Chris Moore
Hall of Famer
- Joined
- May 2, 2015
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I heard a saying once, went something like, "May you live in interesting times," but I don't recall the source, probably a movie...It'll be interesting.
I heard a saying once, went something like, "May you live in interesting times," but I don't recall the source, probably a movie...It'll be interesting.
I heard a saying once, went something like, "May you live in interesting times," but I don't recall the source, probably a movie...
I heard that as an ancient Chinese curse.
I was thinking that the 20% for COW included the 'overhead'. But then I misread the results of the calculator anyway, so I was wrong on both counts.The 'overhead' in ZFS is the amount of data the file system stores on disk, like checksum data, that is required by ZFS but it is not your actual data.
The amount of space that you are not supposed to use, 20%, is because the file system writes changes to existing files, or new data into free space first, so you need to have some free space to make the write. After the write is successful, the space where the file was stored before is marked as free, if you don't have a snapshot that is holding that block from being free. When you fill the pool beyond 80%, the performance is reduced because the system is having to spend more time hunting for free space. When you fill it beyond 90%, performance falls off a cliff because the system changes to a whole different algorithm to optimize use of free space. As you approach 100% the system will grind to a halt. The recommendation to keep 20% free space for the copy-on-write nature of the file system has nothing to do with the actual 'overhead' of the checksum data that ZFS creates, it has to do with the ability to use the file system at all.
This has been explained many times on the forum. I am paraphrasing what I read on this forum years ago when I first started investigating using ZFS.
LOL. If you have any questions, someone here will be happy to help.It seems like everyone else's job is always so easy... until I try to do it myself.
Sounds like you have the right attitude. Something to contemplate, you can setup a 'for testing' system using hardware you may have laying around. I would never suggest doing that and trusting your data to it, but it would let you do some learning about how all the features work.Time to get out my notebook and get cracking!
I have been using a Verbatim 4-disk RAID 5 storage array (1.3 TB) for about 8 years and I'm becoming increasingly anxious about the stability of the array and my ability to rebuild it if it should fail. (I have spare disks, but if the circuit board fails I don't think I'll be able to find another.)
You are ahead of most, It help greatly if you know how to fix problems that could happen (replacing drives, expanding pools, using snapshots and rsync)I've never done anything like this, so there will be a steep learning curve and many hours of breaking/fixing things before I'm happy.
So you need TWO freeNAS servers...My goals are:
1. rock-solid backup strategy, with versioning and off-site backups
A SAMBA share works, I use PLEX2. the ability to stream music and movies from the NAS to anywhere on my local (home) network
I've never done this I can't help but do you really need to do this?3. the ability to run virtual machines for Windows and Linux (one machine at at time)
PLEX will stream remotely (Unless you are double NAT'ed) VPNs can be used4. the ability to stream music/access data from the NAS to a remote machine on the Internet through a VPN
Your hardware choices are solid, and your right pool design is very importantI have some ideas on hardware, but it seems like the first step is to figure out my required storage capacity.
Well you used your last "server" for 8 years, doubling your data every 3 years seem conservative, you need to plan ahead, the most drives you can get in the define R5 is 12(8 in bays, 3 in the 2 5.25" bay, and one on a hanger) I would start with 6 drives then add another 6 when neededRight now I have around 4 TB of data that I want to back up. If I double that in 3 years and take a 20% hit for overhead, I will need 10 TB of useful storage capacity.
I will honestly recommend this. I have lost my pool through stupidity once and this saved me big time.So you need TWO freeNAS servers...
Speaking of which. If you even think you might end up with a lot of drives, a chassis like this is a pretty decent investment:Not saying that I would have lost data, but I now prefer redundant power supplies.
Chris, you post a lot of links to used equipment on eBay. Have you ever had any trouble with excessively short lifespans or dead-on-arrival equipment?I posted this a week or two ago, so these exact items may not be available now, watch out for eBay redirecting you to other "similar" listings, but take a look at this to get an idea of the kind of money you can save with used server gear instead of buying new...
Just rough math in my head, I think that is all under $650.... Still, you might need some odd bits, but it should be simple to get there from here and this should save you a buck or two vs buying new and still do the job for years to come.
Not on regular computer gear, but I have bought some used hard drives that didn't hold up very well. I buy all my personal computer gear second hand from eBay and have been pretty well satisfied with it all.Have you ever had any trouble with excessively short lifespans
Happened once or twice, but eBay has a very strong return policy and I have been fully refunded every time (even the cost of shipping) so I don't worry about that. It might take me some extra time, but it is worth it for the money I save. For example, my 48 bay 4U rack mount server chassis would have cost me over $5000 if I had got it new, but I picked it up for a small fraction of that and I have six servers in the house right now. Something I may need to adjust because it is taking up too much space in my small home office.dead-on-arrival equipment?
I try to confine myself to US sellers. They are much more responsive. The thing about eBay policy, they will take the money back from the seller if you file a claim through eBay. If the seller doesn't respond to a message, go to eBay. You can even call them on the phone and talk to a person. I have done it several times, including getting the call escalated to a higher level support person.The only time I have used eBay was to purchase a NEW cell phone. The antenna never worked and I was never able to get any response from the company that sold it to me
Chris, you post a lot of links to used equipment on eBay. Have you ever had any trouble with excessively short lifespans or dead-on-arrival equipment?
(The only time I have used eBay was to purchase a NEW cell phone. The antenna never worked and I was never able to get any response from the company that sold it to me.)
Cheers,
Have you ever had any trouble with excessively short lifespans or dead-on-arrival equipment?
I find that some bigger companies like Newegg and Superbiiz(imicro) have ebay storefronts. It is worth looking at as sometimes you get better shipping dealsMost of the folks on eBay these days seem to be actual companies that just happen to have an eBay storefront.
I find that some bigger companies like Newegg and Superbiiz(imicro) have ebay storefronts. It is worth looking at as sometimes you get better shipping deals
I am sure happy to hear that it isn't just me getting gear from eBay.
Never had a bad experience with superbiiz (they used to be ewiz). I've been buying stuff from them for at least 12 years. They seem to always have stock for obscure supermicro stuff like wide rails for the older rackmount cases.I find that some bigger companies like Newegg and Superbiiz(imicro) have ebay storefronts. It is worth looking at as sometimes you get better shipping deals