Newbie Tips for Shucking into a NAS Drive for Plex Media Server

ramrod1234x on 20/05/2020 - 10:27
Last edited 20/05/2020 - 10:27

Hey guys.

I have purchased 3 WD external drives to shuck into a Synology NAS (2 x 12 TB and 1 x 10TB).

I have looked at some guides online and they all vary with recommendations.

Could you give me some tips on what you recommend in terms of setup and installation (E.g. do you bother pre-clearing beforehand? Do you use existing drives already with content on there? Things to be wary of etc)

I am going to use it primarily as a Plex server, so making sure I have a decent configuration first and will buy the Synology 4 Bay NAS DiskStation DS918+

Thanks in advance!

Computing

Comments

  • Garbotoxin on 20/05/2020 - 10:48
    +3

    I have a very similar set up (DS918+ with 4x 10TB WD drives shucked from Elements enclosures).

    What I did every time I added a new drive was run a format and then the WD test to determine if there's anything wrong with the drive (takes about 15 hours per drive).

    Shuck it as according to the videos you see online (I just got some old credit/membership cards to slide down the gaps on the side, and the enclosure slides right out)

    Install into DS918+, you don't need the tape mod for the Synology

    • spackbace on 20/05/2020 - 11:48
      +1

      I did the same, but putting into a computer case I had to use the Molex-Sata adapter to allow it to work.

      But while it's in the enclosure, check the drive for errors etc and then shuck it and enjoy!

      • Garbotoxin on 20/05/2020 - 12:19

        Molex-SATA scares me, i've had one catch sparks at the connector (likely because it was cheap) and vouched to never use those ones again.

        You could just tape over some of the pins with Kapton tape and use a regular SATA connector no?

        • Kozhutki on 25/05/2020 - 13:59

          molex to sata lose all your data…

    • smashman42 on 20/05/2020 - 12:16

      +1 - except I was paranoid so I filled then verified them with "simulated data" from one of those data generators meant to expose fake flash drives (h2testw) before running the WD test on them. Format in the device they're meant for (actually using external atm as different day staggered rsync backup drives on my current NAS formatted to BTFRS until all the bits for my new home server/NAS arrive)

  • macrocephalic on 20/05/2020 - 10:55

    I would always partition/format drives after you install them into the desired hardware (unless you have a reason not to).

  • bdl on 20/05/2020 - 13:05
    +1

    I usually just run the drives for a week or so (in their enclosure) to make sure I don't need to RMA them prior to shucking. (ie. plug them in via USB and copy files to/from). I know it's not testing them thoroughly but helps screen if they've been damaged during transit.

    • macrocephalic on 20/05/2020 - 14:52

      You should be able to find a burn-in tool pretty easily if you want to test the drive more thoroughly.

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