TS-832X Questions

[cam.au]

Looking for some advice before I commit and purchase this so hoping someone can answer these questions I had around the TS-832X
My plan is to use 4x 8TB drives in RAID5 to create a ~22TB array. Then migrate all the data off my old smaller NAS to that and re-use the old 3TB RED drives.

Q1 - Can I create a RAID5 array using 8TB drives and then add in 4x3TB drives and expand the volume? How would this work?
Would they become part of the same array, or would I be creating a new ~8TB array and then using the QNAP software to manage the data allocation? Ideally I want to end up with 1 large chunk of 30TB of storage that I can split as needed into various volumes not directly tied to the 2 sets.

Q2 - In the event of a blackout/total power loss - Does all the data become corrupt, or just whatever was being written at the time? (I do plan on using a UPS but wanted to check for worst case)

Q3 - Can I plug the USB from the UPS directly into the NAS and have them communicate directly for shutdowns? Is there a compatibility list? What is needed to make the UPS work directly with the NAS?

Thanks for the help!

[P3R]

Q1 - Can I create a RAID5 array using 8TB drives and then add in 4x3TB drives and expand the volume? How would this work?
Would they become part of the same array...

No that's impossible. The only way to expand a 4*8 TB RAID 5 is with 8 TB or larger disks.

...or would I be creating a new ~8TB array and then using the QNAP software to manage the data allocation?

Yes.

Ideally I want to end up with 1 large chunk of 30TB of storage...

Yes, you could bring the two RAID 5s together in the same storage pool. But there will be no additional data striping advantage and you will always have that as two separate RAID 5s in the storage pool even if you eventually replace the 3 TB disks by 8 TB or larger disks.

...that I can split as needed into various volumes not directly tied to the 2 sets.

That's a bit odd. First you intend to bring the two parts of storage together and then you want to split them up again.

Different from many other computers there's generally speaking very few valid reasons to use separate volumes on a NAS. Multiple volumes brings more administration and more storage overhead without, in most cases, bringing any benefits. It's usually better to separate different data in separate shared folders than in volumes.

Q2 - In the event of a blackout/total power loss - Does all the data become corrupt, or just whatever was being written at the time? (I do plan on using a UPS but wanted to check for worst case)

Worst case the whole storage may become corrupt so using a UPS is an excellent strategy.

Q3 - Can I plug the USB from the UPS directly into the NAS and have them communicate directly for shutdowns?

Yes.

Is there a compatibility list?

Yes, it's here.

What is needed to make the UPS work directly with the NAS?

If the UPS work with the Qnap, simply plug it in and configure it in the Qnap. It should be done in a minute or two.