Adding discs to a volume

[August]

You seem to be suggesting this quite a bit to newbies--I count at least three times in the last week. Sure, it's possible, but it's also easy to slip up and do something you didn't intend. Similarly, it's possible to created a degraded RAIDZn pool, but if you have to be told how, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

I'm new to FreeNAS/ZFS, but not much else in computing. Good bit of experience with Solaris, Linux (more distros than i can count (not Redhat - what part of opensource do they not get)), Win7 down (every version minus ME and Vista - i don't mess with anything that hardware companies won't write drivers for). I'm no stranger to SourceForge, and i spend most of the day testing firmware/software.

 

[August]

In order to increase pool space you have to expand a vdev by replacing all the drives with larger drives. Or add another vdev.

These are the only two options.

the alternative is to get your data into another pool of the right configuration where you want it to be.

this doesn't necessarily involve a full backup/restore, if you are adding enough capacity. For example if you are going from 4 drive Raidz2 to 8 drive, and acquire 4 more drives, you can setup an 8 way Raidz2 on the new 4 drives using partitioning and the CLI, replicate the data to the new pool, and then replace the partitions one at a time with the original pools drives, and the new drives, to end up with 8 way Raidz2 across 8 drives, without making a backup.

The only options i am seeing involve adding 4 more drives; either creating one 8x4T pool, or adding a second 4x4T pool. the 8x4T seems like the better option.
Usually when you partition as you are describing, there is some sort of loss. When the process you are referring to is complete, do you wind up with something that is identical to creating an 8 drive pool from scratch?

 

[Stux]

The only options i am seeing involve adding 4 more drives; either creating one 8x4T pool, or adding a second 4x4T pool. the 8x4T seems like the better option.

You could go to 6 x4T if you want. The algorithm is easiest to explain when doubling drives.

Usually when you partition as you are describing, there is some sort of loss. When the process you are referring to is complete, do you wind up with something that is identical to creating an 8 drive pool from scratch?

Yes. Afaik

By the time you finish there are no more partitions (that you created)

 

[August]

Stux - If you get a chance to write this procedure up let me know? Thx...