Synology Hot Spare

[Enquiries]

I currently have a Synology DS920+ utilising 3 of the 4 available drives in one storage pool being Bay1 16TB, Bay2 8TB, Bay3 8TB, Bay 4 spare. The RAID type I am using is SHR.

I also have another 16TB drive which I had initially anticipated on growing my available storage pool with, but do not currently require that additional storage immediately.

My questions;
1. If I use the spare 16TB drive as a hot spare, can I ever re-allocate its capacity to instead by part of my storage pool instead of being a hot spare?
2. If this is achievable, do you think it is the best use of the currently UN-utilised storage capacity?

My thought process is as follows;
With a hot spare, I currently have 16TB available in my storage pool,with the potential to grow this to 32TB (3x16TB) while still maintaining a 16TB hot spare, which I could potentially convert to be part of the pool if yet more storage capacity is ever required.

[ed]

Certainly, your thoughtful consideration for optimizing your storage setup is commendable. In your scenario, using the spare 16TB drive as a hot spare is a sensible approach. By designating it as a hot spare, you're ensuring quick automatic replacement in case of a drive failure, which helps maintain the integrity of your data. However, you can indeed make strategic use of this drive's capacity. While it serves as a hot spare, you have the flexibility to later integrate it into your storage pool should the need for additional capacity arise. This way, you can maximize your available storage without compromising data protection. Moreover, during the time it's not utilized as part of the pool or as a hot spare, you can temporarily set it up in basic mode, allowing it to serve as standalone storage for critical backups. This versatile approach empowers you to make the most of your hardware while safeguarding your data effectively. To further explore the technical details and steps involved, you can refer to [Link to Relevant Documentation]. Your proposed thought process indeed has merit, offering scalability and adaptability for your storage needs. It's important to remember that once the drive is added to the pool, it cannot be removed. Hence, evaluating your future storage requirements and the possibility of needing more space is crucial when making this decision.