Replication to another FreeNAS

[wreedps]

Anyone use replication? I would like to make 2 file servers at different DCs and let them replicate between each other with FreeNAS.

Is this possible? Does it work well?

 

[Heracles]

Hi Wreedps,

I do use Replication, but what you described here sounds more like the need for RSYNC than the need for ZFS Replication.

ZFS Replication is a mechanism based on snapshots. It will send these snapshots and on the receiving side, everything is received in a dataset that is Read-only for anything else than Replication. That I do and it works very well. I use it to sync my main FreeNAS server to my DR server.

From your description, I think you wish a kind of Active - Active setup, where users would edit files in both servers and changes would be replicated in both direction. That is more the role for RSync. In such an Active - Active setup, the risk is always the same : what happens when two users modify the same file at the same time ?

I try to avoid Active - Active file servers and use other technologies like Cloud-based file management (like Nextcloud) or WAN accelerators (like Riverbed) that are meant for such a situation.

Hope this answers your question,

 

[wreedps]

Thanks for the reply!

Rsync does sound more like it, I kinda want like MS DFS. Except I dont want to use DFS, I want to try something new. Ive had bad experiences with MS DFS.

I basically have 2 sites, my home and my data center. I want to just replicate a FreeNas share in between them with all my installers/ISO/etc. Wont be many people more than me accessing if not me alone.

basically I want, if I download the latest Veeam update (for example) at home, place it on a share, I want it automatically replicated to my data center to be ready to install/run off the local LAN.

Hope this make sense. What else would you recommend to accomplish this? I have L2L tunnels between my home and DC.

 

[wreedps]

Nextcloud, I have heard of that before... A colleague uses it.

 

[Heracles]

Hi again,

This kind of per-user replication is what I do with my Nextcloud setup. The desktop client keeps a local copy of all my data and ensure everything is sync with the server.

In your case, ZFS Replication is really not the way to go because of the Read-Only nature on the receiver side. RSync would not be problematic in your case because of the very low level of activity and the single user aspect.

So in your context, RSync is safe and easy. Nextcloud is more capable and more fun, but much more work.

Have fun with your setup,

 

[wreedps]

Ill check out Next cloud. I use Owncloud now in very basic terms. Basically to transfer files to clients via HTTPS.

 

[Heracles]

Nextcloud is a fork from Owncloud. I consider it now has more momentum than Owncloud, but Owncloud is surely not dead yet.

 

[wreedps]

Looks to be down. lol

https://www.univention.com/products/univention-app-center/app-catalog/nextcloud/

 

[wreedps]

Website working now.

 

[wreedps]

Can you have 2 Nextcloud servers Sync to each other?

 

[Heracles]

Hi again,

This is called Federation sharing : you can share between 2 Nextcloud servers configured for that. To do that, user1 on server1 simply share to "user2@server2" and Nextcloud will do the work. Once the share is created, the desktop client I told you about can easily sync its content like any other file. So you would create a folder like "Common storage" in your main server and share it to your secondary server and secondary user. On your home computer, you configure the Nextcloud client to sync that folder (and more if you wish) to your local disk.

When you download something and move it to that folder in your home computer, the local client will send it to its server. On the server side, because it is from a remote share, will send it to the server from where the share is coming. Should you also have the Nextcloud desktop client on your work computer, it will sync that file as soon as it is available.

The same logic can go the other way.

Of course, Federation requires both servers to be able to connect to each other...

 

[Chris Moore]

One way or rwo way rsync is really easy to configure on FreeNAS. I use it to keep my servers in sync with each other.

Here is a link to the steps :

https://thesolving.com/storage/how-to-sync-two-freenas-storage-using-rsync/

 

[adrianwi]

I'd take a step back from the technology and get a clear understanding of what you are trying to achieve.

The use case you described around Veeam would work perfectly using ZFS Replication and would be much easier to set up than Nextcloud. You could achieve the same with Nextcloud, although you'd be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.