TrueNAS 13.0-U3 is Now Available

[Volts]

Has anybody tested the current version of the driver? Since TrueNAS disabled it, Realtek made updates, and it was further modified by the realtek-re-kmod packager.

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The comments about needing "good" hardware to support high volumes are interesting. It's funny how nearly all aspects of computing swing back and forth from dedicated hardware to general-purpose CPUs.

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I think we can all agree the Realtek packet crab logo is the best in the industry.

 

[Ericloewe]

I knew the Realtek logo looked familiar...

Realtek NIC in its natural environment

 

[MortyMars]

Well, the first part is not buying motherboards with Realtek NICs (aside from the dedicated IPMI NIC, where it's fine). The literal answer to your question is "install an Intel NIC".

"Necessary" is a strong word. Nobody forced you to buy a Realtek NIC - in fact, all advice is not to. In a rainbows and unicorns world, sure, but I'm sure there are many other drivers that would benefit from developer time with much better potential results.

You can make your case in the bug tracker, though that won't do much, since it's a FreeBSD thing.

Hello,

I'm obviously not suing anyone, but I bought the components and built my DIY NAS based on the info I could get at the time when the stable version of TrueNAS was 12.
Since then there has been a major upgrade to 13, until the last one my system accepted: 13.0-U1.1 which I am now running fine on.
But I had hoped to continue with regular updates to maintain my system.
Apparently this will not be the case and I am obviously disappointed...

 

[Ericloewe]

If anyone on the internet told you to go out and buy something with a Realtek NIC (2.5GbE no less), they really have no business whatsoever giving out advice.

 

[MortyMars]

You can manually load the drivers if you don't use iSCSI as it appears to be (relatively) safe.

Hello Davoo,
Thank you for your reply.
I do not use ISCSI and I was told about this solution some time ago, but its implementation seemed complicated to me until now.
I think I'll have to take the plunge at some point...

 

[MortyMars]

If anyone on the internet told you to go out and buy something with a Realtek NIC (2.5GbE no less), they really have no business whatsoever giving out advice.

You're definitely right, but at this stage it doesn't really help me...

 

[jgreco]

I bought the components and built my DIY NAS based on the info I could get at the time when the stable version of TrueNAS was 12.

I feel quite positive that it is unlikely that anyone here would have suggested

ASUS Rog Strix B560-I Gaming Series

or a system with a Realtek NIC. We maintain a carefully curated list of very specific hardware that comes highly recommended, thanks to @Ericloewe , and before that, we maintained a less specific list of qualities one wanted in their gear; even this less specific listing calls out Realtek as garbage.

If anyone here gave you the idea that this board or ethernet chipset was a good idea, please let us know, and we will visit them in the middle of the night and "upgrade" their networking to a nice DEC DELNI and 10Base5/AUI for them. Your unfortunate experience is something we try very hard to avoid. It ruins the pleasant experience of everything working well that we've worked so hard at.

 

[MortyMars]

TrueNAS doesn't promise to work with every bit of hardware you might choose to buy. Just like buying a car, if you buy a car that isn't rated for towing and doesn't come with a hitch, you're not going to have a good experience trying to tow a large RV. If you want the towing capacity, you can buy a vehicle that is designed for the task. Computer gear works like this too. If you buy a mainboard with a crappy Realtek on it, it is just never going to be very good at server stuff. The Realtek chipset is not designed for server use and is barely suitable for client-grade use such as web browsing in Windows.

Hi Jgreco,
I obviously did not have this information at the time of my purchase, but I take note of it...

 

[MortyMars]

Hi @MortyMars
Just responding for iX.

The problem is known: https://ixsystems.atlassian.net/browse/NAS-117663

The driver for FreeBSD is a realtek problem. If they don't support it well, we can't use it.

The driver was disabled because corrupting iSCSI data is a huge problem that we want to minimize. I assume the community understands this is the best course of action if we want to protect data. It can only be fixed if Realtek fixes their FreeBSD driver. So far, we don't know of a fix.

There are probably two workarounds:

1. if you aren't using iSCSI, we left instructions for loading the Realtek driver - use at your own risk. If you are using iSCSI, please do not do this.
2. TrueNAS SCALE is based in linux. Realtek drivers for Linux are probably better supported. You might want to ask the SCALE forum if they have had any issues with Realtek drivers.

Hi morganL
Thanks for your feedback and the link.
I don't use iSCSI and will try to familiarise myself with the manual loading procedure of the Realtek driver that many have suggested here.
In the meantime I will wisely stay on my version for the time being...

 

[MortyMars]

I feel quite positive that it is unlikely that anyone here would have suggested



or a system with a Realtek NIC. We maintain a carefully curated list of very specific hardware that comes highly recommended, thanks to @Ericloewe , and before that, we maintained a less specific list of qualities one wanted in their gear; even this less specific listing calls out Realtek as garbage.

If anyone here gave you the idea that this board or ethernet chipset was a good idea, please let us know, and we will visit them in the middle of the night and "upgrade" their networking to a nice DEC DELNI and 10Base5/AUI for them. Your unfortunate experience is something we try very hard to avoid. It ruins the pleasant experience of everything working well that we've worked so hard at.

I'm not blaming anyone here, that's really not the problem and I take responsibility for my unfortunate purchase during a period when a first choice I had made was out of stock.

I am simply looking for a solution, if there is one...

 

[Ericloewe]

If anyone here gave you the idea that this board or ethernet chipset was a good idea, please let us know, and we will visit them in the middle of the night and "upgrade" their networking to a nice DEC DELNI and 10Base5/AUI for them.

Everybody knows that vampire taps can only be installed at night. Also, the sysadmin has to invite them in.

I am simply looking for a solution, if there is one...

The best solution is to install an Intel 1 GbE NIC. I haven't come across any non-dubious 2.5GbE stuff yet - and that includes the Intel I225, which apparently had a hardware bug in early revisions, so definitely steer clear of that one too.

If you must have >1 GbE and it must be twisted pair, get an Intel X540-T2. They're relatively cheap these days.

 

[ThreeDee]

Hello,

I'm obviously not suing anyone, but I bought the components and built my DIY NAS based on the info I could get at the time when the stable version of TrueNAS was 12.
Since then there has been a major upgrade to 13, until the last one my system accepted: 13.0-U1.1 which I am now running fine on.
But I had hoped to continue with regular updates to maintain my system.
Apparently this will not be the case and I am obviously disappointed...

Amazon.com

If you lived in Billings,MT .. I'd say come on over and I'd give you an Intel NIC
I see Intel NIC's for $5 sometimes at Goodwill, lol .. or check your local computer shop, they might have a few laying around they'd sell for cheap .. or Craigslist .. Facebook Marketplace .. ebay .. etc.

 

[Davvo]

Hello Davoo,
Thank you for your reply.
I do not use ISCSI and I was told about this solution some time ago, but its implementation seemed complicated to me until now.
I think I'll have to take the plunge at some point...

You can rollback to a previous version then, knowing the bugs.

 

[Ericloewe]

Amazon.com

If you lived in Billings,MT .. I'd say come on over and I'd give you an Intel NIC
I see Intel NIC's for $5 sometimes at Goodwill, lol .. or check your local computer shop, they might have a few laying around they'd sell for cheap .. or Craigslist .. Facebook Marketplace .. ebay .. etc.

I'd be weary of that one... Very dodgy. Definitely stick to Intel OEM or trusted rebadges (Silicom, Dell, HPE, etc.).

 

[MortyMars]

The best solution is to install an Intel 1 GbE NIC. I haven't come across any non-dubious 2.5GbE stuff yet - and that includes the Intel I225, which apparently had a hardware bug in early revisions, so definitely steer clear of that one too.

If you must have >1 GbE and it must be twisted pair, get an Intel X540-T2. They're relatively cheap these days.

OK, thanks, I'll keep this hardware solution in reserve

 

[MortyMars]

Amazon.com

If you lived in Billings,MT .. I'd say come on over and I'd give you an Intel NIC
I see Intel NIC's for $5 sometimes at Goodwill, lol .. or check your local computer shop, they might have a few laying around they'd sell for cheap .. or Craigslist .. Facebook Marketplace .. ebay .. etc.

Thank you for the kind offer, which I will take up, since I have been dreaming of visiting the States ;-)
Well noted for the rest !