Hello/New Build

[dairyengguy]

Hello,

I recently installed (after reading a lot) freeNAS on a server that I have in order to test it out. I am planning on using this array to write backups of my various VMs to. These backups will be rotating nightly, so I will be writing about 800 GB to them nightly. My previous NAS solution was unreliable and slow, and I am hoping to get a better solution here, as well as a safer one. I do keep a weekly(ish) backup on a USB drive as well, just in case.

Here's my system:

Dell FS12-SC (Based on the C2100 Chassis)
Perc 5/i SAS Raid Controller (going to replace with an M1015 based on what I have seen)
24 GB RAM
6x1TB WD Red HDD
2x2.5GHz Intel Xeon L5420

These are configured as a RAIDZ2 volume right now. I may add 6 more drives as my space needs become greater and then stripe the two vdevs.

I have been testing iSCSI as an interface, as well as NFS. I have a CIFS share as well for some other desktop backups that I do weekly. iSCSI has been absolutely fast and reliable so far, and NFS has not.

I welcome any suggestions and/or comments on this build and I hope to learn enough to keep it running reliably for a long time.

Thanks

edit:some stuff I said incorrectly

 

[aprengo]

Welcome to the forum

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

I welcome any suggestions and/or comments on this build and I hope to learn enough to keep it running reliably for a long time.

Welcome.

One suggestion is to spend several weeks experimenting with your setup, in various configurations, before committing important data to it.

For clarity of communication, I suggest some re-reading to make sure your terminology matches what others will expect, especially if you end up needing help. For example, I think you probably mean "RAIDZ2" when you say "ZFS-2", and I think you probably mean "vdevs" when you say "zvols". The latter is more of an issue since there's no such thing as ZFS-2 but there is such a thing as a zvol.

And another minor nitpick ... WD Reds rotate at around 5,400 RPM.

 

[dairyengguy]

Welcome.

One suggestion is to spend several weeks experimenting with your setup, in various configurations, before committing important data to it.

For clarity of communication, I suggest some re-reading to make sure your terminology matches what others will expect, especially if you end up needing help. For example, I think you probably mean "RAIDZ2" when you say "ZFS-2", and I think you probably mean "vdevs" when you say "zvols". The latter is more of an issue since there's no such thing as ZFS-2 but there is such a thing as a zvol.

And another minor nitpick ... WD Reds rotate at around 5,400 RPM.

Thanks for the reply. I changed a couple things, and I have been testing a lot of different things. I will be waiting several weeks before I actually start depending on this setup; meanwhile I have my backups stored elsewhere (on a USB drive actually).

When I said zvol, I meant it. I will add 6 drives and each one of those 6 zdevs will be assigned to a RAIDZ2 zvol. The two RAIDz2 zvols will then be added (striped) to my pool. Please correct me again if I am wrong, but I think I was correct in at least that one part.

Didn't know about the WD red speed, I guess just assumed that they were faster than that, interesting.

Thanks again.

Edit: I was wrong. Keep reading and disregard my ignorance

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

Please correct me again if I am wrong

OK:

• one or more hard drives make a vdev
• RAIDZ2 is one way of configuring a vdev
• one or more vdevs make a pool (aka volume)
• a zvol is something else entirely

Have you read @cyberjock 's guide?

 

[dairyengguy]

OK:

• one or more hard drives make a vdev
• RAIDZ2 is one way of configuring a vdev
• one or more vdevs make a pool (aka volume)
• a zvol is something else entirely

Have you read @cyberjock 's guide?

I did read it. However, in the mass of information I must have gotten mixed up. Thanks for the correction.

 

[Robert Trevellyan]

You're welcome. There is a lot to learn with FreeNAS. Take your time, read and re-read, ask lots of questions, and you'll be fine.