Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on a project where I’m running Unraid OS on an Asustor AS5402T, and I want to expand my storage by connecting an Xpanstor AS5004U via USB-C. My goal is to include it in the Unraid array, possibly with parity, though parity is not necessarily required.

I have a few key questions for the community:

1. Will Unraid recognize the Xpanstor AS5004U via USB-C and allow it to be included in the array?

2. Would installing an NVMe cache in the AS5402T improve stability when using Xpanstor as an external storage unit?

   • I’m concerned about potential USB disconnection issues and whether NVMe caching can act as a buffer to mitigate interruptions.

3. Has anyone successfully integrated an Xpanstor AS5004U (or other USB storage device) into an Unraid array?

• I’ve seen discussions about external USB storage with Unraid, but experiences seem to vary.

I’d appreciate any insights, success stories, or recommendations on setup, configuration, and potential pitfalls. Is this a practical setup, or should I consider alternative methods to expand storage more reliably within Unraid?

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

20 hours ago, Krisyv3 said:

Will Unraid recognize the Xpanstor AS5004U via USB-C and allow it to be included in the array?

It should, but USB is not recommended for array or pool devices.

26 minutes ago, JorgeB said:

It should, but USB is not recommended for array or pool devices.

This is exaclty my thought aswell, however that is the most cost-efficient solution i have to date.

i have a plan around this i want to test:

1. 1TB NVMe Chache in AS5402T
2. Write a script that monitors the USB connections and maybe trigger Mover to automatically transfer the files from cache to array if this is operative
if the automation and script is solid enough i'm more than happy lmao considered it just a hobby, home media server anyway