Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Tell us your most wanted features from QNAP products.
User avatar
ETHREAL1
Starting out
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:46 pm

Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by ETHREAL1 »

In short please add Hybrid RAID or some other method such as manually definable nested RAID as an option.

So the reason I ask this is I have been using a Synology 4 bay NAS for a few years now. When I first got the afore mentioned NAS I started with two 6TB drives. As my storage needs have increased I as needed added 12TB drives. My NAS currently has two 6TB drives and two 12TB drives. As you can probably surmise I will need to get a new NAS or swap out drives soon in order to expand. I have concluded to do the former as the NAS I have is getting a little old and there are many Synology quirks that I would like to no longer deal with. QNAP has got my attention with things like there USB based expansion units, add in card support, easy snapshotting, and so on. But then I noticed one very large problem with me switching over to QNAP from Synology. There lack of hybrid RAID.

With Synology's hybrid RAID I get a total of 24TB of usable Capacity with 12TB of redundancy. But if I where to switch to a QNAP NAS I would have to use RAID 5. With my drive arrangement at the moment that would only give me a usable capacity of 18TB with 6TB for redundancy and 12TB would just be wasted. This is unacceptable! You have an environment where you have to either stick with just one capacity drive for all your addons or having to swap ALL your drives to larger capacity drives all at once. There are a few major flaws with this. The first problem is that drive capacity's increases as time goes on. Like when I got those first two 6TB drives 8TB drives where just becoming a thing. Now at the time of writing 18TB drives are now becoming a thing. The second problem is not everyone has the money to just replace all there drives with new much more expensive drives. The third problem is that not everyone knows what there storage needs will be when they get a NAS.

Now there may be another way that I have been reading about that at least for me would work. (assuming I'm correct about what I've been reading) What I'm referring to is called manually defendable nested RAID. The process of using RAID in layers. So as an example what I would do with my current configuration would be to put those two 6TB drives in a RAID to make a 12TB drive per say. Then use RAID 5 on the "Three 12TB drives". I believe that at least with my current configuration that this is what Synology's hybrid RAID is currently doing.

This is the ONE thing keeping me from getting a QNAP NAS at the moment. Now if there is some way to do what I'm asking already that I have missed I would love to know about it. I was looking into using the ZFS based OS but it also does not support the adding of individual drives so.
User avatar
Toxic17
Ask me anything
Posts: 6469
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 11:41 pm
Location: Planet Earth
Contact:

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by Toxic17 »

Hi there.

you are best to submit a ticket with this request . The "Features Wanted" forum was setup with QNAP supported this forum. it very rarely does that ever now.
Regards Simon

Qnap Downloads
MyQNap.Org Repository
Submit a ticket • QNAP Helpdesk
QNAP Tutorials, User Manuals, FAQs, Downloads, Wiki
When you ask a question, please include the following


NAS: TS-673A QuTS hero h5.1.2.2534 • TS-121 4.3.3.2420 • APC Back-UPS ES 700G
Network: VM Hub3: 500/50 • UniFi UDM Pro: 3.2.9 • UniFi Network Controller: 8.0.28
USW-Aggregation: 6.6.61 • US-16-150W: 6.6.61 • 2x USW Mini Flex 2.0.0 • UniFi AC Pro 6.6.62 • UniFi U6-LR 6.6.62
UniFi Protect: 2.11.21/8TB Skyhawk AI • 3x G3 Instants: 4.69.55 • UniFi G3 Flex: 4.69.55 • UniFi G5 Flex: 4.69.55
User avatar
ETHREAL1
Starting out
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:46 pm

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by ETHREAL1 »

Toxic17 wrote: Tue Mar 16, 2021 7:14 pm Hi there.

you are best to submit a ticket with this request . The "Features Wanted" forum was setup with QNAP supported this forum. it very rarely does that ever now.
Unfortunately it does not appear that I can unless I own a QNAP product first. It asks for a QNAP account ID and in order to make one it looks like you need to insert a product SN number witch I would not have.
User avatar
Moogle Stiltzkin
Guru
Posts: 11448
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:21 am
Location: Around the world....
Contact:

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by Moogle Stiltzkin »

old thread here
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=76243&p=783038

so we don't end up repeating what has already been said yet again.

ZFS also has the limitation where you can't expand? so once you build your raid for the first time, that's it. so to add more new drives you'd have to scrap it and redo the raid again. backups and a willingness to do so (whenever the need arises to add more hdds) will be a requirement for using zfs on quts hero :'
NAS
[Main Server] QNAP TS-877 (QTS) w. 4tb [ 3x HGST Deskstar NAS & 1x WD RED NAS ] EXT4 Raid5 & 2 x m.2 SATA Samsung 850 Evo raid1 +16gb ddr4 Crucial+ QWA-AC2600 wireless+QXP PCIE
[Backup] QNAP TS-653A (Truenas Core) w. 4x 2TB Samsung F3 (HD203WI) RaidZ1 ZFS + 8gb ddr3 Crucial
[^] QNAP TL-D400S 2x 4TB WD Red Nas (WD40EFRX) 2x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf, Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-509 Pro w. 4x 1TB WD RE3 (WD1002FBYS) EXT4 Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-253D (Truenas Scale)
[Mobile NAS] TBS-453DX w. 2x Crucial MX500 500gb EXT4 raid1

Network
Qotom Pfsense|100mbps FTTH | Win11, Ryzen 5600X Desktop (1x2tb Crucial P50 Plus M.2 SSD, 1x 8tb seagate Ironwolf,1x 4tb HGST Ultrastar 7K4000)


Resources
[Review] Moogle's QNAP experience
[Review] Moogle's TS-877 review
https://www.patreon.com/mooglestiltzkin
User avatar
ETHREAL1
Starting out
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:46 pm

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by ETHREAL1 »

Moogle Stiltzkin wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:15 pm old thread here
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=76243&p=783038

so we don't end up repeating what has already been said yet again.

ZFS also has the limitation where you can't expand? so once you build your raid for the first time, that's it. so to add more new drives you'd have to scrap it and redo the raid again. backups and a willingness to do so (whenever the need arises to add more hdds) will be a requirement for using zfs on quts hero :'
Funny you should mention that thread, if you would note the last two posts on it..... That’s why I made this thread.

Also in regards to the ZFS thing. It appears you can add RAID groups to the storage pool. But as I have never had the opportunity to use ZFS first hand I am not entirely sure what that means or how it functions. Does that mean you can add storage by adding say another group of drives in RAID 5????? And if so how does that interact with any storage already in place?
Last edited by ETHREAL1 on Wed Mar 17, 2021 5:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Moogle Stiltzkin
Guru
Posts: 11448
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:21 am
Location: Around the world....
Contact:

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by Moogle Stiltzkin »

i understand. but this for others wanting to read that who were not aware of it. so they don't just end up repeating whats already been said in the continuation of the thread in v2.

:}
NAS
[Main Server] QNAP TS-877 (QTS) w. 4tb [ 3x HGST Deskstar NAS & 1x WD RED NAS ] EXT4 Raid5 & 2 x m.2 SATA Samsung 850 Evo raid1 +16gb ddr4 Crucial+ QWA-AC2600 wireless+QXP PCIE
[Backup] QNAP TS-653A (Truenas Core) w. 4x 2TB Samsung F3 (HD203WI) RaidZ1 ZFS + 8gb ddr3 Crucial
[^] QNAP TL-D400S 2x 4TB WD Red Nas (WD40EFRX) 2x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf, Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-509 Pro w. 4x 1TB WD RE3 (WD1002FBYS) EXT4 Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-253D (Truenas Scale)
[Mobile NAS] TBS-453DX w. 2x Crucial MX500 500gb EXT4 raid1

Network
Qotom Pfsense|100mbps FTTH | Win11, Ryzen 5600X Desktop (1x2tb Crucial P50 Plus M.2 SSD, 1x 8tb seagate Ironwolf,1x 4tb HGST Ultrastar 7K4000)


Resources
[Review] Moogle's QNAP experience
[Review] Moogle's TS-877 review
https://www.patreon.com/mooglestiltzkin
User avatar
ETHREAL1
Starting out
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:46 pm

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by ETHREAL1 »

Moogle Stiltzkin wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 5:05 pm i understand. but this for others wanting to read that who were not aware of it. so they don't just end up repeating whats already been said in the continuation of the thread in v2.

:}
Oh I’m not mad at you or anything. Just wanted to point that out that I made a post and they locked it.....
User avatar
Moogle Stiltzkin
Guru
Posts: 11448
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 12:21 am
Location: Around the world....
Contact:

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by Moogle Stiltzkin »

yeah understand, no worries bru :}
NAS
[Main Server] QNAP TS-877 (QTS) w. 4tb [ 3x HGST Deskstar NAS & 1x WD RED NAS ] EXT4 Raid5 & 2 x m.2 SATA Samsung 850 Evo raid1 +16gb ddr4 Crucial+ QWA-AC2600 wireless+QXP PCIE
[Backup] QNAP TS-653A (Truenas Core) w. 4x 2TB Samsung F3 (HD203WI) RaidZ1 ZFS + 8gb ddr3 Crucial
[^] QNAP TL-D400S 2x 4TB WD Red Nas (WD40EFRX) 2x 4TB Seagate Ironwolf, Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-509 Pro w. 4x 1TB WD RE3 (WD1002FBYS) EXT4 Raid5
[^] QNAP TS-253D (Truenas Scale)
[Mobile NAS] TBS-453DX w. 2x Crucial MX500 500gb EXT4 raid1

Network
Qotom Pfsense|100mbps FTTH | Win11, Ryzen 5600X Desktop (1x2tb Crucial P50 Plus M.2 SSD, 1x 8tb seagate Ironwolf,1x 4tb HGST Ultrastar 7K4000)


Resources
[Review] Moogle's QNAP experience
[Review] Moogle's TS-877 review
https://www.patreon.com/mooglestiltzkin
User avatar
ETHREAL1
Starting out
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:46 pm

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by ETHREAL1 »

Hey anyone with a QNAP ID account that wants to make a ticket on my/our behalf is welcome too.
User avatar
jaysona
Been there, done that
Posts: 846
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Somewhere in the Great White North

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by jaysona »

ETHREAL1 wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 5:07 pm Oh I’m not mad at you or anything. Just wanted to point that out that I made a post and they locked it.....
If your use of the word "they" is a reference to QNAP, then that is a mis-understanding on your part. The forum mod (not QNAP) locked the thread because the post violated the forum rules.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=60

specifically:
2.8 Necro-posting is also not allowed. This is the practice of posting in stale, inactive or dead topics. A topic is considered dead if it hasn't been updated for over 1 year.
This is primarily a user forum and not a QNAP support forum.
RAID is not a Back-up!

H/W: QNAP TVS-871 (i7-4790. 16GB) (Plex server) / TVS-EC1080 (32Gig ECC) - VM host & seedbox
H/W: Asustor AS6604T (8GB) / Asustor AS7010T (16GB) (media storage)
H/W: TS-219 Pro / TS-509 Pro
O/S: Slackware 14.2 / MS Windows 7-64 (x5)
Router1: Asus RT-AC86U - Asuswrt-Merlin - 386.7_2
Router2: Asus RT-AC68U - Asuswrt-Merlin - 386.7_2
Router3: Linksys WRT1900AC - DD-WRT v3.0-r46816 std
Router4: Asus RT-AC66U - FreshTomato v2021.10.15

Misc: Popcorn Hour A-110/WN-100, Pinnacle Show Center 250HD, Roku SoundBridge Radio (all retired)
Ditched QNAP units: TS-269 Pro / TS-253 Pro (8GB) / TS-509 Pro / TS-569 Pro / TS-853 Pro (8GB)
TS-670 Pro x2 (i7-3770s 16GB) / TS-870 Pro (i7-3770 16GB) / TVS-871 (i7-4790s 16GB)
User avatar
Toxic17
Ask me anything
Posts: 6469
Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 11:41 pm
Location: Planet Earth
Contact:

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by Toxic17 »

So let me get this straight....

you want a QNAP owner to raise a support ticket for you, to ask for a feature request to add hybrid raid, so that you can buy a QNAP NAS, is that right?
Regards Simon

Qnap Downloads
MyQNap.Org Repository
Submit a ticket • QNAP Helpdesk
QNAP Tutorials, User Manuals, FAQs, Downloads, Wiki
When you ask a question, please include the following


NAS: TS-673A QuTS hero h5.1.2.2534 • TS-121 4.3.3.2420 • APC Back-UPS ES 700G
Network: VM Hub3: 500/50 • UniFi UDM Pro: 3.2.9 • UniFi Network Controller: 8.0.28
USW-Aggregation: 6.6.61 • US-16-150W: 6.6.61 • 2x USW Mini Flex 2.0.0 • UniFi AC Pro 6.6.62 • UniFi U6-LR 6.6.62
UniFi Protect: 2.11.21/8TB Skyhawk AI • 3x G3 Instants: 4.69.55 • UniFi G3 Flex: 4.69.55 • UniFi G5 Flex: 4.69.55
User avatar
ETHREAL1
Starting out
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:46 pm

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by ETHREAL1 »

Toxic17 wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:57 am So let me get this straight....

you want a QNAP owner to raise a support ticket for you, to ask for a feature request to add hybrid raid, so that you can buy a QNAP NAS, is that right?
Ya I know it sounds a bit silly. Though by the looks of it my previous statement is no longer true. It no longer requires a QNAP product SN number.... Though as a note the "submit a ticket" link under your account appears to have outdated information then. I will just submit the ticket myself now.
User avatar
ETHREAL1
Starting out
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Mar 14, 2021 7:46 pm

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by ETHREAL1 »

jaysona wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 2:09 am
ETHREAL1 wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 5:07 pm Oh I’m not mad at you or anything. Just wanted to point that out that I made a post and they locked it.....
If your use of the word "they" is a reference to QNAP, then that is a mis-understanding on your part. The forum mod (not QNAP) locked the thread because the post violated the forum rules.

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=60

specifically:
2.8 Necro-posting is also not allowed. This is the practice of posting in stale, inactive or dead topics. A topic is considered dead if it hasn't been updated for over 1 year.
This is primarily a user forum and not a QNAP support forum.
Must have missed that when I was reading through the guidelines. With that said in my opinion that is a bit of a silly rule.... Like sure if the "problem" has a solution but when it doesn't that does not make sense.... But whatever.... They could also have an auto lock topic after X time mechanism like other forums do but again whatever...
User avatar
jaysona
Been there, done that
Posts: 846
Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:26 am
Location: Somewhere in the Great White North

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by jaysona »

I don’t always agree with that rule either, but it is what is.

Auto lock has been asked for more than once, but phpBB 3.2 is required for that feature.

Given how out of date the QNAP software is, I wouldn’t be surprised if this site is pre phpBB 3.2 as well! :P
RAID is not a Back-up!

H/W: QNAP TVS-871 (i7-4790. 16GB) (Plex server) / TVS-EC1080 (32Gig ECC) - VM host & seedbox
H/W: Asustor AS6604T (8GB) / Asustor AS7010T (16GB) (media storage)
H/W: TS-219 Pro / TS-509 Pro
O/S: Slackware 14.2 / MS Windows 7-64 (x5)
Router1: Asus RT-AC86U - Asuswrt-Merlin - 386.7_2
Router2: Asus RT-AC68U - Asuswrt-Merlin - 386.7_2
Router3: Linksys WRT1900AC - DD-WRT v3.0-r46816 std
Router4: Asus RT-AC66U - FreshTomato v2021.10.15

Misc: Popcorn Hour A-110/WN-100, Pinnacle Show Center 250HD, Roku SoundBridge Radio (all retired)
Ditched QNAP units: TS-269 Pro / TS-253 Pro (8GB) / TS-509 Pro / TS-569 Pro / TS-853 Pro (8GB)
TS-670 Pro x2 (i7-3770s 16GB) / TS-870 Pro (i7-3770 16GB) / TVS-871 (i7-4790s 16GB)
User avatar
OneCD
Guru
Posts: 12037
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2016 10:48 am
Location: "... there, behind that sofa!"

Re: Feature Request Hybrid RAID

Post by OneCD »

jaysona wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 1:08 pm ... but phpBB 3.2 is required for that feature.
Ah, I didn't know that. Thanks @jaysona. :geek:

Yes, I've asked the admin to implement auto-locking - no response yet.
jaysona wrote: Thu Mar 18, 2021 1:08 pm Given how out of date the QNAP software is, I wouldn’t be surprised if this site is pre phpBB 3.2 as well! :P
Can't say for certain, but they might be running 3.2.9 (if the docs directory has been updated correctly): docs/CHANGELOG.html

If so, it's EOL. https://www.phpbb.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=2534536 :(

ImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
Locked

Return to “Features Wanted”