Does a dataset get imported automatically when a pool from a previous version is imported?

[SJUBY]

My drive for the NAS boot physically failed and I had to install a new boot drive. I installed the most current version of FreeNAS on it. Then Accounts were re-created and I imported the pool from the existing storage disk.

The instructions are unclear at this point. Does the pool import also import the dataset that was created in the previous install or will I need to add a new dataset to the pool that I just imported? Seems like the later is the correct answer but I want to make sure before I make an non-reversible mistake.

 

[Spearfoot]

My drive for the NAS boot physically failed and I had to install a new boot drive. I installed the most current version of FreeNAS on it. Then Accounts were re-created and I imported the pool from the existing storage disk.

The instructions are unclear at this point. Does the pool import also import the dataset that was created in the previous install or will I need to add a new dataset to the pool that I just imported? Seems like the later is the correct answer but I want to make sure before I make an non-reversible mistake.

If I understand your question correctly, yes -- importing a pool means you imported the pool's datasets as well, because they are part of the pool.

 

[jgreco]

If I understand your question correctly, yes -- importing a pool means you imported the pool's datasets as well, because they are part of the pool.

It might be better to say that there's no "import" for datasets, because, as you note, they're simply part of the pool. Importing the pool imports everything on the pool, including files and zvols and datasets and everything.

However, you will have lost any configuration related to sharing out datasets or zvols unless you had a saved version of the configuration.

 

[SJUBY]

Unfortunately there was no saved configurations. This was a work in progress to learn my way around FreeNAS while standing up my first build. Pressing issues interrupted me before I started configuration back-ups....... I'll just add this experience to my learning curve and move on.

One last question in reference to the imported pool/data on this storage disk. The manual states that data is deleted when a dataset is deleted. It doesn't clarify what happens when the configuration is lost. Can I just create a new dataset and set up new permissions to access the files from the previous build or is the data in this pool unaccessable forever. (I.E. do I need to start over or can I reattach access permissions to the existing data)?

 

[Redcoat]

FreeNAS saves the configuration early each morning by default. If you had your system dataset on your data pool you'll be able to get to it. See post 35 in this thread https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/update-went-wrong.74084/page-2#post-514298 for details.

You may want to consider putting the system dataset on your data pool if not already done so - System>System Dataset

 

[garm]

The manual states that data is deleted when a dataset is deleted. It doesn't clarify what happens when the configuration is lost.

Those two things are wildly different kind. Your configuration database is data written to a ZFS pool. A ZFS pool is a collection of vdevs on which you create filesystems called datasets. Of you delete a filesystem, the information written on it is lost. Some things can be done to recover the data on destroyed filesystems, but in the case of ZFS it’s harder then in other cases. If you delete a dataset, consider the data lost, or send the drives to a data recovery company specializing in ZFS.