USB Ports on the NETGEAR ReadyNAS NV+ 4-Bay 4TB

I have several external USB drives currently (1x500GB and 2x1TB). If I were to purchase the ReadNAS NV+ 4TB NAS, would I be able to:

Possibly add even more USB drives to it with a HUB?
Export NFS shares of the data on the USB drives keeping the current ext3 fs and data on the USB drives intact?

Does anyone have any caveats with this system they feel I should know?

I mostly like that it is ready to go. But I am perfectly capable of setting up Linux as an NFS server with software raid. So if someone can recommend with a reasonably quiet and small box that would take 4 1TB (or more drives) that would be a lot more cost effective I would like to know.

Kyle Brandt

Posted 2010-04-26T16:02:49.067

Reputation: 3 089

Answers

Partial Answers from this ReadyNAS FAQ:

What file system should I use on my USB drive? Since NTFS support is Read-only (Note: RAIDiator v4 firmware allows write access to NTFS file systems), you can use either Ext3 or FAT32. Ext3 allows for better retention of file ownership and permission and may be more appropriate in a mult-user backup environment.

Can I attach a USB 2.0 Hub to ReadyNAS USB Port?
    Yes. But please pay attention on power if your hub is bus powered.

Kyle Brandt

Posted 2010-04-26T16:02:49.067

Reputation: 3 089

if you're using external 3.5" (desktop) drives your power will be external anyway. but the point about power is a good one; if you end up with this system anyway i'd recommend a self-powered hub. – quack quixote – 2010-04-26T16:48:23.153

I use an external NTFS USB drive with the ReadyNAS NV+. V4 firmware was released Feb 2008. – MrWhite – 2011-04-27T09:24:18.903

When you insert a stick into a ReadyNAS it shows up under the listing of shares.

I don't think you can use externals to expand the base capacity though. For instance you needed 100GB more in //nas/username, you couldn't just plug in an external. You would need to move files around to the new drive, etc. Also the externals are not protected by the built in raid.

Matt

Posted 2010-04-26T16:02:49.067

Reputation: 329