A place for when things go wrong, but the user fixes it?

Bikerchris

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Hello,

I had a problem with TrueNAS the other day, had a lot of errors and fixed the problem with relative ease (heart rate did rise though). It may be encouraging to new users to have an area where we can share our experiences, when something hits the fan, but we manage the issue ourselves? It could reduce the number of help queries.
 

morganL

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Hello,

I had a problem with TrueNAS the other day, had a lot of errors and fixed the problem with relative ease (heart rate did rise though). It may be encouraging to new users to have an area where we can share our experiences, when something hits the fan, but we manage the issue ourselves? It could reduce the number of help queries.
Not a bad idea @wsoteros

Perhaps one subforum "Experiences" for each major version.. eg SCALE ,13.0

It can be both positive and negative experiences?
 

Alecmascot

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It's not worth it. Nobody will search for it.
 

Tigersharke

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Maybe not subforums but a label for versions in one new forum somewhere? This may need a little more thought, but if such an area is created it likely will also need some policing to avoid extreme negatives or other abuses.
 

joeschmuck

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It may be encouraging to new users to have an area where we can share our experiences, when something hits the fan, but we manage the issue ourselves? It could reduce the number of help queries.
When I read this all I can think about is we have all the other TrueNAS forums filled with experiences, problems, and most of the times even solutions. So I personally do not think we need another sub-forum for people to voice their feelings, I feel that we do that already in the normal forums. And as previously noted, policing another set of threads is just more work.

My vote is it's not needed, feel free to voice everything on the normal forums.
 
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Jailer

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There's nothing keeping anyone from posting their experience in the off topic forum. Isn't that what it's for, off topic questions and chat?
 

morganL

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There's nothing keeping anyone from posting their experience in the off topic forum. Isn't that what it's for, off topic questions and chat?
Except that it's really on topic...
 

Tigersharke

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Maybe not subforums but a label for versions in one new forum somewhere? This may need a little more thought, but if such an area is created it likely will also need some policing to avoid extreme negatives or other abuses.
How about just a label "experiences" or something, and it can be nearly anywhere as the not label but actually prefix would indicate it is a different sort of post. *shrugs*
I always think "label" when the XenForo mechanism is a prefix.
 

Samuel Tai

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Actually, this comports with an idea I've had for the Resources. It may be worth creating a sticky Resource to successful "recipes" users have discovered fixing their own issues.
 

Bikerchris

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Not a bad idea @wsoteros

Perhaps one subforum "Experiences" for each major version.. eg SCALE ,13.0

It can be both positive and negative experiences?

Maybe not subforums but a label for versions in one new forum somewhere? This may need a little more thought, but if such an area is created it likely will also need some policing to avoid extreme negatives or other abuses.

Thank you for your encouragement, both of you. It is regrettably another place for those with inner hostilities to vent in the wrong direction.

When I read this all I can think about is we have all the other TrueNAS forums filled with experiences, problems, and most of the times even solutions. So I personally do not this we need another sub-forum for people to voice their feelings, I feel that we do that already in the normal forums. And as previously noted, policing another set of threads is just more work.
There's nothing keeping anyone from posting their experience in the off topic forum. Isn't that what it's for, off topic questions and chat?
I have complete respect for your points.

Here's just an example that I posted on Level1Tech, of course I would add a text searchable version of the errors if I were doing it properly and had a suitable place for it. I'd love to put it on this forum, as it's the right place.

truenas-issue-screenshot.PNG


As I don't need help, it seems superfluous to place the post in the 'help' section. It's not particularly off-topic, it's about the focal point of this forum. It's not, for instance about new job offers, new hard drive releases, hilarious jokes or networking (yes, I viewed the first page of the Off-Topic area) - it's about the actual product that this forum exists for.

As you know, sometimes errors can send one down a wild goose chase, this can frustrate and discourage anyone new to anything. I understand the fundamental principles of this forum, to me it's a place I go if I've completely lost hope and tried every other avenue. I object to anyone going to any forum with a question that is answered on page 1 of "how to do that thing".

I do appreciate and respect that this may lead to a flurry of surplus posts, blind leading the blind. However as it's a place to add problems WITH solutions, it could help trigger someone else's lightbulb moment, thus providing a confidence boost for using what is an excellent product.
Except that it's really on topic...
:smile:

Perhaps it could be titled "Broken and Mended", or "I broke and I fixed". Sub-forums could be Core, Scale and Migrating. The more experienced could, if they were inclined, to suggest how the issue could have been resolved better/quicker - but the pressure wouldn't be on as the matter was self-resolved (unless it was a ticking time bomb situation of course).

I personally have nothing to gain from the improvement of this forum, I have simply found a product that is excellent and in a pinch, there are kind volunteers that tolerantly assist those dipping their toe in the TrueNAS waters. One day many years from now I hope to be a useful member of this forum, right now I'm mostly a quiet backseat driver...probably in a booster seat.

I confess this verbiage doesn't come off the back of decades dealing with ZFS / FreeNAS / TrueNAS, I'm very wet behind the ears and don't possess 1% of the knowledge most of you have. My profession isn't IT, but I do use IT(ha). It has taken nearly 2 years of familiarisation with TrueNAS before I felt competent enough to use it, see my first post and @jgreco 's civil and encouraging response.

jgreco-response.PNG


I was and still am excited to see just how stable and "does what it says on the tin" TrueNAS is. It gives me warm sense of satisfaction when I see that a replication task worked, or when I receive an email confirming helpful information. I can understand how perhaps after a decade or so, these emotional reactions may decline. But as I'm not seeing it day in and day out (home and work), I doubt it happening quickly and if anything, I wish to promote TrueNAS to those with some technical background that wish to better preserve their data.

Apologies for this response being a little excessive, I welcome mod's to redact as necessary.
 

HoneyBadger

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If the original thread is posted here, then keeping it up while adding a "SOLVED" tag and a post with the solution is of course a great way to handle things. As far as porting your knowledge and lessons learned from other forums, I can't speak for the mods but I wouldn't be offended to see a "pre-solved" post show up in the relevant section either, as as "Lessons Learned: Bad SATA cables can cause unmountable pools and high blood pressure"

If not, perhaps a sub-section of the "Resources" area?

One day many years from now I hope to be a useful member of this forum, right now I'm mostly a quiet backseat driver...probably in a booster seat.

The fact that you're bringing your own knowledge and experience back here and looking for ways to share them both with others means you're already a useful contributor. :)
 

Jailer

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joeschmuck

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If the original thread is posted here, then keeping it up while adding a "SOLVED" tag and a post with the solution is of course a great way to handle things.
This would be sufficient. It would also be helpful if mods or advanced users could add that tag to a thread themselfs. Scrolling through a issue specific thread and realizing on page 12 of 16, that the user never came back for posting a solution did cost me years of my life already.
The "qualified" solved tag - qualified as in, the there is a solution inside the thread - is the most underrated function of the observable internet.
Maybe add a "solution inside" tag???
 

Bikerchris

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If the original thread is posted here, then keeping it up while adding a "SOLVED" tag and a post with the solution is of course a great way to handle things. As far as porting your knowledge and lessons learned from other forums, I can't speak for the mods but I wouldn't be offended to see a "pre-solved" post show up in the relevant section either, as as "Lessons Learned: Bad SATA cables can cause unmountable pools and high blood pressure"

If not, perhaps a sub-section of the "Resources" area?



The fact that you're bringing your own knowledge and experience back here and looking for ways to share them both with others means you're already a useful contributor. :)
I like "pre-solved", but like you say, putting it in the Resources area would be logical.

Ah thank you for the compliment, it just seems like the right thing to do :)
 

Bikerchris

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This would be sufficient. It would also be helpful if mods or advanced users could add that tag to a thread themselfs. Scrolling through a issue specific thread and realizing on page 12 of 16, that the user never came back for posting a solution did cost me years of my life already.
The "qualified" solved tag - qualified as in, the there is a solution inside the thread - is the most underrated function of the observable internet.
Maybe add a "solution inside" tag???
That's a good solution for showing the, umm, solution.

I do find it frustrating if I get an error, search for it, find someone else having the same issue and then they don't follow up with how they resolved. They just say, "don't worry, fixed it now".
 

Tigersharke

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I do find it frustrating if I get an error, search for it, find someone else having the same issue and then they don't follow up with how they resolved. They just say, "don't worry, fixed it now".
I completely agree. I am often forced to try to discover solutions online (not for these iX products) and when I think I found something matching and also current, it too often ends as you described "solved" but no solution given.
 

Bikerchris

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I completely agree. I am often forced to try to discover solutions online (not for these iX products) and when I think I found something matching and also current, it too often ends as you described "solved" but no solution given.
I'm glad I'm not the only one. It's when I'm reminded that I clearly no less than many others, if the solution is common knowledge!
 
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