Copying files between datasets (General question, no real issue)

[JohnnyGrey]

I understand the most efficient way to copy files between datasets is through SSH using mv or send/recv commands, but nothing beats the pure convenience of drag and drop in Windows (subjective opinion!), which brings me to a general question:

Why are moves happening so fast via Windows? I was under the impression that copying and moving files between datasets on the same FreeNAS machine via a Windows rig would cut my theoretical transfer speeds in half. What I mean is I figured the data would be traveling to the Windows machine, then back to the new dataset on the FreeNAS box. My specific use case: transferring (moving, not copying) a finished torrent from /mnt/Tank/Torrents/Finished/ to /mnt/Tank/Media/Movies (The parent folders on each of these datasets are separate Samba shares.) I'm getting about 132-160mb/s transfer speeds dragging and dropping, which is actually beyond gigabit. I was expecting 30-40 mb/s. Is it Windows 10 or the SMB service on FreeNAS that's being "smart" about this transfer? Or am I thinking about this all wrong?

This is just something that sparked my curiosity!

 

[Chris Moore]

It's interesting, because it should be slower, not as slow as you were thinking, but 128 ish MB/s is the theoretical maximum for 1Gb networks.
Can you give more details about your specific configuration?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

 

[Chris Moore]

PS. There is a thing in FreeNAS called Midnight Commander that would do the copy internal to the NAS.

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[JohnnyGrey]

The specs for both my Windows machine and my FreeNAS box are expandable in my signature. Since they might not be visible via Mobile and/or Tapatalk, I'll paste them at the end. Some minor hardware might have changed, but overall it's the same.

/mnt/Tank/Torrents/Finished is it's own dataset, and has its own SMB share

/mnt/Tank/Media/Movies is also it's own dataset, and has its own SMB share

All I'm doing is moving files between explorer windows on my Windows machine. I was just shocked it was this fast.

The transfer in question. I have blocked out the filename to avoid any issues.

Copying the file between datasets, again via Windows, is still just as fast. Copying the file to my Windows desktop caps at 113 mb/s, which is much more realistic given the gigabit ethernet max. Moving the file back, but to the destination dataset hits the same maximum. So it indeed looks like nothing is actually traveling to the Windows machine when copying files between datasets, even though that's where the transfer is initiated from.



FreeNAS:
OS: FreeNAS 11.1-u5
Case: Fractal Design Node 804
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 380w Green
MOBO: SuperMicro MBD-X11SSH-F-O
CPU: Intel Core i3 6100T w/ Stock Cooler
O/S Drive: 32gb Cruzer Fit
Storage: 8x 2TB Seagate Ironwolf
RAID: ZFS RaidZ3

Windows:
OS: Windows 10 Home 64bit
Case: Corsair Air 240
PSU: BFG EX1200
MOBO: ASUS Maximus V Gene
CPU: Intel Core i5 3570K @stock clocks
GPU: PNY Geforce 960
O/S Drive: 250GB MyDigitalSSD BP4 mSATA SSD
Storage:
Games SSD: 256gb Samsung 830 Series SSD
Games HDD: 3TB Hitachi Ultrastar
Storage: 2x WD Red 2TB (Data is being migrated to NAS)

 

[sretalla]

First, we're looking at an amount of data in that copy that would be smaller than the ARC you have in RAM of the FreeNAS server (although you haven't told us how much RAM it has).

Second, it seems to me that 132 MB/s is about right given 2 things:
1. the way windows calculates out the average speed.
2. that windows is also buffering a nd this would explain the initial boost until the buffers are full, then running at 1Gbit maximum.

There is no magic here, it's just an illusion.

 

[JohnnyGrey]

Can't believe I forgot to add my RAM to the specs in my sig. It's a single 16gb stick of Ecc DDR4.

And I just realized too that ethernet is full duplex right? So 120ish mb/s both directions?

Maybe its not so far fetched. What I need to try is to use a much larger file, then do these tests again.

 

[MrToddsFriends]

Why are moves happening so fast via Windows?

I'm not sure if this is a consequence of Samba's Server-Side Copy feature ...

 

[JohnnyGrey]

I'm not sure if this is a consequence of Samba's Server-Side Copy feature ...

This seems like exactly what's happening. I had no idea this was a thing. Says it's supported in windows 8 and newer using Explorer.