NAS T231P can't increase the STORAGE POOL

English Storage
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I have tried several times to upgrade the Storage Pool on my drives using the NAS upgrade feature, which requires upgrading one disk at a time through the web interface. The problem is that after waiting three days for the RAID array to rebuild per drive, the front-end software crashes, so I can no longer access the dashboard using the IP address via a browser or log in using QNAP’s Qfinder Pro. The only solution then for me is to hold the power button and wait for the NAS to beep and shut down, and then restart. I have been able to build the arrays twice this way. However, the option to expand the Storage Pool is only available if that interface is open, and there is no way to keep your interface active for three (3) days. The interface has a serious issue with your front-end software, as it lacks an option (which needs to be added) that allows you to expand the Storage Pool when you can’t connect to the interface after it builds the array for one drive and then the second; this crash occurs often when you can’t you access the interface. I am unable to grow the Storage Pool, as you only allow this option after both drives have been replaced and only via your one-to-one method. I have found out that once I ‘clone’ the ‘1’ drive I can place the ‘2’ drive and the NAS will immediately recognize that it needs to clone that drive, but still not provide me the ‘expand Storage Pool’ option as the interface crashes during the 3 days it takes to build the RAID. Although the control panel displays my drive’s correct TB available when I access my volumes and other information, once this is done, I am still unable to increase my Storage Pool, and therefore, I am losing out on 25% of the space I just upgraded. It is unacceptable, as there is no solution since you must upgrade both your disks via the one-at-a-time method, as this NAS is only a two-disk system. However, this approach will not work because it crashes, and you cannot choose to expand your Storage Pool at any other time.

QNAP, please add an option to the administrator options in the Control panel. When you enter disk management, include an ‘Actions’ option to increase the Storage Pool afterward, not just during the one-to-one copy option when you initiate a new drive. It’s impossible when your software crashes and you can’t access it via a 192.168.X.X feature. However, a hard reboot with the power button restores the NAS. I can access my NAS via the web interface and view my RAID drives with the correct available storage capacity, but I am unable to take any actions to have the NAS increase the Storage Pool at that point. The NAS still has the Storage Pool capacity set to the old RAID drives, even though the control panel shows the correct TB for my new drives. It will not allow me to expand my Storage Pool. Now I have unused space on the new drives, which defeats the whole purpose of spending all the money on two new, larger drives that can’t be accessed. Please add code so it’s not only at the clone drive option and second rebuild array, as the interface is just ‘buggy’, and once you can’t log in to have that option after several days, you lose it, and it should be something in the control panel features as well.

1 Like
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I have increased storage pools many times on CAT2 devices, never had I have to have the web GUI open.

I waitied till all drives rebuild and then expanded the pool.

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Are you sure the system crashed or making an assumption?
If there were no available resources on the NAS to present the GUI, i.e. it was “busy”, then maybe all you need to do is leave it alone and let it complete the task (in the background)?

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I’ve expanded the storage pool quite easily myself as well. Worked flawlessly.

First, what version of the OS are you using?

Second, are you trying to expand thick volumes or thin volumes?

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System freezes can sometimes be caused by hard drive health issues or by certain apps consuming too many resources.

If you don’t mind, could you share which apps you currently have installed? This might help us identify a potential cause.

Alternatively, you can open a support ticket via your NAS or through the forum. Our Support team can then investigate your situation further.

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Steve, it shouldn’t be a resource issue, as they are all shut down when cloning the drive. It states that when you perform this operation at the beginning, all services will be shut down during the process of replacing the disk one by one. When you install disk 2 to have it copied from disk 1, all the services on the NAS are shut down, and the NAS is essentially useless while it performs this process. Why are you asking about apps consuming too many resources when they are already turned off during a process? Yes, the 231-P is remarkably under-resourced. Had I known that its memory could not be upgraded (I didn’t realize the model above allowed it), I likely would not have purchased it. Alas, it’s the one I have, and it’s pretty odd that you cannot add code to the HERO QTS software that would allow expanding the storage pool to the access in the control panel. To have that only available during your proprietary cloning process is insane. Had I plopped drives into a Linux computer, asked it to clone them, and expanded a partition, it would have, but that’s not an option here. The only method is to request a copy of one disk at a time via the interface, which tells me the NAS will be unavailable during this process while it copies disk 1 to disk 2. I accept that, as it’s a RAID configuration, both drives need to be complete for it to offer me the solution. But then, not being able to access your interface after the process (since it kicks you over time), and when I no longer have the blinking yellow status light under the green one, made no sense. Even when I had it as a solo (not showing as a RAID), since the second drive was not present, I had to perform a hard reboot to access the configuration and try to see if I could use the one drive at a time option for the second drive. It still would not allow me to expand the storage pool, gave me that error again, so this makes no logical sense whatsoever. You can’t grow as a RAID or single, then try to add the second drive and make it a RAID to increase the storage pool. Follow the video on the website, but the same result occurs: the status light blinks, there is no access, and the storage pool can’t be expanded.

The apps installed are Clam Antivirus. Then everything is QNAP software, the download station (as required), resource monitor, QuFirewall, DA drive analyzer, File Station, QNAP’s media, cloud, Network switch, SMB service, and QuLog. All my apps have your Q in them, so I don’t have anything installed that wasn’t a QNAP program. I am not using this for hosting anything, and it is used solely for backups on a home system. Because the 231P has such a low-powered CPU and 1GB of RAM, I choose not to do anything but use it to backup files, and even then, it’s for one PC at a time. My hope to do anything other than that was dashed by the limited capacity of the CPU, the Alpine AL212 —a 2-core processor with a 1.7GHz clock speed —and the RAM. The next unit I purchase will have at least four bays and the ability to upgrade RAM and potentially the CPU as well.

As mentioned, when you choose to replace the disk one by one (the only option), the software stops all the apps. So when the interface crashes, the option, according to your website, to expand the storage pool, that option is only offered at that time, after the replacement disk one by one is completed. What I am suggesting is you add that as an option (as I have many greyed out other options under my Storage> Storage/Snapshots>Manage to your QTS software, where it will include an option to increase the storage pool if there is space available when the interface crashes and you can’t access it through the web portal. If I had a multi-drive bay, I could increase the storage pool on other disks by adding and improving them as needed. However, with a two-disk system, this is not an option. I can ‘enable Bitmap’ and change my ‘resync priority’, but why can I not change my Storage Pool size when there is space available? Why can that not be added to the QTS code, as it allows any change to the volume but not the pool? It seems odd that it can even overvolume the total available storage pool without stopping the system, yet not adjust the pool to claim available space.

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No, that is not the case, storage services are just shut down during the start of the actual expansion process, for a minute or two. Services are started right after (While to pool is optimizing, storage and apps should be available , done it many times)

Your NAS does not support QuTS, and QuTS DOES support expansion by swapping or adding vdevs in the pool (irrelevant on your NAS though)

Unless you go with a big Core/Ultra Xeon NAS, all NAS use BGA processors, no sockets

Again, swapping disks does not stop any services, unclear what is happening on your NAS (hence the request to open a ticket)

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If all you are doing is using the NAS for backup on your home system, then uninstall Download Station (not required - it is a bit-torrent client), QuFirewall, DA Drive Analyzer (you have to have a license for this anyhow), and QNAP Media Apps.

You don’t need any of those installed/running for just doing backups.

But you should be able to expand your pool so yeah - a ticket is needed.

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In that case, we still recommend that you open a support ticket with us so we can provide you with further assistance. Thanks!