Change the RAID Type of a Storage Pool

Storage pools can be changed from one RAID type to another without losing existing data. For example, you can create a RAID 1 storage pool on your DiskStation and later change it to RAID 5 if you install more drives. This article provides instructions on changing the RAID type of existing storage pools on your DiskStation. Before you start changing the RAID type of a storage pool, please refer to the Drive Requirements and RAID Type Requirements and Limitations sections below for details on the relevant requirements and limitations.

Drive Requirements

To change the RAID type of a storage pool, you must have a sufficient number of available drives installed in your DiskStation. Please refer to the table below for the minimum number of drives required for each RAID type.

RAID Type Minimum Number of Drives Required
RAID 1 2
RAID 5 3
RAID 6 4
SHR-2 4 or 5 (depending on the drive configuration of SHR-1)

RAID Type Requirements and Limitations

Only certain RAID types can be changed to other RAID types. For example, RAID 1 can be changed to RAID 5, but RAID 5 cannot be changed to RAID 1. Please refer to the table below for details.

Current RAID Type Possible Conversion Target Type Additional Number of Drives Required
Basic RAID 1 1
Basic RAID 5 2
RAID 1 RAID 5 1
RAID 5 RAID 6 1
SHR-1 SHR-2 1 or 2 (depending on the drive configuration of SHR)

Note:

Change the RAID Type

Before you start:

Before changing the RAID type, please note the following:

Note:

To change the RAID type of a storage pool:

  1. Launch Storage Manager.
  2. Go to Storage Pool.
  3. Select the storage pool that you want to change its RAID type, and click Change RAID Type from the Action drop-down menu.
  4. Select the RAID type that you want to change to. Click Next.
  5. Select the drives to add to the existing storage pool. Click Next.
    Note: All data on the newly added drives will be erased. Please make sure to back up your data in advance.
  6. Follow the wizard to finish.