Dataset case sensitivity - what to use?

[VladTepes]

I'll be using my FreeNAS machine to share with a Windows machine or three3, android devices and to serve to TV's etc.

When I set up my datasets should I set Case Sensitivity to: Sensitive, Insensitive or Mixed?

I have searched but couldn't find a definitive answer. Obviously this is something I have to get right from the outset.

Thanks

 

[SweetAndLow]

What is the default? What does the manual say?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[VladTepes]

The default is sensitive, but I need to be certain that the choice I make will be the correct one for what I am doing. How can I be sure of this?

If everyone just used the default, why do the others even exist?
Wouldn't mixed cover ALL eventualities, or isn't it quite that simple?

 

[VladTepes]

?

 

[Mlovelace]

Typically sensitive is what you want, an example would be a file name or folder called Demo would be different than demo or dEmo. If it were set to insensitive then freeNAS would think Demo was the same as demo or dEmo. I've never seen a use for Mixed with most applications, and sensitive is a good default for most instances.

 

[SweetAndLow]

Leave it as sensitive, that's the expected use case

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[VladTepes]

Thank you

 

[Stux]

I used Mixed.

This is what the oracle ZFS manuals said to use for a Windows share.

https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E36784_01/html/E36832/smbserver.html

Yes, OpenZFS is not Oracle ZFS, but the fork happened after the mixed case option was added to ZFS

Alternatively:

https://lists.samba.org/archive/samba-technical/2014-February/098084.html

 

[VladTepes]

stux that first link includes the following paragraph:

The ZFS file system supports three case modes: case-sensitive, case-insensitive, and mixed. The ZFS file system can indicate case conflicts when in mixed mode. Use mixed mode for maximum multi-protocol compatibility. This mode is enabled by default on ZFS file systems.

This doesn't make sense to me. Why would it recommend mixed mode when in the preceding sentence it says that it can indicate conflicts ?

 

[Ericloewe]

It means ZFS can be aware of conflicts, presumably allowing for more intelligent resolutions of those conflicts.

Generally, leaving it at FreeNAS' default won't cause any problems.

 

[VladTepes]

Thanks

 

[skyline65]

I'm using mainly Macs and also sharing files to my htpc running libreelec. So would it be best sensitive or mixed. I know Macs tend to do things a bit differently.

 

[Mlovelace]

I'm using mainly Macs and also sharing files to my htpc running libreelec. So would it be best sensitive or mixed. I know Macs tend to do things a bit differently.

If you don't know of a specific requirement it's best to leave it at the freeNAS default setting.

 

[milworker]

Maybe we're missing the obvious.

Windows is case insensitive, so you can't have demo.text Demo.txt DEmo.txt in the same folder, nor can you have folders named that way. Nix is case sensitive, allowing the above. Mixed, it would seem, is meant to allow either, but alert you to the possibility that a duplicate file or folder exists in the same share. That would allow or prevent you from overwriting the wrong file/folder; maybe.