Can I use the WD My Cloud EX2 4 TB NAS device as purely a 4GB NAS storage device...without Raid 0 or 1?
1787151
Sure you can - but why? If you are buying this for data safety then you are better of either with mirroring or striping. That way your data is protected. (OK it is more expensive, but not if you consider the cost for lost data.
1787152
Yes. RAID 0 will give you 4 GB of NAS storage with no protection. RAID 1 is with mirrored drives where if one drive fails you still have your data on the other drive. Only 2 GB of storage with RAID 1
1787153
I agree with David, you can set it to Raid 0 for full storage space use. I prefer using Raid 1 for protection even though you drop the usable space in half. I like having my data replicated in case of failure.
1853217
Absolutely. For the how-to setup go to pcworld/pcmag/cnet and read the test reviews. Several magazines talked about how to use this device in a non-RAID configuration.
695123
Yes, it can be used as network storage and/or a backup device. The 4TB (2 x 2TB) drives are included in the $399 model. Keep in mind, it will come standard with a RAID 0 configuration, I typically change this to RAID 1. While doing so cuts the storage down to 2 TB, I like the peace of mind in creating the file redundancy should anything happen. In short though, you can use this as network storage and/or a backup device despite whatever RAID configuration you set.
1563214
Sure. This is not about WD 4TB NAS. This is much more about storing music in a logical way on a disk drive, and then telling itunes where the music is, avoiding itunes screwing with your careful disk layout, and gracefully letting itunes build it's internal database (and performing the transfer to the itunes devices. Any diskdrive will do, including WD 4TB NAS. I only have one comment about WD4TB My Cloud. The WD software is extremely keen to share your disk contents with the internet (protected only by your login/password.) It requires significant thought to use the MyCloud as a NAS, and not implement the Cloud functionality. Caveat Emptor. Sure. This is not about WD 4TB NAS. This is much more about storing music in a logical way on a disk drive, and then telling itunes where the music is, avoiding itunes screwing with your careful disk layout, and gracefully letting itunes build it's internal database (and performing the transfer to the itunes devices. Any diskdrive will do, including WD 4TB NAS. I only have one comment about WD4TB My Cloud. The WD software is extremely keen to share your disk contents with the internet (protected only by your login/password.) It requires significant thought to use the MyCloud as a NAS, and... » Read More Sure. This is not about WD 4TB NAS. This is much more about storing music in a logical way on a disk drive, and then telling itunes where the music is, avoiding itunes screwing with your careful disk layout, and gracefully letting itunes build it's internal database (and performing the transfer to the itunes devices. Any diskdrive will do, including WD 4TB NAS. I only have one comment about WD4TB My Cloud. The WD software is extremely keen to share your disk contents with the internet (protected only by your login/password.) It requires significant thought to use the MyCloud as a NAS, and not implement the Cloud functionality. Caveat Emptor. « Show Less
91779
Yes either raid 0 or raid 1 is possible. I would not recommend this product though.
550301
The 4TB has two 2GB hard drives. The hardware is capable of supporting RAID-1 (mirroring) and RAID-0 (spanning). RAID-0 configuration will store data across the two disks and provide the greatest data access speed. RAID-1 configuration keeps an exact copy of the data on disk 1 on disk 2. This allows for data recovery if one of the disks fails but it cuts the data capacity from 4GB to 2GB.
461501
You don't "get the fact that its diskless". This simply means that the NAS is not shipped with hard disks. They must be purchased separately. I would suggest the WD NAS rated drives. Make sure to get 2 of them. Same size.
1030195
Each EX2 personal cloud lists its own max capacity . I've seen it in 4TB, 6TB & 8TB. However, 10TB and above are usually used for businesses.
1430416
No you cannot. This is not a NAS, you cannot use it as a NAS, it has no ethernet port. Think of it as a box with an external drive connected to your PC except in this box you can have up to 8 drives and configure them in some RAID class.
1028213
I'm running 4x1.5TB drives with ZFS RAID-Z and Ubuntu 12.04 LTS on a flash drive with 2x4GB 1333. It's been performing very well, no complaints! I'm just not looking forward to when I have to upgrade those drives, at least they were free.
1455389
There doesn't seem to be an indication that this drive had to be used as a NAS setup. My personal application is a NAS setup but is used primarily as a media host for an Apple TV2.
1236892
It's best to get this NAS it's own set of drives. The point of this NAS is to RAID the drives to protect against failures, swapping drives won't work as you'll just be constantly rebuilding the array. I suppose you could just have 1 drive and move it back and forth between two of these NAS units, but what would be the point there?
1731447
Yes, you can use with a single drive or multiple drives. They do not have to be in a RAID configuration. That is optional.
475147
If you buy cheap externals like I did yes but it will also force your RAID into read only. If you spend the extra on NAS drives then you're fine. It's not the enclosure that dictates that but the firmware on the drives themselves.
1905073
You can fill as few as 2 slots (using one drive as a redundant drive) and leave the rest open for later use. I initially loaded 6 slots with drives and allowed the NAS to test all 6 drives. I them removed 2 drives and keep them as backups. I now have 4 3TB drives installed and running just fine configured as one volume.
228614
The diskless NAS does not have any drives installed in it. I bought the diskless thinking I would use the four matched drives I had in an existing server. That would have been perfect, but the drives were not supported by the EX4. If you have existing drives, and they are on the WD EX4 supported list, this would be a great way to make use of them. Otherwise, you might as well purchase with disks and have a single warranty covering the entire NAS and drives.
735279
I'm only using the one drive it came with right now. It might have software raid. You can ask the seller via their support link at deepdiscountservers.com.