"I’m currently using an EX2 Ultra as the media server for my home, equipped with two 12TB drives configured in a striped RAID 1 array. Recently, one of the drives was flagged as bad, which is quite surprising considering it’s only been in operation for about 18 months. I’ve already initiated a support case, and after a rather convoluted process, I’ve obtained an RMA for the defective drive. However, they won’t ship the replacement drive until the bad one is received at the warehouse, and even then, it will take an estimated ‘3-5 business days.’ Consequently, in reality, I anticipate it will take approximately 10-14 calendar days before I have the new drive in hand.
My questions are as follows:
- Can I run the unit with just a single drive? My understanding of RAID 1 is that one drive mirrors the data on the other, so, unlike RAID 0, I shouldn’t have to worry about which file is stored on which drive. Is it safe to operate this way, or will the fact that it expects two drives but sees only one create operational issues?
- Does anyone have an idea of how long the rebuild process will take once I insert the new drive? Is it reasonable to assume that the NAS won’t be usable during this time, or can I start using it right away since the ‘rebuild’ process is essentially just mirroring? my website name is https://yardgearsguide
I appreciate any insights and advice you can provide. Thank you!"
