Thanks Hamlet & Joe for your response.
A possible firmware upgrade locking us out of data is very disconcerting.
The whole point of buying an expensive RAID 1 enabled enclosure is to have an automatic mirror instead of going through the hassle of manually keeping a backup (which by its very nature of being manual is not reliable).
Even at enterprise level the harddisk configured in RAID 1+ level are usually not separately backed up in real time (there is no need for many reasons UPS, better support/ easy replacement for controller failure).
It seems WD didn’t think it through, a RAID 1 solution designed for consumer space should have a better/easier recovery step.
Having a separate backup to save yourself from enclosure failure is a strech and expensive proposition for retail customers.
The enclosure/controller will eventually die (perhaps in many years but eventually it will without warning) and will leave people locked out of their data. I am surprised why there are not many complains about it.
To a retail customer a hardware encrypted, mirrored solution is a god send from all data backup/hacking woes.
WD has done a great job on levaraging this to sell their product but a pathetic job of warning/explaining about a very serious issue.
_ I hope some one from WD answers this and at least reassures about the support available. _
Thanks,
