/Long Test. It can take 5+ hours to run, as each disk runs through its own self-diagnostics. It is a good thing to run before doing expansions, to avoid running into a dual disk failure (where one disk is pulled to replace/expand, and another one is starting to fail but not completely failed yet).

Topics: ReadyNAS, Tech | 6 Comments »

6 Responses to “ReadyNAS Pro & NVX – Boot/Diagnostics Menu”

  1. Unofficial ReadyNAS USB Recovery Guide for x86-based Systems | The Bott Blog Says:
    October 10th, 2009 at 9:53 am

    [...] ReadyNAS Pro & NVX – Boot/Diagnostics Menu [...]

  2. David Bataille Says:
    December 2nd, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Hi

    I have a NV+. Where could I have more information about the impact of each task. For example if I select OS Re install, what are the impact on my data. Maybe a short description of each task and their impact could be nice

    In fact, I installed an add on on my NV+ but now I can’t access it from the frontview or by SSH (I have a corrupted library now !!) So more information about boot menu options may help me to understand and/or solve this issue

    Thanks and regards

    David

    Thanks

  3. dbott Says:
    December 2nd, 2009 at 9:58 am

    Normal is just a normal boot.
    Factory Default resets the system to factory settings. It will wipe the data partition and cause any data or configuration settings to be lost.
    OS Re-install is non-destructive. It copies the stored firmware from flash over to the drives and resets the network settings to DHCP, as well as the admin password to default (netgear1).
    Tech Support puts the unit in Telnet mode to allow Netgear support remote access to the system. This mode boots from a special area of the flash memory and (as far as I know) does not require disks to be working or present.
    Skip Volume Check allows you to bypass a system file check (fsck). This can be useful if the process is hanging on a bad disk or if it’s taking too long.
    Memory Test is used to check the RAM of the system and should be run at least 2 times.

    The only task that will result in data loss is the Factory Default. You can check the ReadyNAS Forums FAQ for further information:

    http://www.readynas.com/forum/faq.php

  4. Unofficial ReadyNAS Getting Started Guide | The Bott Blog Says:
    February 2nd, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    [...] ReadyNAS Pro & NVX – Boot/Diagnostics Menu [...]

  5. Tim Says:
    September 3rd, 2010 at 6:14 pm

    How long does the memory test take on average for the Pro. it’s currently on pass 7 and has been running for 9 hrs. Also why the need to run it twice would would be missed in the first pass?

  6. dbott Says:
    September 4th, 2010 at 10:56 am

    @ Tim: The test will keep running until you power off the system. 7 passes without errors means that the memory is good. I haven’t run the memory tests in quite a while, but I do recall that it can take over an hour per pass (depending on the amount of RAM).

    The FAQ on the ReadyNAS.com forums states:

    Starting with RAIDiator 3.01, there is comprehensive memory test that you can run on the ReadyNAS. To invoke it, power-down the ReadyNAS and depress the front power button, until you see all disk LEDs blink together for the 5th time (ignore the quick flash at the beginning). Disks will blink for about a second at about the 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-, and 25-sec mark. Release at that point. The first disk LED will come on to signify the first of an 8-stage memory test. The LED sequence for the 8 stages will be in binary format going from left to right. When all disk LEDs are lit, the memory is good. If the first and second LED blink, followed by the 3rd and 4th LEDs, in alternating pattern, the memory is bad.

    Please keep in mind that the success rate for flagging an actual bad memory is about 85%, so we do recommend that you run this test twice.

Comments

Spam Protection by WP-SpamFree