The TR-004U supports a various of RAID configurations. Depending on your requirements, you can switch between hardware- or software-controlled RAID modes. Move the DIP switches to corresponding positions for your desired RAID mode: Individual, JBOD, RAID 0, or RAID 1. You can also configure the RAID settings from your QNAP NAS, or by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility on your computer.

Individual Mode:  treats every disk as separate storage, allowing you to independently access each one.

JBOD mode: all disks are recognized as a single drive, which allows maximum storage utilization, but provides no data protection. RAID 0: splits data among the drives and provides the fastest performance, but does not protect data against drive failures.

RAID 1/10 Mode: Half of the total storage capacity is used to store data, and the other half keeps a copy of this data. This provides high data protection at the cost of only being able to use half the installed storage space.

RAID 5 Mode: RAID 5 requires at least three drives to use and parity information is distributed among the drives, providing optimized storage capacity and protection against one disk failing.

Compared with other RAID enclosures, the TR-004U provides software-controlled configurations for greater management flexibility. Users can configure RAID and monitor disk health using Storage & Snapshots Manager on a QNAP NAS, or by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility on their computer.

1. Use Storage & Snapshots Manager to configure the TR-004U as a storage expansion unit for your QNAP NAS. In addition to RAID configuration, the NAS expansion storage mode supports various NAS functions, including storage pools and snapshots. By choosing external storage mode, you can use the TR-004U as a DAS.

2. The QNAP External RAID Manager is a utility for Windows and Mac users to set up, monitor, and view the status of the TR-004U. Users can easily configure RAID groups on the TR-004U and quickly obtain the status of RAID performance and health at a glance.

Note: When connecting the TR-004U to a NAS, users can choose to use either the NAS expansion storage mode or the external storage mode.

The TR-004U meets many storage expansion requirements for home and work use, including expanding the capacity of your NAS, serving as external storage for your NAS, expanding the storage space of your computer, and cross-platform file sharing.

The TR-004U provides an alternative method for users to expand their NAS storage capacity. By connecting the TR-004U to their NAS and using the Storage & Snapshots Manager, users can easily configure and manage their storage expansion. The TR-004U supports a variety of QNAP NAS storage and file management functions, allowing users to build storage pools, find files with Qsirch, and organize files with Qfiling.

Instead of using the TR-004U to expand the capacity of your QNAP NAS, you can use it as a complimentary storage unit for backing up or moving data. It also allows you to physically migrate huge data collections that would require significant network bandwidth. While connected to the NAS, you can monitor the health and status of the TR-004U by using the Storage & Snapshots Manager on the NAS.

The TR-004U can quickly add storage space to your computer. You can use the DIP switch to configure a hardware RAID mode or manage it by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility. The health and status of the TR-004U can also be monitored by using the QNAP External RAID Manager utility.

From your NAS to Windows, Mac, and Linux computers, the TR-004U is compatible with a wide range of devices. This is good for quickly moving large files between different devices. The TR-004U is even compatible with devices that use the exFAT file system, adding further convenience for accessing and sharing files from a wider range of devices.

Note: To access devices that use the exFAT file system, users must purchase a separate exFAT driver license.

As an external hardware RAID device, the TR-004U operates independently and does not require additional NAS system resources.