Anyone using ReadyTIER? Basic questions...

[NSNE]

I recently migrated from a Netgear ReadyNAS 314 to 626, which left me with two spare NAS drive bays. As it happens, after upgrading a computer, I also now have two extra Samsung EVO 840 SSDs (750GB, 1TB) lying around.

Now that I've bumped up parts of my LAN to 10G, the biggest bottleneck in the 626 is the HDDs. So I'd like to use the Samsung SSDs in a ReadyTIER setup in my 626 to get maximum performance.

To anyone who's currently using ReadyTIER or is familiar with NAS tiering in general, my questions are:

• Although the ReadyTIER guidelines say the number of SSDs should (not "must") match the number of HDDs, is it possible for me to use 2x SSDs to tier a 4x HDD array?
• If so, are there serious (or any) risks in the 2x SSD/4x HDD setup as opposed to an equal 3x setup?
• Is a ReadyTIER setup any more prone to irrecoverable data loss than a standard configuration?
• Are there any other ReadyTIER caveats that I might be overlooking?

In short, what I'm trying to do is get peak performance from the NAS without creating any additional threat of data loss, and I would love to know what pros and cons to weigh when it comes to using ReadyTIER as a means to that end.

Thanks in advance for any insight or advice!

 

[L&LD]

Adding the EVO 840's is in itself an additional threat of data loss.

Those are drives from 2013 if I am correctly remembering. The ones with the 'read' bug.

At the very least, make sure you have updated the firmware to the latest available before you put them in use.

But, I still wouldn't with data I cared about.

 

[NSNE]

At the very least, make sure you have updated the firmware to the latest available before you put them in use.

The firmware is up to date and they were used without any issues in my primary desktop for a few years. Maybe their age is a concern, but even new SSDs can fail.

 

[L&LD]

Desktop use is far less taxing than NAS use. Your call.

Sure a new SSD can fail, but the chances for a 7-year-old ones are higher.