Can I keep existing NAS RAID data when moving drives ubto QDA-A2AR?

Last modified date: 2026-03-03

Applicable Products

QNAP QDA-A2AR (2 x 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch hardware RAID adapter)
QNAP NAS models that support QDA-A2AR (for example, TS-673, TVS-x72 series)

Scenario

You have one or two 2.5-inch drives that are currently installed directly in your QNAP NAS and are members of a NAS software RAID group. You want to move these drives into a QDA-A2AR adapter so that they can share a single 3.5-inch bay, and you want to know if the NAS can keep the existing RAID data and configuration after this change.

Solution

No, you cannot keep the existing NAS RAID data when you move those drives into a QDA-A2AR.

When you configure the QDA-A2AR, it initializes the disks and creates its own hardware RAID metadata. This process overwrites the existing NAS RAID layout, so you should assume that all data on the drives will be erased.

Explanation

The NAS uses software RAID and stores RAID metadata in a format specific to QTS or QuTS hero, while the QDA-A2AR uses its own hardware RAID metadata format.
The QDA-A2AR must create and manage RAID on the adapter, which rewrites the disk structure and metadata.
As with other hardware RAID enclosures, migrating active NAS RAID member disks into the adapter is not a data-preserving operation.

Recommended procedure

Back up your data
- Create at least one complete backup of all data stored on the existing NAS RAID group, for example to another NAS, an external drive, or cloud storage.
- Verify that the backup is restorable before you change any RAID configuration or move disks.
Power down the NAS and move the drives
- Shut down the NAS using the standard shutdown procedure in QTS or QuTS hero.
- Remove the 2.5-inch drives from their current NAS bays.
- Install the drives into the QDA-A2AR.
Install the QDA-A2AR in the NAS
- Insert the QDA-A2AR (with the installed drives) into a 3.5-inch drive bay of the NAS.
- Power on the NAS and wait for it to boot.
Create new storage on the NAS
- In QTS 5.2.x or QuTS hero h5.2.x, go to Storage & Snapshots > Storage > Storage/Snapshots.
- Create a new storage pool and volume, or a static volume, using the storage presented by the QDA-A2AR.
Restore your data
- After the new volume is ready, restore your data from the backup to the new storage on the NAS.
- Confirm that important data is intact and accessible.

Limitations and risks

You cannot preserve an existing NAS software RAID by moving its member drives directly into a QDA-A2AR.
Do not move active NAS RAID member drives into the QDA-A2AR if you have not created and verified a backup.

If you proceed without a verified backup, data loss can be permanent and unrecoverable. Always back up important data before changing RAID configurations or moving drives between systems.