SoftRAID Volumes - SoftRAID Forum

SoftRAID: Upgrading volume size over time?

AitoHikari — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 06:08:09 +0000

Hello, if I used a 4-bay drive with SoftRAID, with the setup 4 bays at 4TB each and upgraded one of those drives to 12TB (so 3x4TB, 1x12TB) to slowly expand the drive size over time, is this possible?

If it is, will this drive read as 12TB or will all remaining drives need to be upgraded to 12TB first for them to read correctly?

My plan is to use (currently that is) to use a TERRAMASTER D4-320 (4-bay enclosure) with SoftRAID connected to a Mac Mini M1 to use as a media drive for 1080p (and lower) movies and TV shows and using homesharing to the Apple TV (app) to Apple TV (product) for media viewing. And I wanted to start off with smaller drives and slowly upgrade each drive over time to larger ones.

SoftRAID and Virtual Machine running older macOS

smayer97 — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:01:31 +0000

I currently have a 2019 Intel iMac i9 running macOS 10.14 (Mojave). I want to upgrade the macOS. Max supported macOS is 15, so I can upgrade to any version in between (I have all the installer versions). I also need to run an VM (either VMWare Fusion or UTM) with an older macOS. I can choose anything from MacOS 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) to macOS 10.14 (Mojave) max. The VM can be installed on any Mac drive format (HFS+ or APFS) but will need to access at least one HFS+ volume.

I want to know how SoftRAID will interact with the VM that may need to access a SoftRAID volume but does not need to run SoftRAID software.

My choice as to what versions of macOS I upgrade to on the host and the VM will partly depend on how SoftRAID volumes behave within each environment.

Some questions around this (I am not sure all the right questions to ask):

1. Can the VM access a drive running using a newer driver in the host environment?

2. Do the host and the VM contain different driver versions?

Please provide insight as to how this all would/could work.

Certification strategy question

Filmguy — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 21:30:55 +0000

I have a new Thunderbay 8, and was planning to create a 6-disk RAID. I am nearly finished certifying 7 20 TB disks (one to be a spare). As I have been reading on this forum, I have learned that SoftRAID cannot add a disk to a RAID, so I'm now thinking of making this an 8-disk RAID from the start, and have ordered two more disks.

As certification for 20TB disks takes a week or more, I'm thinking of creating the RAID with the 7 certified disks and one of the new uncertified disks so I can begin to library material to the RAID, while the spare disk gets certified on a different machine. Then, when certification of the spare is complete, swap the uncertified disk out for the certified spare and let the RAID rebuild.

Is this a reasonable way to proceed? Are there pitfalls I've not considered? Or am I just overthinking the whole thing?

Moving volumes to sidestep raid 5 add new disk limitation

ihasdapi — Sat, 13 Sep 2025 04:49:50 +0000

I have a thunderbay 4, but currently have only 2 disks. I understand that softraid has a limitation where I cannot add disks to a raid5 later. But can I create 4 volumes in the 2 disks, and then later when I add another disk, simply move one of the volumes from one disk to the new one? And then resize accordingly

any benefit to RAID volumes created with newer versions of SoftRaid vs older versions?

calbear88 — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 08:01:24 +0000

I am currently running Softraid 8.3 with MacOS Sequoia on a 2020 Intel iMac 27 inch. I have a SoftRaid mirrored volume I am still using that I created in January 2016 using softraid 5. Both the primary and secondary hard drives are still working fine and haven't been replaced. Since the volume was created with softraid 5 more than 8 years ago, I was wondering if there is any benefit to erasing the disks and creating a new mirrored volume using SoftRaid 8.3? I wasn't sure if volumes created using Softraid 8.3 have any improvements in performance/features/reliability compared to those created with softraid 5?

Thanks

RAID5 waiting for mount and rebuilding

Wania — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 07:52:39 +0000

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hi,

I have a problem, I can't mount raid5 and finish rebuilding. Raid5 doesn't mount at all even though there are no errors, I even tried to remove one of the disks but I still can't get to the data.

log:

Jun 12 08:07:26 - SoftRAID Monitor: SoftRAID Standard license activated for all users on this computer (nickname “ppkrmobile23”).
Jun 12 08:07:26 - SoftRAID Monitor: Serial number is valid and has been assigned to this Mac.
Jun 13 18:22:47 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 13 18:55:04 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 15 13:01:56 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 15 14:05:15 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 18 00:00:02 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 18 00:47:54 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 20 20:06:40 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 20 21:36:59 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 23 20:19:17 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 23 21:39:37 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 26 15:55:56 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 26 16:28:12 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 29 09:02:23 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jun 29 09:34:40 - SoftRAID Monitor: Starting SMART test on all disks which support SMART.
Jul 01 19:57:53 - SoftRAID Monitor: SoftRAID Standard license activated for all users on this computer (nickname “ppkrmobile23”).
Aug 09 20:40:21 - SoftRAID Driver: A disk (disk7, SoftRAID ID: 0A2B2C6DDB021E00) for the SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk8) was removed or stopped responding while the volume was mounted and in use.
Aug 11 17:10:12 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.0
Aug 11 17:10:12 - SoftRAID Monitor: SoftRAID Standard license activated for all users on this computer (nickname “ppkrmobile23”).
Aug 11 17:10:29 - SoftRAID Driver: The SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk8) encountered an error (E00002C1). A program attempted to read or write to a volume which was not open.
Aug 11 17:11:21 - SoftRAID Driver: The RAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) is out of sync. A rebuild has started automatically.
Aug 11 17:14:39 - SoftRAID Application: Quitting application
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: A disk (disk5, SoftRAID ID: 0A2B2C6DD1F1F900) for the SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) was removed or stopped responding while the volume was mounted and in use.
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: A disk (disk6, SoftRAID ID: 0A2B2C6DDB021E00) for the SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) was removed or stopped responding while the volume was mounted and in use.
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: The rebuild for the volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) has been stopped.
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: A disk (disk4, SoftRAID ID: 0A2B2C6DF9B1A580) for the SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) was removed or stopped responding while the volume was mounted and in use.
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: SoftRAID determined that there is a problem with your Mac. Turn off sleep in the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences to prevent this problem from occurring.
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: A disk (disk7, SoftRAID ID: 0A2B2C6DCA6A8700) for the SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) was removed or stopped responding while the volume was mounted and in use.
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: SoftRAID determined that there is a problem with your Mac. Turn off sleep in the Energy Saver pane of System Preferences to prevent this problem from occurring.
Aug 11 17:14:48 - SoftRAID Driver: The SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) encountered an error (E00002E4). A program attempted to read or write to a volume which was no longer accepting i/o requests.
Aug 11 17:17:26 - SoftRAID Driver: SoftRAID driver loaded, version 8.0.
Aug 11 17:17:26 - SoftRAID Monitor: SoftRAID Standard license activated for all users on this computer (nickname “ppkrmobile23”).
Aug 11 17:17:36 - SoftRAID Driver: The SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" is missing one or more disks. It has been mounted but will not offer the normal level of data protection.
Aug 11 17:17:36 - SoftRAID Driver: The RAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk8) is out of sync. A rebuild has started automatically.
Aug 11 17:18:01 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.0
Aug 11 17:18:49 - SoftRAID Application: The get info command for disk disk4, SN: 575833314434394E484C3052, USB3 bus 0, id 12 hung while reading (offset 512, i/o block size = 512). This disk should be replaced immediately.
Aug 11 17:20:10 - SoftRAID Tool: The command 95 encountered the error -50.

2024.08.11 - 17:21:06 - SoftRAID Application: Error: code 153 (internal=24)
Aug 11 17:27:21 - SoftRAID Driver: The rebuild for the volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk8) has been stopped.
Aug 11 17:42:16 - SoftRAID Driver: The RAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk10) is out of sync. A rebuild has started automatically.
Aug 11 17:44:58 - SoftRAID Driver: The rebuild for the volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk10) has been stopped.
Aug 11 17:45:06 - SoftRAID Driver: The RAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk12) is out of sync. A rebuild has started automatically.
Aug 11 17:45:42 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.0
Aug 11 17:46:27 - SoftRAID Application: Quitting application
Aug 11 17:46:51 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.0
Aug 11 17:47:57 - SoftRAID Application: Quitting application
2024.08.11 - 17:48:38 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.1
2024.08.11 - 17:48:38 - SoftRAID Monitor: Launching application: SoftRAID Monitor version 8.1
2024.08.11 - 17:48:42 - SoftRAID Monitor: SoftRAID Standard license activated for all users on this computer (nickname “ppkrmobile23”).
2024.08.11 - 17:49:20 - SoftRAID Tool: The command 95 encountered the error -50.

2024.08.11 - 17:50:31 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.1
2024.08.11 - 17:51:43 - SoftRAID Tool: The command 95 encountered the error -50.

2024.08.11 - 17:55:23 - SoftRAID Monitor: Launching application: SoftRAID Monitor version 8.1
2024.08.11 - 17:55:26 - SoftRAID Driver: The RAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) is out of sync. A rebuild has started automatically.
2024.08.11 - 17:55:33 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.1
2024.08.11 - 17:55:33 - SoftRAID Monitor: SoftRAID Standard license activated for all users on this computer (nickname “ppkrmobile23”).
2024.08.11 - 17:56:03 - SoftRAID Application: The get info command for disk disk4, SN: 575833314434394E484C3052, USB3 bus 0, id 13 hung while reading (offset 512, i/o block size = 512). This disk should be replaced immediately.
2024.08.11 - 18:13:01 - SoftRAID Tool: The command 95 encountered the error -50.

2024.08.11 - 18:13:07 - SoftRAID Driver: The rebuild for the volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk9) has been stopped.
2024.08.11 - 18:23:55 - SoftRAID Application: Launching application: SoftRAID version 8.1
2024.08.11 - 18:24:07 - SoftRAID Driver: The SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" is missing one or more disks. It has been mounted but will not offer the normal level of data protection.
2024.08.11 - 18:25:34 - SoftRAID Driver: The SoftRAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" is missing one or more disks. It has been mounted but will not offer the normal level of data protection.
2024.08.11 - 18:26:51 - SoftRAID Driver: The RAID volume "MEDIA_RAID" (disk11) is out of sync. A rebuild has started automatically.
2024.08.12 - 08:12:03 - SoftRAID Tool: The command 95 encountered the error -50.

Must have softraid installed to view drive?

scotts1919 — Tue, 21 May 2024 15:38:55 +0000

I have a premium version of softraid on a windows 10 system where i created the raid. I then created an ntfs volume in windows and i see it fine and can work with it. If i move the enclosure to another windows 10 pc i dont see the raid volume, i also dont have softraid installed on the system where i don't see the volume. Is softraid required to view/copy files to on each system you want to use the enclosure with?

MacOS cannot unlock disk

Jesse.Art — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 04:02:32 +0000

Im having issues with another partition in that when MacOS boots up I'm presented with a disk cannot be unlocked error. I try to mount it but cannot. SR doesn't present any errors.

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HDD Was Booted Off the RAID Island

Jesse.Art — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 03:46:14 +0000

I'm having an issue with a RAID 5 partition in that it appears one of the drives was removed from the group and another shows as out-of-sync. Because of this the drive won't mount and since it won't mount I cannot add the drive back. What is the remedy for this?

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Does disk order matter?

imgoinmad — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:01:43 +0000

I have an OWC Mercury Elite Pro Quad which is connecteed via USB-C to a Mac Studio (M1). I had a 4 x 4TB disk raid5 volume which I was using. I needed to use the enclosure for a project so I removed the 4 discs and installed new discs for my project. Now I want to pull the new discs and re-insert the 4 disk volume. In this process I never payed attention to the order of the disks.

Question 1: Does it matter if the drives don't go in the same slots as they were when i was originally using the raid volume? Can I insert them and continue to use them (and still access the data that's on that volume?)

Question 2: For the 'temp project' discs, I now want to re-purpose these to a Windows based PC. I tried inserting them into the PC but the PC is unable to initialize the discs. It sees an unrecognizable volume which cannot be removed and cannot create a volume. Did Softraid 'lock' those disks? Do I need to re-insert them into the OWC MEPQ and do something which will release them for other use?

Thanks in advance

Phil