Are these normal write-speeds to mechanical NAS drives?

[Nerevarine]

I have topped out at around 110 MB/s, but that only lasts a very short time. Seems it may be if I'm moving small/few enough files to the NAS that it copies all of it to the memory or something first, and write speed to disk isn't limiting..?

What I get sustained when moving large folders and files (often add folders of between 20-80 GBs) using Windows normal file mover is between 45-75 MB/s. That while not using anything else, nothing else using disks, or network.

Gigabit network, not the limiting factor here.
12 GB RAM in the NAS.
1x WD Green 2TB.
1x Seagate 4TB.
1x Seagate 2TB.
1x Seagate 1TB.

All running on SATA2 connections. The onboard SATA3 controller on that mobo is incredibly bad. Some early version that performs worse than SATA2.

Fairly similar sustained write speeds for large/many files across. Nothing stays above 75 MB/s when moving more than a few gigs.

Are these normal speeds for basic mechanical drives on a network NAS? Moving a 70 GB folder with 1-2 Gb files in it to my 4GB Seagate now, from a mechanical WD Green in my PC, and it is stable at around 53 MB/s. All disks are pretty full, between 10-15% free max.

 

[Bidule0hm]

This is unclear: you're talking about the network speed? the pool speed? both?

Also, what NIC are you using?

 

[Nerevarine]

Unclear? The total speed of writing to a disk in my NAS. The value displayed when I move something. It starts out at up to 110 MB/s, but after a few gigs have been moved (I'm guessing memory filled up in NAS, and disk write speed limits transfer) it drops down to somewhere in the 45-75 MB/s area. The network itself seems ok with around 110MB/s (88% of 1 gigabit), the rest is in the hardware at the ends, and since I get these speeds even when moving from an SSD in my PC, the limiting factor seems to be inside the NAS. And that has to be the speed at which my FreeNAS is writing to the mechanical drives.

Mechanical drives are slow, I know. But even at the last 10%, only sustaining 45 MB/s sometimes just seems bad.

 

[Bidule0hm]

Ok.

Did you test your pool speed with dd?

Again: what's your NIC?

 

[Nerevarine]

I'm a noob at this so don't know how to test pool speed.

I use built in network adapters on the mobos, both Gigabit, nothing fancy. Doubt they are limiting here since they sustain 100-110 MB/s for the first <4-8 gigs of transfer.

 

[Bidule0hm]

Look at the useful commands link in my signature, in the last section, the dd commands. I assume you know how to use the CLI and how the dd command works.

What's the brands of the NICs?

 

[Ericloewe]

I use built in network adapters on the mobos, both Gigabit, nothing fancy.

You'll have to start listing your hardware if you want good advice. Otherwise, we're just going to throw stuff at the wall until either something sticks or we give up.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Since I can't figure it out, how exactly are those drives pooled together? I only see two the same size.

Full system specs please.

 

[cyberjock]

Sounds like you are copying TO the server, which means that you are probably bottlenecked by the speed of the single disk that has the data you are reading from...

But yeah, this thread is poorly constructed, lacks craploads of info, and has no real data to support any kind of claim of any kind with any substantial chance of being correct.