NETGEAR ReadyNAS 2120 User manual

350 East Plumeria Drive
San Jose, CA 95134
USA
April 2013
202-11272-01
NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6
Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Hardware Manual
Models:
2120

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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Support
Thank you for purchasing this NETGEAR product.
After installing your device, locate the serial number on the label of your product and use it to register your product
at https://my.netgear.com. You must register your product before you can use NETGEAR telephone support.
NETGEAR recommends registering your product through the NETGEAR website. For product updates, additional
documentation, and support, visit http://support.netgear.com.
Phone (US & Canada only): 1-888-NETGEAR.
Phone (Other Countries): Check the list of phone numbers at
http://support.netgear.com/general/contact/default.aspx.
Trademarks
NETGEAR, the NETGEAR logo, and Connect with Innovation are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of
NETGEAR, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Information is subject to change
without notice. © NETGEAR, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started
Additional Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Setup Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Supported Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Supported Browsers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Diskless Storage System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Chapter 2 ReadyNAS 2120
Front Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Rear Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Status Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Power On and Shut Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Power On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Preferred Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Forced Shutdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Power State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Boot Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Chapter 3 Disks
Disk Tray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Supported Disks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Previously Formatted Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Reformat Previously Formatted Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Migrate a Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Add a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
Replace a Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Chapter 4 Maintenance
Access the Inside of the Storage System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Replace a Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Replace the On-board Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Appendix A Defaults and Technical Specifications
Factory Default Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
ReadyNAS 2120 Technical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Safety Warnings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
Electrical Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
General Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Rack-Mount Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Appendix B Notification of Compliance

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1
1. Getting Started
Congratulations on your purchase of a NETGEAR ReadyNAS®storage system. This manual
describes the physical features of the ReadyNAS OS 6 rack-mount storage systems.
This chapter contains the following sections:
•Additional Documentation
•Setup Location
•Supported Operating Systems
•Supported Browsers
•Diskless Storage System

Getting Started
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Additional Documentation
For detailed information about configuring, managing, and using your ReadyNAS storage
system, see the ReadyNAS OS 6 Software Manual, which is available at
http://support.netgear.com/product/ReadyNAS-OS6.
NETGEAR maintains a community website that supports ReadyNAS products. Visit
http://www.netgear.com/readynas for reviews, tutorials, a comparison chart, software
updates, documentation, an active user forum, and much more.
Setup Location
Your ReadyNAS storage system is intended for installation in a restricted access location
(dedicated equipment rooms, service closets, and the like) only.
Keep the following considerations in mind as you install your system:
•Ambient operating temperature. If the system is installed in a closed or multiunit 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. See Appendix A, Defaults and Technical Specifications.
•Reduced airflow. Mount the equipment into a rack so that the amount of airflow required
for safe operation is not compromised.
•Mechanical loading. Mount the equipment into a rack so that a hazardous condition
does not arise due to uneven mechanical loading.
•Circuit overloading. Consider the equipment’s connection to the power supply circuitry
and the effect that any possible overloading of circuits might have on overcurrent
protection and power supply wiring. Consider equipment nameplate ratings when
addressing this concern.
•Reliable grounding. This product requires reliable grounding to be maintained at all
times. To ensure this, ground the rack itself. Pay particular attention to power supply
connections other than the direct connections to the branch circuit (for example, the use
of power strips).
•Clearance. Leave enough clearance in front of the rack (about 25 inches) to enable you
to open the front door completely and in the back of the rack (about 30 inches) to allow for
sufficient airflow and ease in servicing.

Getting Started
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Supported Operating Systems
The ReadyNAS storage system is supported on the following systems:
•Microsoft Windows 8
•Microsoft Windows 7
•Microsoft Windows Vista
•Apple Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or later
•Linux, UNIX, Solaris
•Apple iOS
•Google Android
Supported Browsers
The ReadyNAS local admin page supports the following browsers:
•Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0+
•Apple Safari, 5.0+
•Google Chrome 20+
•Mozilla Firefox 14+
If you have difficulty accessing the local admin page or if you notice unexpected behavior, try
using another browser. For more information about the ReadyNAS local admin page, see the
ReadyNAS OS 6 Software Manual.
Diskless Storage System
If you purchased a ReadyNAS storage system without a preinstalled disk drive or drives, you
must add at least one disk your system before you use the system. You can add a 3.5-inch
hard disk drive, a 2.5-inch hard disk drive, or a 2.5-inch solid-state drive to an empty disk bay.
For information about how to install a disk, see Add a Disk on page 19.
Use only supported SATA hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs) in your
ReadyNAS storage system. If you use disks that are not supported, NETGEAR technical
support will not provide assistance. For a list of supported disks, see the NETGEAR
Hardware Compatibility List at http://www.netgear.com/readynas-hcl.
If you are adding a previously formatted disk to your storage system, see the instructions in
Previously Formatted Disks on page 17.

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2
2. ReadyNAS 2120
This chapter describes the physical features of the ReadyNAS 2120. It includes the following
sections:
•Front Panel
•Rear Panel
•Status Information
•Power On and Shut Down
•Boot Menu

ReadyNAS 2120
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Front Panel
The following figure shows the front panel of the ReadyNAS 2120.
1
2
33
5
4
6
Figure 1. Front panel
1. Drive bays
2. Control panel
3. Mounting bracket
4. Fault LED
5. Disk activity LED
6. Disk tray (For more information, see Disk Tray on page 16.)
The following figure shows the control panel in more detail.
12 4356
Figure 2. Control panel
1. USB 2.0 port
2. Reset button
3. Error LED
4. LAN 1 and LAN 2 LEDs
5. Power LED
6. Power button

ReadyNAS 2120
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Rear Panel
The following figure shows the rear panel of the ReadyNAS 2120.
12 3456
Figure 3. Rear panel
1. Power cable socket
2. Power switch
3. Disk exhaust fans
4. E-SATA ports
5. USB 3.0 ports
6. LAN ports with LED status indicators

ReadyNAS 2120
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Status Information
You can obtain information about the status of your ReadyNAS 2120 by reviewing the LEDs
listed in the following table.
Table 1. Status information
Indicator Description
Disk activity LED (disk tray,
top) The Disk activity LEDs have these states:
•Solid blue. A disk is present.
•Blinking.The disk is active.
•Off. No disk is present.
Fault LED (disk tray,
bottom) The Fault LEDs have these states:
•Solid red. The disk was removed, failed, or is resynchronizing.
•Off. No disk is active.
Error LED (front panel) The Error LED has these states:
•Solid red. The system needs attention. Use the local admin page to
determine the problem. For more information, see the ReadyNAS OS 6
Software Manual, which is available at
http://support.netgear.com/product/ReadyNAS-OS6.
•Off. The system is healthy.
LAN 1 and LAN 2 LEDs
(front panel) The LAN LEDs have these states:
•Solid blue. An Ethernet cable is connected.
•Blinking. The Ethernet link is active.
•Off. There is no Ethernet connection.
LAN port LEDs (rear panel) Two LED status indicators are built into each LAN port. One LED is green and one
is amber. They indicate port speed and activity as follows:
•Green on, amber off. 1000 Mbps connection speed, no activity.
•Green blinking, amber off. 1000 Mbps connection speed, activity.
•Green off, amber on. 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps connection speed, no activity.
•Green off, amber blinking. 10 Mbps or 100 Mbps connection speed, activity.
•Green off, amber off. No connection.
Power LED (front panel) The Power LED has these states:
•Solid green. The system is powered on.
•Blinking. The system is powering on or powering off.
•Off. Power is not supplied to the system.

ReadyNAS 2120
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Power On and Shut Down
This section describes how to power on and shut down your system. If you need to shut down
the system, use one of the preferred shutdown methods whenever possible.
Power On
To power on the system:
1. Connect the system to a power supply.
2. Flip the Power switch to the On position.
The Power switch is located on the back panel of the system.
Note: Dependingonthesystem’slastpower state, the system might power on
automatically. For more information, see Power State on page 13.
3. If necessary, press the Power button on the front panel of the system.
The system powers on.
Preferred Shutdown
You can gracefully shut down your system by using the Power button or the ReadyNAS local
admin page.
For information about how to gracefully shut down your system using the ReadyNAS local
admin page, see the ReadyNAS OS 6 Software Manual, which is available at
http://support.netgear.com/product/ReadyNAS-OS6.
To gracefully shut down your system using the Power button:
1. Press the Power button on the front panel of the system.
The Power LED blinks, prompting you to confirm the shutdown.
2. Press the Power button again.
The system shuts down gracefully.
Forced Shutdown
Perform a forced shutdown only if the storage system is not responding.
To perform a forced shutdown:
Flip the Power switch to the Off position.
The Power switch is located on the back panel of the system.
The system shuts down.

ReadyNAS 2120
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Power State
If the power supply is interrupted due to a power failure, the system returns to its last state
once the power supply is restored:
•If the system was powered on at the time of the power failure, the system powers on
when the power supply is restored.
•If the system was powered off at the time of the power failure, the system remains off
when the power supply is restored.
Boot Menu
Use the boot menu to restart or troubleshoot your ReadyNAS storage system. Your storage
system has the following boot modes:
•Normal. Initiates a normal boot process, just like booting using the Power button.
•Factory default. Initiates a short disk test that takes approximately 5 minutes. After the
disk test, a 10-minute time-out period begins. During the 10-minute time-out period, you
can choose to power off the storage system without causing any data loss, and the
factory default process is canceled. If you choose not to power off the storage system,
after the 10-minute time-out period, the factory default process begins.
WARNING:
The factory default reboot process resets the storage system to
factory settings, erases all data, resets all defaults, and reformats
the disk to X-RAID2.
Note: To start the factory default process immediately, press the Reset
button during the 10-minute time-out period.
•OS reinstall. Reinstalls the firmware from the internal flash to the disks. Use the OS
reinstall boot mode when the system crashes and corrupts some configuration files. OS
reinstall boot mode also resets some settings on your storage system, such as Internet
protocol settings and the administrator password, to defaults.
•Tech support. Boots into a low-level diagnostic mode. Use the tech support boot mode
only when instructed to do so by a NETGEAR technical support representative.
•Volume read only. Mounts a volume as read-only. Use this option when you are
attempting to rescue data off a disk during a disaster recovery.
•Memory test. Performs a memory test. The pass or fail result is reported using the
storage system’s LEDs. Contact a NETGEAR technical support representative to
interpret memory test results.

ReadyNAS 2120
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
•Test Disk. Performs an offline full disk test. This process can take four hours or more,
depending on the size of your disks.Any problems are reported in the system logs, which
you can view using the local admin page. For more information about viewing the system
logs, see the ReadyNAS OS 6 Software Manual.
To access the boot menu:
1. Power off your system.
2. Using a straightened paper clip, press and hold the Reset button.
3. Press the Power button on the front panel of the system.
The system powers on.
4. Continue to press the Reset button until the Power button is solid green and the Error LED,
LAN 1 LED, and LAN 2 LED are blinking.
5. Press and release the Reset button to scroll through the boot menu modes.
The storage system shows the boot mode options using the LEDs, as described in the
following table:
Boot Mode Status Indicator
Description Error
LED LAN 1
LED LAN 2 LED Power
LED
Boot menu Error LED and both LAN LEDs blink. Power
LED lights.
Normal LAN 2 and Power LEDs light.
Factory default LAN 1 and Power LEDs light.
OS reinstall Both LAN LEDs and the Power LED light.
Tech support Error and Power LEDs light.
Volume read only Error, LAN 2, and Power LEDs light.
Memory test Error, LAN 1, and Power LEDs light.
Test disk All four LEDs light.
Legend:
•Solid: 
•Blinking: 
•Off: 
6. Press and hold the Reset button to confirm your boot menu selection.
The system boots in the selected boot mode.









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3. Disks
This chapter describes how to reformat, add, and replace disks in your ReadyNAS OS 6 storage
system.
For information about configuring disks on your storage system, see the ReadyNAS OS 6
Software Manual, which is available at http://support.netgear.com/product/ReadyNAS-OS6.
This chapter includes the following topics:
•Disk Tray
•Supported Disks
•Previously Formatted Disks
•Add a Disk
•Replace a Disk

Disks
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Disk Tray
The following figure shows the features of the disk tray.
1
7
23
5
6
4
Figure 4. Disk tray
1. Disk tray handle
2. Disk tray release latch
3. Fault LED
4. Disk activity LED
5. Disk screw holes (for 3.5-inch disk)
6. Disk screw holes (for 2.5-inch disk)
7. Removable plastic air blocker
IMPORTANT:
To maintain adequate airflow, follow these precautions concerning
disk trays:
•Make sure that all disk trays remain in the drive bays, even if no disk is
installed in the tray.
•Install the plastic air blocker in empty disk trays.

Disks
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Supported Disks
Use only supported SATA hard disk drives (HDDs) or solid-state drives (SSDs) in your
ReadyNAS storage system. If you use disks that are not supported, NETGEAR technical
support will not provide assistance. For a list of supported disks, see the NETGEAR
Hardware Compatibility List at http://www.netgear.com/readynas-hcl.
Previously Formatted Disks
This section describes how to use previously formatted disks with your ReadyNAS OS 6
storage system.
Previously formatted disks must appear on the NETGEAR Hardware Compatibility List,
which is available at http://www.netgear.com/readynas-hcl.
Reformat Previously Formatted Disks
If you want to use disks that were previously formatted for an operating system other than
ReadyNAS OS 6 (for example, Windows or RAIDiator), you must reformat the disks.
If you want to use disks from another ReadyNAS OS 6 storage system, see Migrate a
Volume on page 18.
Note: If you try to use previously formatted disks in a system that does not
contain any other disks, the system does not boot and
ReadyCLOUD does not discover your device. If you use RAIDar to
discover your device, RAIDar displays a “Corrupt Root” error
message.
If you try to use previously formatted disks in a system that already
contains usable disks, the system does not reformat or use the
previously formatted disks. Any data on the previously formatted
disks remains intact.
The following instructions describe how to reformat previously formatted disks in a
ReadyNAS OS 6 system. This procedure assumes that the system does not contain any
other disks.
To reformat previously formatted disks with a diskless ReadyNAS OS 6 system:
1. Gracefully shut down the storage system.
For information about how to gracefully shut down your system, see the Preferred
Shutdown section of the chapter that describes your system.
2. Install the disk.

Disks
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
For more information, see Add a Disk on page 19.
3. Reset the system to its factory default settings.
WARNING:
This process erases all data and reformats all disks into a single
X-RAID2 volume. If you want to preserve the data on the disks, you
must back up the data to an external drive before using the disks
in your ReadyNAS storage system.
For information about how to reset the system to its factory default settings, see the Boot
Menu section of the chapter that describes your system.
The disk is reformatted and becomes available for use with your ReadyNAS OS 6 storage
system.
Migrate a Volume
You can migrate a volume from one ReadyNAS OS 6 storage system to another, as long as
you migrate every disk in the volume. For example, if you want to migrate a volume that
contains two disks, you must add both disks to the new system. If you add only part of a
volume to the new system, the system recognizes the disk as a degraded volume.
If your ReadyNAS storage system is operating with one or more disks, you can add disks
while the system is running. The new system recognizes the migrated volume and its data.
For more information about adding a disk while the system is running, see Add a Disk on
page 19.
If your ReadyNAS storage system does not have any disks installed, perform the following
procedure.
To migrate a volume to a diskless ReadyNAS OS 6 system:
1. Gracefully shut down the new (diskless) storage system.
For information about how to gracefully shut down your system, see the Preferred
Shutdown section of the chapter that describes your system.
2. Remove each disk in the volume from the old system.
3. Install each disk in the volume into the new storage system.
For more information, see Add a Disk on page 19.
4. Turn on the new system by pressing the Power button.
The new system recognizes the migrated volume and its data.

Disks
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
Add a Disk
You can add a 3.5-inch hard disk drive, 2.5-inch hard disk drive, or a 2.5-inch solid-state
drive to an empty disk bay.
If you want to add a previously formatted disk to your storage system, see the instructions in
Previously Formatted Disks on page 17.
To add a 3.5-inch hard disk drive (HDD):
1. Determine whether you need to shut down your system:
•If you are adding disks to a diskless system, gracefully shut down the system.
For information about how to gracefully shut down your system, see the Preferred
Shutdown section of the chapter that describes your system.
•If your system is operating with one or more disks, you can add disks while the
system is running. You do not need to shut down the system.
2. Press the disk tray release latch.
The tray handle pops out.
3. Pull out the disk tray.

Disks
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NETGEAR ReadyNAS OS 6 Rack-Mount Storage Systems
4. Remove the plastic air blocker from the disk tray.
5. Place the new 3.5-inch HDD in the disk tray.
6. Secure the HDD in the tray using the screws that came with your storage system.
Make sure that the hard disk connectors face the interior of the disk tray when you
assemble the disk.
7. Slide the disk tray back into the drive bay of the system.
8. Press the disk tray handle until it latches closed.