NETGEAR ReadyNAS 3100 User manual

May 2010
202-10616-01
v1.0
350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
ReadyNAS 3100
Hardware Manual

2 |
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
© 2010 NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated
into any language in any form or by any means without the written permission of NETGEAR, Inc.
Technical Support
When you register your product at http://www.netgear.com/register, we can provide you with faster expert technical
support and timely notices of product and software upgrades.
NETGEAR, Inc.
350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134 USA
E-mail: [e-mail]
Website: http://www.netgear.com
Phone: 1-888-NETGEAR, for US & Canada only. For other countries, see your Support information card.
Trademarks
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, ProSafe, Smart Wizard, and Auto Uplink are trademarks or registered
trademarks of NETGEAR, Inc. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, and Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation. Other brand and product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.
Statement of Conditions
To improve internal design, operational function, and/or reliability, NETGEAR reserves the right to make changes
to the products described in this document without notice. NETGEAR does not assume any liability that may occur
due to the use or application of the product(s) or circuit layout(s) described herein.
Revision History
Publication Part Number Version Publish Date
202-10616-01 v1.0 May 2010

Table of Contents |3
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Control Panel, Status Displays, Ports, and Drive Bays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Front Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Disk Tray, Release, and Tray Handle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Rear Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Rack Mount Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Choosing a Setup Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Preparing for Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Installing the System into a Rack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Initial Setup and Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
RAIDar and FrontView. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Safety Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Electrical Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
General Safety Precautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Rack Mount Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 2 Diagnostics and Maintenance
Control Panel Diagnostics and Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Performing System Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using the Power Switch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Using the FrontView Browser User Interface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Understanding the System Diagnostics Boot Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
System Diagnostics Boot Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Reinstalling RAIDar Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Using the Boot Menu to Format a RAID Volume. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Adding or Replacing Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Adding a New Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Failed Disk Notification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Choosing a Replacement Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Replacing a Failed Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Replacing System Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Replacing a System Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Replacing a Power Supply. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Replacing the Onboard Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
4 | Table of Contents
Appendix A Default Settings and Specifications
Factory Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Appendix B Notification of Compliance
Index

Chapter 1: Getting Started |5
1 Getting Started
ReadyNAS 3100
1
This chapter provides an overview of the unit’s physical features.
Topics discussed in this chapter include:
• Control Panel, Status Displays, Ports, and Drive Bays
• Rack Mount Setup
• Choosing a Setup Location
• Initial Setup and Login
• Safety Warning

6| Chapter 1: Getting Started
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Control Panel, Status Displays, Ports, and Drive Bays
This section introduces the ReadyNAS 3100 control panel, status display, ports, and disk
bays.
Front Panel
1. Four drive bays with hot-pluggable disk trays with two status lights per disk.
2. USB Port
3. Control panel
• Power and Reset buttons
• Power, LAN, disk, and fan status lights
4. Status lights
• Green: Disk present and activity light
• Amber or off: Disk failure light
Disk Tray, Release, and Tray Handle
The disk tray features a push switch that releases the pop-out tray handle.
WARNING!
Regardless of the number of hard drives installed, all drive trays
must remain in the drive bays to maintain proper airflow.
1
43
2
Disk tray
handle
Disk tray release
push switch

Chapter 1: Getting Started |7
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Rear Panel
1. Dual power supplies
2. PS2 keyboard and mouse ports
3. Two USB ports
4. RS232 console port
5. VGA monitor port
6. Two Gigabit Ethernet ports with failover and link aggregation
346
5
12

8| Chapter 1: Getting Started
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Rack Mount Setup
Use the included rack mount hardware to install the unit according to the instructions below.
DANGER:
A unit with installed drives can weigh more than 80 pounds. To avoid
injury or damage to the equipment, plan to perform the rack mount
installation with appropriate assistance.
Ambient Operating Temperature
If the unit is installed in a closed or multi-unit rack assembly, the ambient operating
temperature of the rack environment might be greater than the ambient temperature of the
room. Therefore, consideration should be given to installing the equipment in an environment
compatible with the maximum rated ambient temperature found in "Default Settings and
Specifications" in Appendix A.
Reduced Airflow
Equipment should be mounted into a rack to ensure that the amount of airflow required for
safe operation is not compromised.
Mechanical Loading
Equipment should be mounted level into a rack to avoid a hazardous condition due to uneven
mechanical loading.
Circuit Overloading
It is important to consider the connection of the equipment to the power supply circuitry, and
the effect that possible overloading of circuits might have on over current protection and
power supply wiring. Appropriate equipment nameplate ratings should be used when
addressing this concern.
Reliable Ground
A reliable ground must be maintained at all times. To ensure proper grounding, the rack itself
should be grounded. Particular attention should be given to power supply connections other
than the direct connections to the branch circuit (for example, the use of power strips).

Chapter 1: Getting Started |9
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Choosing a Setup Location
Note: This product is intended for installation in a restricted access
location, such as dedicated equipment rooms, service closets, and
so on.
Leave enough clearance in front of the rack so that the front door can open completely (about
25 inches), with approximately 30 inches of clearance in the back of the rack to allow for
sufficient airflow and ease in servicing.
Preparing for Setup
Read these instructions in their entirety before you begin. Locate the ReadyNAS 3100
shipping carton, remove the rack mounting kit, and prepare to work for installation.
Installing the System into a Rack
Follow these instructions for installing the system into a rack.
1. The rack mounting kit contains two rail assemblies. Each assembly consists of two
sections:
• An inner fixed chassis rail that secures directly to the ReadyNAS 3100 chassis.
• An outer fixed rack rail that secures directly to the rack itself. Extend the rail assembly
by pulling it outward.
Press the release tab and separate the inner rail from the outer assembly.

10 | Chapter 1: Getting Started
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
2. Connect the rails.
Use the provided mounting screws to mount the inner rails to the system chassis.
a. Fasten the backs of the outer rails to the rack with screws.
b. Press the release to extend the rails.
c. Hang the rails into the rack holes, and fasten the rails to the rack.
3. Attach the chassis.
a. Extend the ball shuttle (A) to the very front.
b. Align the rails (B) and push the chassis in.
c. Secure the handles to the outer rails (C) with screws.
The rack mount installation is complete.
A
B
C

Chapter 1: Getting Started |11
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Initial Setup and Login
The estimated completion time for the initial setup is approximately 20 minutes.
Follow the instructions in the ReadyNAS Installation Guide that came with your unit to install
it, and establish the default IP address and login password.
An electronic copy of the installation guide is on the product CD. It can also be found on the
NETGEAR website, and on http://readynas.com/documentation.
Defaults
• IP configuration: DHCP
If the unit does not get an IP address, it defaults to 192.168.168.168.
• Administrator user name: admin
• Password: netgear1
Both the user name and password are case-sensitive.
RAIDar and FrontView
For information about using the ReadyNAS 3100 RAIDar utility and FrontView software to log
in, configure, and manage your system, see the ReadyNAS for Business Software Manual.
Note: The RAIDar utility can discover any ReadyNAS on the network
without using its IP address.

12 | Chapter 1: Getting Started
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Safety Warning
1. The equipment contains no operator access areas and is certified for installation only by
trained personnel, according to the installation instructions provided.
2. The socket outlet shall be installed near the equipment and shall be easily accessible.
3. Observe the onboard battery precaution below. Follow the battery replacement instructions
at “Replacing the Onboard Battery” on page 30.
DANGER:
RISK OF EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS REPLACED BY AN
INCORRECT TYPE. DISPOSE OF USED BATTERIES ACCORDING
TO THEIR INSTRUCTIONS.
4. The units and their associated LAN connections shall be interconnected only with equipment
within the same building.
5. Slide/rail mounted equipment is not to be used as a shelf or a work space.
Electrical Safety Precautions
Follow basic electrical safety precautions to protect yourself from harm and the ReadyNAS
3100 from damage:
• Be aware of the locations of the power on/off switch on the chassis as well as the room's
emergency power-off switch, disconnection switch, or electrical outlet. If an electrical
accident occurs, you can then quickly remove power from the system.
• Do not work alone when working with high voltage components.
• Disconnect power from the system when removing or installing main system components,
such as the main board or memory modules. When disconnecting power, you should first
power down the system with the operating system and then unplug the power cords of all
the power supply units in the system.
• When working around exposed electrical circuits, another person who is familiar with the
power-off controls should be nearby to switch off the power if necessary.
• Use only one hand when working with powered-on electrical equipment. This is to avoid
making a complete circuit, which will cause electrical shock. Use extreme caution when
using metal tools, which can easily damage any electrical components or circuit boards
they come into contact with.
• Do not use mats designed to decrease static electrical discharge as protection from
electrical shock. Instead, use rubber mats that have been specifically designed as
electrical insulators.
• The power supply cords must include a grounding plug and must be plugged into
grounded electrical outlets.

Chapter 1: Getting Started |13
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
General Safety Precautions
Follow these rules to ensure general safety:
• Keep the area around the ReadyNAS 3100 clean and free of clutter.
• The ReadyNAS 3100 weighs approximately 35 pounds when fully loaded. When lifting
the system, two people at either end should lift slowly with their feet spread out to
distribute the weight. Always keep your back straight and lift with your legs.
• Place the chassis top cover and any system components that have been removed away
from the system or on a table so that they will not accidentally be stepped on.
• While working on the system, do not wear loose clothing such as neckties and
unbuttoned shirt sleeves, which can come into contact with electrical circuits or be pulled
into a cooling fan.
• Remove any jewelry or metal objects from your body, which are excellent metal
conductors that can create short circuits and harm you if they come into contact with
printed circuit boards or areas where power is present.
• Onboard battery: This battery must be replaced only with the same or an equivalent type
recommended by the manufacturer. Dispose of used batteries according to the
manufacturer's instructions.
DANGER:
There is a danger of explosion if the onboard battery is installed upside
down, which will reverse its polarities.
• Main board replaceable soldered-in fuses: Self-resetting PTC (positive temperature
coefficient) fuses on the main board must be replaced by trained service technicians only.
The new fuse must be the same as or equivalent to the one replaced. Contact technical
support for details and support.

14 | Chapter 1: Getting Started
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Precautions
Electrostatic discharge is generated by two objects with different electrical
charges coming into contact with each other. An electrical discharge is
created to neutralize this difference, which can damage electronic
components and printed circuit boards. The following measures are
generally sufficient to neutralize this difference before contact is made to
protect your equipment from ESD:
• Use a grounded wrist strap designed to prevent static discharge.
• Keep all components and printed circuit boards (PCBs) in their antistatic bags until ready
for use.
• Touch a grounded metal object before removing the board from the antistatic bag.
• Do not let components or PCBs come into contact with your clothing, which might retain a
charge even if you are wearing a wrist strap.
• Handle a board by its edges only; do not touch its components, peripheral chips, memory
modules, or contacts.
• When handling chips or modules, avoid touching their pins.
• Put the main board and peripherals back into their antistatic bags when not in use.
• For grounding purposes, make sure your computer chassis provides excellent
conductivity between the power supply, the case, the mounting fasteners, and the main
board.
• After accessing the inside of the system, close the system back up and secure it to the
rack unit with the retention screws after ensuring that all connections have been made.
Rack Mount Precautions
Follow these rack mount precautions:
• Ensure that the leveling jacks on the bottom of the rack are fully extended to the floor with
the full weight of the rack resting on them.
• In single-rack installations, stabilizers should be attached to the rack. In multiple-rack
installations, the racks should be coupled together.
• Always make sure the rack is stable before extending a component from the rack.
• You should extend only one component at a time-extending two or more simultaneously
might cause the rack to become unstable.
• Determine the placement of each component in the rack before you install the rails.
• Install the heaviest components on the bottom of the rack first, and then work up.
• Use a regulating uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to protect the ReadyNAS 3100 from
power surges, and voltage spikes and to keep your system operating in case of a power
failure.
• Allow any hot-plug drives and power supply modules to cool before touching them.
• Always keep the rack's front door and all panels and components on the servers closed
when not servicing to maintain proper cooling.

Chapter 2: Diagnostics and Maintenance |15
2 Diagnostics and Maintenance
2
This chapter includes topics on system status, system shutdown, using the diagnostics menu,
and adding, replacing, or formatting disks.
• Control Panel Diagnostics and Status Information
• Performing System Shutdown
• Understanding the System Diagnostics Boot Menu
• Reinstalling RAIDar Firmware
• Using the Boot Menu to Format a RAID Volume
• Adding or Replacing Disks
• Replacing System Components

16 | Chapter 2: Diagnostics and Maintenance
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Control Panel Diagnostics and Status Information
The control panel for the ReadyNAS 3100 is located on the top right corner of the unit. Each
function on the control panel is described in the following table.
Item Activity Description
Power
button
Push the
button
Push to turn on the ReadyNAS 3100.The power LED blinks while
the ReadyNAS 3100 is booting.

Preferred shutdown: If the unit is running, pressing the power
switch once will begin the graceful shutdown blink pattern on the
LEDs. Pressing the power button a second time within 5 seconds
confirms and initiates the graceful shutdown.
Forced shutdown: If the unit is hung, you can press and hold the
power button for 5 seconds to force shutdown.
System
Reset
Push the
button Reset: Press the reset button once to warm boot the ReadyNAS 3100.
Diagnostics: To enter the diagnostic boot menu, see
“Understanding the System Diagnostics Boot Menu” on page 19.
Power LED On (Green)
Off Green: the unit is powered on. Red: Power failure.
Off: the unit is powered off.
Disk LED on
the control
panel
On/Blink
(Amber) Blinking amber: disk activity.
Control panel
System
overheat/
fan failure
Disk
activity
Power
button
Power
LED
Reset
button
NIC 2 / NIC 1
LED

Chapter 2: Diagnostics and Maintenance |17
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Ethernet 
1 & 2 
(LAN)
LEDs
On (Green)
Blink (Green)
Off
Green: Power is on and LAN cable connected.
Blink green: LAN activity.
Off: LAN cable disconnected.
Fan LED On (Red)
Off Red: Overheating or fan failure. Off: normal operation.
Disk LED on
the disk tray
On (Green)
Blink (Green)
On (Amber
Off
Green: Unit is on and disk installed.
Blinking green: Volume activity.
Amber:
Off: No disk installed, or no volume present.
Item Activity Description

18 | Chapter 2: Diagnostics and Maintenance
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Performing System Shutdown
Use the Power button to shut down the unit. Alternately, use the FrontView browser user
interface.
Using the Power Switch
There are two ways to shut down the unit using the power switch.
• Preferred shutdown. Press the Power button twice initiate a graceful shutdown.
• Forced shutdown. If the unit freezes, hold the power button for 5 seconds to force
shutdown.
Using the FrontView Browser User Interface
The FrontView > Shutdown Options screen offers the option to power off or reboot the
ReadyNAS 3100. You also have the option of performing a full file system check or a quota
check on the next boot.
For information about FrontView, see the ReadyNAS for Business Software Manual.

Chapter 2: Diagnostics and Maintenance |19
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
Understanding the System Diagnostics Boot Menu
The NETGEAR ReadyNAS 3100 is a 1U, NAS with 4 bays. With only one switch and 1 LED
available for the boot menu, the same switch is used to select and to execute the boot
options.
Below is the list of options currently available in the boot menu. After the switch is released,
the LED blinks in the corresponding pattern. Each on or off interval is 0.5 seconds.
System Diagnostics Boot Menu
Control Panel Selecting Boot Menu Options
To enter the boot menu:
1. Hold down the switch before, or immediately after, you power up the machine. Ignore the
first blink of the LED when power is turned on. The LED turns on as soon as the boot
loader recognizes that the button has been pushed. 
2. Release the switch. The boot menu displays, and the LED turns off.
3. Push and release the switch to cycle through the boot options. 
4. Hold down the switch for 5 seconds until the LED is on, and then release the switch. This
triggers the execution of the boot option selected. The LED quickly blinks twice, and then
turns off to confirm that your selection has been executed. Do not press switch again;
otherwise the process will be aborted. 

After the boot menu displays, if you hold down the button for more than 5 seconds without
enter a selection, the Normal boot sequence is executed.

20 | Chapter 2: Diagnostics and Maintenance
ReadyNAS 3100 Hardware Manual
1. Boot menu enabled: Use the Reset button to scroll through the menu to select an
option within 3 seconds.
Note: The boot menu defaults to normal boot if no selection is made after
5 seconds.
2. Normal boot: Use this option to perform a normal boot.
3. Factory Default: Use this option to reset the ReadyNAS back to its factory default state,
erasing all data on the disks. This option can be used to change between X-RAID2 and
Flex-RAID mode.
WARNING!
This process reinstalls the firmware and resets all disk configurations,
and wipes out any and all data you might have on the unit.
4. OS Reinstall. While keeping the data volume intact, re-install the RAIDar firmware on the
ReadyNAS, reset the admin password, and change the DHCP assignment to DHCP client.
This is helpful if you have lost your admin password and want to set it back to the default, if
errors in your network settings have made it impossible to connect to the ReadyNAS, or if
you suspect that the operating system on your disk might somehow become corrupt.
Tip: If possible, use the configuration backup to save your configuration so
that if you have to reset the unit to its factory default settings, you can
simply restore all your settings from the configuration backup. For
instructions on how to back up your configuration, see the ReadyNAS for
Business Software Manual.
5. Tech Support. Enable the remote diagnostic function.
6. Skip Volume Check. Use this option to boot the system but bypass the volume check.
7. Memory Test. Use this option to perform a memory diagnostic.