How to Upgrade Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo LS-WTGL/R1 NASBuffalo's LinkStation Pro Duo LS-WTGL/R1 offers network storage with 1TB capacity. Here's how to upgrade the hard drives for more space.
Buffalo's LinkStation Pro Duo LS-WTGL/R1 offers secure network storage with 1TB capacity (500GB under RAID), which can be upgraded to 2TB under RAID using this tutorial.
Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo NAS LS-WTGL/R1 is a great network storage device for the home office / single user wishing to store their data in a RAID configuration with little to no setup. The device comes with two 500GB drives that can be combined to form a 1TB drive with no redundancy backup. Alternatively, you can mirror the drives for 500GB storage, where the data is duplicated on both drives in case one fails.
Providing you with some basic ideas about networks and servers, it is easy to set up user IDs and folders for different users, secured and shared, etc., using the supplied software. First-timers must read the manual carefully, and getting things right may take several goes.
It can be used in various RAID options. Formatting the drives for mirroring (RAID 1) takes a couple of hours with the 500GB drives. Beware, however, that the formatting used by the NAS is not the same as that used by Windows. If a disc fails, you must remove the failed disc, replace it, and then allow the unit to mirror itself before you can use the NAS again. You cannot remove and install a disc into a computer to recover data.
After a while, the drive will gradually fill up with data as you use it. You must either delete something or upgrade the drives to a larger capacity.
The largest drive the Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo supports is 2GB. I will upgrade the two 500GB drives and replace them with two 2TB Western Digital Green drives. This will give me 2TB of mirrored RAID storage (RAID 1).
The upgrade is simple; you only need a Phillips screwdriver and the drives to swap into the Buffalo LinkStation.
All the data on your NAS should be backed up before starting this process. Remirroring is not risk-free, so you should have a good backup before starting this process. If you can flash the NAS firmware, be aware that you can brick the device. Either way, I take no responsibility for any damage, data loss or device bricking.
There are two ways to upgrade the drives. If you need to keep the data on the NAS, you will need to do one drive at a time and wait for the NAS to mirror the data from the old drive to the new one. This takes time. You will then need to swap the other drive and wait for the NAS to mirror from the first new drive to the second.
If you don't mind losing the data on the drive, you can upgrade both drives together, but you will need to get messy and flash firmware, a tricky but doable process.
Step 1 - Unplug and Unscrew
Once your data is safely backed up, you can proceed with opening the NAS enclosure. First, unplug your Pro Duo. Then we can remove the two screws on the front feet. Then, you should be able to pull off the front plastic facia. There are a few more screws on the rear. Remove these, and then you can pull off the metal case.
Be careful around the power supply; there could be residual voltage left in the power supply unit.
Step 2 - Remove Old Drive
You can pull out the cables on the first hard drive, then unscrew, and pull it out.
Step 3 - Swap Brackets
Next you need to swap the mounting bracket from the old drive to the new drive.
Step 4 - Reinstall Upgraded Hard Drive
The new drive can then be reinstalled and plugged back in. If you are replacing both drives at the same time and losing the data on the old hard drives, then repeat the process with the other drive and skip to step 6.
Step 5 - Remirror/Resync RAID
You should replace the covers on the drive, but you don't need to screw them in. Plug in the NAS and log into the web interface. You should get a message stating that the drive is in emergency mode, and it will either give you a message to resync or start resyncing by itself, depending on the firmware version. The sync can take 4 hours, after which the NAS will reboot and appear normal.
Once this is complete, you must repeat the other drive process. After the second sync, the NAS should report an overall capacity equal to your installed drive capacity. The upgrade was successful, and you are finished upgrading the drives in your LinkStation Pro Duo.
Step 6 - Flashing Firmware on the LS-WTGL (Advanced)
If you replace both drives and lose the data on the older drives, then once you replace the drives and reassemble the device, it will fail to boot. This is normal. The OS for the drive's firmware is located on the drives that are no longer available. We need to flash the firmware again to repartition the new drives and install the firmware.
Please ensure you don't extract the firmware files onto your NAS and run the updater, as that would invariably brick your unit. Also, ensure you have completely disabled your Anti-Virus/Firewall during this procedure. Countermeasures can sometimes interfere with an update and either have the update fail or, worse, brick the NAS.
Download the firmware (check model and version numbers): Official Buffalo Website
Ensure your computer/server is on the same subnet as the NAS.
To perform a force firmware update with lsupdater
- Extract the files from the firmware to your desktop
- Edit the
lsupdater.inifile - Under
[Flags]ChangeVersionCheck=1toVersionCheck=0 - Add new lines at the bottom and enter these values
[SpecialFlags]
Debug = 1 - Once these changes are made, you'll want to save the .ini file
- Launch
lsupdater.exe - The firmware application window will open. Right-click on the title bar of the firmware update window and choose Debug (D). The resulting window will pop up
LinkStation Pro Duo LS-WTGL/R1 Firmware Flash - Make sure the options in your window are checked exactly as shown above
- Click OK
- Click Update
If you experience ACP_STATE_FAILURE issues, you can try running the firmware update in Safe Mode with Networking or on another computer. A ACP_STATE_FAILURE usually refers to the unit having a defect on the system board. With that in mind, I recommend contacting your region's Technical Support for an RMA, which is usually irreparable. It is rare, but sometimes you can pull out of a downward spiral and successfully update the firmware from a different OS. Please remember that this is usually a sign that the NAS will fail in time. If you recover, I recommend quickly backing up your data to an alternate source.
