Storage configuration -- how to start now and plan to progress?

[ullbeking]

Hello all,

I'm just able to start building my first FreeNAS home file server. I have all the hardware I need so far:

• Supermicro A1SRi-2758F (yes, I know to watch out for its notorious power cycle bug)
• 32 GB ECC RAM
• U-NAS 800 enclosure
• 4x WD RED HDD's (8 TB each)

I want to start with a mirrored+striped type of configuration, and as I add disks -- hopefully one by one or two by two -- to continue this configuration until I have one of the following 8-disk configurations:

• 2x vpools, each with one vdev; each vdev is doing mirroring+striping
• 1x vpool, with two comined vdevs; where each vdev is doing mirroring+striping

I'm not sure what the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of the above are.

I have another idea in mind...

How about, in a final configuration, to have 2x vdevs with 3x 8 TB disks each. Each vdev would be triple mirrored (no striping). This would leave me with two leftover drive bays, which I could use for SSD's in case this will help to speed up overall operatin of the NAS (perhaps in case of L2ARC or ZIL). What do you think?

Thank you all for the advice,

ullbeking

 

[danb35]

It's a pool, or if you really need to make it "special", a zpool--there's no such thing as a vpool. Your proposed initial configuration would have a single pool with two, two-disk mirrored vdevs. Those vdevs would be striped together, as vdevs always are when there's more than one vdev in a pool. You'd add another pair of disks as a third vdev to the same pool. And the fourth pair of disks in the same way. You'd end with a single pool consisting of four vdevs striped together.

 

[ullbeking]

@danb35 Thanks for the clarification on various bits of terminology. I also am now reminded of how striping occurs within a pool whenever there's more than more vdev in a pool.

I can't really think of any reason to split this into two pools rather than keeping it as one pool that grows over two more vdevs until full.

Anything else could be premature optimization.

 

[Chris Moore]

Thank you all for the advice,

You might want to review these resources:

Slideshow explaining VDev, zpool, ZIL and L2ARC
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...ning-vdev-zpool-zil-and-l2arc-for-noobs.7775/

Terminology and Abbreviations Primer
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/terminology-and-abbreviations-primer.28174/

Building, Burn-In, and Testing your FreeNAS system
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?resources/building-burn-in-and-testing-your-freenas-system.38/

Github repository for FreeNAS scripts, including disk burnin
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...for-freenas-scripts-including-disk-burnin.28/