My old ReadyNAS was in need of an update and figured i’d look back into upgrading to OS 6.2.x again, this used to be quite an involved manual process requiring you to access the VGA header on the motherboard.
As it turns out Netgear have realised people would get round this anyway and have provided an (unsupported) upgrade path.
This will allow us to use a number of features not available on our current firmware (for me I have a ReadyNAS Ultra 6):
- AD Authentication
- NFS v4
- Native link bonding (without 3rd party plugin)
- SSH access (without 3rd party plugin)
- New plugin catalogue
- A shiny new GUI :)
N.B: This operation will factory reset your NAS including all shares, take a backup first!
So, first things first, download R4toR6_Prep_Addon.bin and R4toR6_6.9.5.bin from the above link.
Log into your ReadyNAS admin interface and navigate to Add-ons -> Add New, Select the R4toR6_Prep_Addon.bin extension we downloaded earlier and click Upload and verify image...:
If the installation prep file was successfully uploaded and verified you will see the below:
Click Install to commit to the OS.
Next up we need to upload the OS R4toR6_6.9.5.bin itself via System > Update > Local:
After the firmware has been uploaded and verified click Perform System Update and reboot when prompted:
Now we pray to the computing deities and hope that the completely unsupported software upgrade we did on our NAS has not fudged the entire box…
As the box gets reset to factory defaults it will now have a DHCP address – connect to this new address, login with admin and password and set it back up with bonding, AD auth, set up some shares and private Time Machine, etc:
I installed Pydio on mine, it’s an awesome cloud file sync platform that you forward through your firewall (enable IPS on your firewall now if you have it!).
So there it is, nice and easy, updated to the latest RAIDiator.
Worth holding your breath during the upgrade for? I think so…
Why not follow @mylesagray on Twitter for more like this!
Have you had any issues since doing this? Did you have to copy all your data back to your NAS and were there any performance issues afterwards?
Cheers,
Steve
Steve, no performance issues to report, using it as a host for 30 VMs (only lab) at the moment, little latency, nothing crazy though, for normal day to day, should be fine.
Myles
Fantastic. I may get around to doing it one day then. Cheers.
I’ve tried this on my Ultra 2 Plus and it works, but I have to manually install app (vice using the graphic interface) Did you have the same problem? Should I reinstall or have I missed a setting?
No I just used the UI and it worked
I performed the factory reset and rebooted the box. The Ultra 2 Plus now performs as you described. All functions in the GUI work as if the unit was sold with the 6.5 (Current) IOS. Thank you for the follow up.
Hi guys,
Thanks Myles for leaving your experiments here. I have an old Ultra2 with an old Debian 4.x something.
My disks are full of 20+ years of emails and pictures. I’m fed up with the old Debian. I wanted to change the release. I didn’t find a clear statement of what needed to be saved ? On my older ReadyNAS Duo, there were no extra disk for the system. Same here ? Cheers. Yann
Hi Yann, The upgrade will wipe everything you’d need to backup or migrate all data off. M
Going to try this this weekend , my question where or what would be the best place to save 2tb of info to
Hi!
Thanks for your article, did you upgrade to the latest updates (like 6.5.2) since then without problem?
Cheers, Yves
Yep and they worked seamlessly.
Glad to read that.
Unfortunately I just tried upgrading my ReadyNas Ultra 2 from 4.2.30 to OS6 following your instructions but it fails on step 1, saying it ‘couldn’t extract files properly’ from the “R4toR6_Prep_Addon.bin”…
Njo chance here
UPDATE: I did a Factory Reset after a backup, and now it’s upgrading to OS6. Yipee!
Thank you very much for this article!
Not a problem Yves!
Work was getting rid of a ReadyNAS 2100 v2 decided it would behouve me to use this since my FreeNAS box was acting bonkers. Did the upgrade as explained and its working fine for me.
Thank you very much, a great job.
I did the update on my ReadyNAS 2100. Every thing work fine, so it seems…
Two things:
1. The USB devices will not get mounted. Any advise?
2. Movies are no longer played smoothly
Hello, you think it will work on my readynas Ultra 4 with 4.2.30?? i have 4 disks of 2tb each.
Regards
Probably just expect it to wipe the box
Do you know if this firmware will work on the original Silver color ReadyNAS NV+ RND4425-100NAS? I was reading somewhere that this model has a Sparc processor, but maybe the firmware you are talking about is for a Sparc processor? Just want to make sure before I brick my old ReadyNAS NV+.
I have it installed on my Ultra 6, which uses an atom x86 proc, would be surprised if it worked on SPARC
Thank you!!!!!!
Do we have similar file for RND4000v2 since this works only for x86 architecture.
Will this work on the ReadyNAS NVX RNDX4210?
Should work on any ReadyNAS with an x86 CPU
Is there anyway you could send me the files i need? I cant seem to find them anymore since the netgear site redirects me to they’re homepage.
Or i found them, but this seem to appear..
https://i.gyazo.com/ea7f3e0e4bedb571422c4073c89c30fd.png
The NVX has a 32-bit processor but you need a CPU with 64 bit support for ReadyNAS OS 6 so sadly we cannot uprade our NAS :(
ReadyNASOS6.x is 64 bit and the NVX and 2100V1 have 32-bit X86 processors and cannot be upgraded. All the information and files needed are located on the Netgear ReadyNAS forum. I’m running OS6.7.5 on several legacy NASes without a hitch. There is no chance it will ever be available for the NV or Duo (SPARC or ARM versions).
This was really what i needed to refresh an old NAS. I was looking for a way to update to maybe a 3rd party firmware and your blogpost came up. In the end i followed this guide:
http://netgear.nas-central.org/wiki/OS6_on_Legacy_x86
But it was your blogpost that got me onto the update. So thanks very much!
Where has the download-link gone ??
Hello everyone,
has anyone tried this upgrade on RND2210-100?
Thank you,
I have encountered the same USB mounting issue. USB HDD are detected by the OS but are not auto-mounted and are therefore not visible (or selectable) in Frontview.
just ran my upgrade – 4.2.31 > 6.9.3
went fairly smoothly.
backed up – ~4TB wasn’t fast but have other NAS Storage so got that done.
once prep and upgrade were performed still had to do manual factory restore – but all working currently
just removed default Raid-X array and recreated my R10 Array and back up and going – slow sync but that is expected anyway.
Currently migrating data back…
only issue I have is how I migrate back my iscsi lun that I backed up – not sure how to recreate that but not that major as the data wasn’t in use anyway!
Still much happier to have AD Integration on my shares now!!!
Much happier with this unit at the moment – giving it new life!
HI , sorry I guess I arrived to the party bit late.Got hold an a Netgear ReadyNAS Pro Business Edition and its currently running version 4.2.9, I wish to update using above info but has not worked so far..
1st of , according to info above I should be able see addon tab via GUI , I cant see , rather just see it system >Firmware update
I dont need to backup any data on this , so I did perform a factory default , after which i tried to go to system>firmware update and point to PREP4TOR6_0.1-x86.bin file and click on update and verify . after few short minutes it comes back and says invalid file format. I also tried the same for R4toR6_6.3.5.bin to no success.
I also got similar files from this link but ended up with same result
http://netgear.nas-central.org/wiki/OS6_on_Legacy_x86
Is there anyone out there that can be of assistance please , would really appriciate it
Does anyone still have the files for this upgrade? They are no longer accessible from the netgear community site. I am trying to do the upgrade and can not get the files.
Hi Daniel I also cannot find the files, have you had any luck yet as I would appreciate a copy of them too?
Richard I did get them.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1FlKNZ1qgMo33Q2Uix2cQLj2ihCpKKF9y
I will leave them there for people who need them.
Thanks a ton for the files, I was looking all over for them. :)
Thank you very much, these files can not be found around, Netgear removed them from their webpage same as the original article.
Regards,
Wilfredo
Thank you Thank you!
Hello i search for this prepr4tor6_0.1-arm.bin Anyone have it? is it possible to share it?
Hi,
did anyone try to update ReadyNas Ultra 2 to 6.9.4. Currently my device run on 6.9.2 and I wonder if update to x.x.4 can cause any problems.
Don’t do it ! it crashes my NAS ! Now i’m trying to backup my datas manually. F—ING HELL !
Same here! I backed up my data but after the update i cant get it back to work. Tried Factory Reset and OS Reinstall, but nothing happens.
Hello Myles,
Thank you for your great tutorial, am successfully migrated to OS 6 :)
Readynas Ultra 6 4.2.24 to OS6 6.9.4
Best regards,
Jeff
I confirm that 6.9.4 is working good in a Readynas Ultra 2 after a fresh upgrade from os4 to 6.9.3 and a self update.
Cheers!
Just wanted to say thanks updated Ultra2 without errors!
Is it possible for you to send links not in the netgear community for these 2 files? The links are dead, Netgear removed them from their site obviously to stop us from upgrading our Readynas devices.
Thanks.
Brian
Not needed thanks to Daniel! You the man! I will share on torrent as well cause it was damn hard to find!
Updated my Pro4 and it is running great! Now I can reload Plex and all my computers will be backed up now. Awesomesauce!
Thanks again for all who posted here, you guys rock!
Brian
Glad I was able to help. Took me a week to find them when I was trying to do this and it was only someone on this forums kindness that saved me, so pass it on.
Hi Daniel, could you email me the files as well? Thanks in advanced, Tobias
These are still hosted here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KMejl_hAGJEanRFuOwUBg_2Kk0wnxP91?usp=sharing
Hi Brian, Where can I find the files? Did you share an torrent? Thanks, Tobias
These are still hosted here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KMejl_hAGJEanRFuOwUBg_2Kk0wnxP91?usp=sharing
Thank you!
It is available for readynas duo v1 (RND2000v1) version 4.1.16?
Ok, no, thx
Hi
Just want to say thanks for the info, your guide worked like a charm for me. My 7 year old Ultra 2 is up’n running 6.9.3.
A question, I got an automatic pop-up asking if I wanted to update to 6.10.something. Is this something recommended or should I just stick with the current version?
Best regards, Daniel
Worked on my end with a ReadyNas Ultra 2
I can confirm its working, upgraded 6.9.3 to 6.9.6
I’ve tried this twice now on my ReadyNAS NVX Business Edition.
Everything works until it reboots. Then I just get the dreaded Booting…. and stuck.
Had to perform a USB Recovery. Found that nothing had been lost from the disk partitions.
On second attempt entered boot menu and used the Factory Default option.
Still stuck at Booting… after 1 hour. Time to perform USB Recovery again.
After bit of research found that NVX and 2100v1 are not supported.
Will this work on an NVX running RAIDiator 4.2.31
Just updated my ReadyNas Ultra 2 from 4.2.31 to 6.9.5 :-)
I just upgraded my Ultra 2 to OS 6.9.5 – no problems :-)
Hello i search for this prepr4tor6_0.1-arm.bin Anyone have it? is it possible to share it?
There is no ARM version of this. It’s Intel only, and x64 only at that — older 32-bit devices are not supported even if they are Intel.
I did this quite a while ago and was very happy with it.
Now my system shut down after a crashed disk and wont boot again. Cant acces the boot menu either.
Any idea how to recover it?
try to find way to upgrade my old readynas duo v1 rnd2000 from 4.1.x any chance
No, it’s a very underpowered SPARC based device, which also doesn’t support larger HDDs than 2TB.
Thanks, I also upgraded the BIOS as explained here: https://www.admin-enclave.com/en/articles/linux/484-upgrade-the-bios-from-an-readynas-device.html while I performed the upgrade :D
Just upgraded my ReadyNas Ultra 2. Worked as described. Took some time to boot, but as long as the powerled is blinking it’s probably doing something, Thanks a lot!
Hi,
is it safe to upgrade ReadyNas Ultra 2 from 6.9.3 to 6.9.6 ?
Can someone please confirm if its working?
Great write up, thanks for sharing! However, there is one fundamental thing you may need to add to the very beginning of the process:
While you are still on 4.2.x, before going any further, check the BIOS version of your devise.
This info is available if download Log files in ZIP format. Inside the ZIP archive there is a file bios_ver.log
Compare the current BIOS date of your unit with the latest version available for your unit.
For example, the latest available BIOS for RNU 4 is dated 08.23.2011
If the current BIOS version of your unit is older that the available, you may want to update the BIOS while still on 4.2.x, it is A LOT EASIER than fiddle with the SSH in OS6.
Best whishes!
That worked beautifully on my ReadyNAS Ultra 2. The files on the Netgear site have moved to https://community.netgear.com/t5/ReadyNAS-Storage-Apps-Current/ReadyNAS-OS-6-9-3-Run-on-existing-x86-4-2-notsupported/m-p/905258?_ga=2.76499029.1562795803.1599055477-531921868.1597505483#M11113
The filenames have changed to R4toR6.9.5.bin and PREP4TOR6_0.1-x86.bin
Now running 6.10.3 and the iscsi settings all work wonderfully on RAID 0 for performance backup only, after the unit is 10 years old and only cost me about $40!!!!
after the install of v6, can it be upgraded to the latest FW? really need to get my readynas pro 6 to v6 so i can disable smbv1 ty!
any joy wih this, nick? am thinking about acquring an old Pro 6 …
There will be no problem upgrading versions afterwards.
However, I would recommend not running OS6 — the device behaves very badly when filled up (BTRFS issue). I tried running OS6 on my Ultra4 for a couple of years but the bizarre bugs, lousy performance and space waste by BTRFS made me wipe the device and go back to OS4.
You are a blessing! Thank you very much man!
MYLES, Thank you very much!
It worked, great guide and thanks to the active sharing people who left comments with links to the files.
I updated bios on my ultra 2 and then the update to v6, auto update to latest version and now good to go.
Thanks for the guide.
Upgraded my ReadyNASUltra2 to 6.9.5 and then automatically to 6.10.4 without any errors.
Now access to the box using SMB is working again (as old 4.x only used SMB1 and newer Windows only support newer SMB-versions).
You can activate SMBv1 in Windows, it’s in Control panel/Programs/Turn Windows features on or off.
I have a very different problem: is there a way to DOWNgrade from RAIDator v6 to v4? I have done the upgrade but some annoying problems presist and would like to go back to v4
Yes, I know is’t the reverse of what this page is all about :) BUT still: is it possible?
M.
I followed your upgrade steps on my RNDP6000-100NAS. BUT! I’m now sitting “Booting 92%” for overa half hour and nothing since (4.x to 6.x). Any ideas or suggestions?
I need to use SMBv2 on my old ReadyNAS Ultra6. It currently has RAIDiator 4.2.31 installed (Linux Ultra6 2.6.37.6.RNx86_64.2.4 #1 SMP Thu May 28 16:29:46 PDT 2015 x86_64). Is there support for this protocol on OS6?
Also would like to install some kind of torrent-client on it (like transmission), but all links leading to forums with relevant addons have gone stale. Will I be able to download and install such a client for OS6?
I don’t want to risk and reflash it at random (at least because I need to find 18GB of disk space for the backup).
And where to find the latest version of the BIOS ultra6?
Thank you in advance
Just to reasure some users out there, just done upgrade eith ReadyNas Ultra 4, flawlessly. Just 2 notes : While booting first time i got a error text on NAS Display, which resulted in no problems. – After First Login to System the gui did not continue. But all Data provided had bin saved i had to reboot the Sytem once and everything was OK. -> Then second Booting I was prompted emediatly to Upgrade to 6.10.4 which I did without any issues. – System is Up and runnning without any Issues (I have 2 Gig Ram)
Thank you for your tribute to the community.