Copying Files to ZFS Share

[auralsun]

What is the best practice for copying files to an empty ZFS share after it has been created in FreeNAS? I ran rsync (rsync -va --progress /mnt/ntfs /mnt/zfsvolume) to copy files from a 1TB NTFS external hard drive to my ZFS share but the transfer rate was very slow (~150kbps) and the file transfer ultimately failed, flooding my log file with the following:

Aug 23 15:00:17 freenas kernel: (da0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): WRITE(10). CDB: 2a 00 00 60 06 3f 00 00 80 00
Aug 23 15:00:17 freenas kernel: (da0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): CAM status: CCB request completed with an error
Aug 23 15:00:17 freenas kernel: (da0:umass-sim0:0:0:0): Retrying command

When I got back to my computer, rsync was cycling through directories, telling me that each one no longer existed. When I navigate to the NTFS hard drive (/mnt/ntfsvolume) and enter "ls" it just hangs.

Any ideas? Am I doing this wrong?

 

[auralsun]

Originally my plan was to use the 3TB external where my current data resides, but FreeNAS won't play nice with that drive at all, for whatever reason.

 

[esamett]

Do not use external USB drives with FreeNAS. It won't work. As I understand it there are little "time outs" with the USB interface that give FreeNAS fits. Windows is fine with them. Search these forums and figure out about removing the drive from the USB external case and installing in your computer. You may need additional disk controllers, but then all should be fine.

 

[auralsun]

Is there any way to write to FreeNAS without installing a hard drive internally? I'm getting 500kbps writes over the network (reads are much faster) and 1.5mbps writes with zsync -- but with errors.

I can't imagine FreeNAS would require its users to install a hard drive internally whenever they need to transfer a sizeable amount of data to the ZFS share?

 

[Ericloewe]

Is there any way to write to FreeNAS without installing a hard drive internally? I'm getting 500kbps writes over the network (reads are much faster) and 1.5mbps writes with zsync -- but with errors.

I can't imagine FreeNAS would require its users to install a hard drive internally whenever they need to transfer a sizeable amount of data to the ZFS share?

Network or eSATA, take your pick. If the drive is NTFS, network is much safer.

 

[auralsun]

A little more background about my setup: my existing NAS is a RAID1 Windows NAS -- I back it up to a 3TB external periodically. I'm trying to figure out the most sane way to get the data from the Windows NAS to my FreeNAS box.

My FreeNAS box is running 6x 4TB HDDs on Raid-Z2 -- all of my data would fit on one of these disks. However, it would take 2 1/2 months to transfer this data (2.72tb) over the network, and I'm not sure if it's wise to invest in an eSATA card if it's "unsafe" to use with FreeNAS.

How do people build ZFS volumes with large amounts of existing data? Would it be possible for me to:

1. Purposefully degrade the ZFS volume by removing one of the disks
2. In its place, install the 3tb NTFS drive with all of my data internally
3. Mount the NTFS volume, copy the data from my NTFS drive to the ZFS volume
4. Replace the NTFS drive with the original drive (which was part of the ZFS volume)
5. Rebuild the ZFS volume?

 

[pirateghost]

I don't understand why you say it would take 2.5 months. I pushed 6TB from my old NAS to my new NAS and it only took a day. If you have speed issues, you need to get that sorted first.

 

[Ericloewe]

A little more background about my setup: my existing NAS is a RAID1 Windows NAS -- I back it up to a 3TB external periodically. I'm trying to figure out the most sane way to get the data from the Windows NAS to my FreeNAS box.

My FreeNAS box is running 6x 4TB HDDs on Raid-Z2 -- all of my data would fit on one of these disks. However, it would take 2 1/2 months to transfer this data (2.72tb) over the network, and I'm not sure if it's wise to invest in an eSATA card if it's "unsafe" to use with FreeNAS.

How do people build ZFS volumes with large amounts of existing data? Would it be possible for me to:

1. Purposefully degrade the ZFS volume by removing one of the disks
2. In its place, install the 3tb NTFS drive with all of my data internally
3. Mount the NTFS volume, copy the data from my NTFS drive to the ZFS volume
4. Replace the NTFS drive with the original drive (which was part of the ZFS volume)
5. Rebuild the ZFS volume?

At 300 KB/s, you should really solve your networking problems before thinking of crazy "solutions". What's causing this cringeworthy speed?

 

[auralsun]

Well, this is embarrassing...

Laptop was transferring data to FreeNAS wirelessly for some reason, figured it would default to ethernet since it had been plugged in and the wireless icon had disappeared.

Sometimes you forget to check the dumbest things...

 

[Ericloewe]

Happens to everyone. I'm glad you remembered to check that... it's often the little things that slip from our minds into the gorge of eternal peril that end up mattering.