SOLVED WARNING: You need to upgrade the volume TestPool

[joeschmuck]

I created my pool using 9.3 about a week ago and now after an update I'm getting this warning message. In the past this action would have to be done to obtain extra features for your pool but this warning seems to let a person think that this is mandatory. I'd like to know what is going on. I don't want to file a bug report unless I know what is going on. If this action isn't required for compatibility issues then it should list the limitations or features based on upgrading the pool.

 

[cyberjock]

@jkh probably has a better answer than I can provide. So I'll let him answer.. ;)

 

[RoboKaren]

I got this as well, but there's no info about a new zfs version being implemented in the 9.3beta notes. Can someone clarify? Also, the structure of the alert makes it seem as though this is imperative -- which may be confusing to a newbie. By the time this gets to 9.3fc we should be ok.

 

[cyberjock]

There isn't a new zfs version. It's more feature flags. ;)

 

[RoboKaren]

Well, it's essentially the same thing IIRC. If we upgrade our pools to the new zfs feature flag set (aka version), then we can't go back to 9.2 which uses a lower zfs feature flag set, right?

More to the point -- what are the new feature flags in 9.3 and is it worth upgrading our pools at this juncture?

 

[joeschmuck]

More to the point -- what are the new feature flags in 9.3 and is it worth upgrading our pools at this juncture?

That is my point as well.

 

[jkh]

I created my pool using 9.3 about a week ago and now after an update I'm getting this warning message. In the past this action would have to be done to obtain extra features for your pool but this warning seems to let a person think that this is mandatory. I'd like to know what is going on. I don't want to file a bug report unless I know what is going on. If this action isn't required for compatibility issues then it should list the limitations or features based on upgrading the pool.

The reason for the warning is that we have actually observed, in the field, serious issues with the following very specific combination:

1. User has a pre-9.2 pool (usually 9.0.x) and 9.3 kernel.
2. User is doing a lot of CIFS sharing and uses extended attributes
3. User is manipulating a lot of files (we're not sure if directory creation/deletion is involved, or what) while extended attributes are also in use

This, after a certain period of time, results in pool corruption. We have tried like crazy to replicate this and have been entirely unsuccessful, which is why it is a warning and we're not posting long messages to the forum going "ZOMG! You MUST upgrade your pool or you will DIE!" We don't know that for sure, and we have existing customers with "old pool, new OS" that are doing just fine. It's a real mystery, but one thing we can say for sure is that we have never observed this when the pool version was > 28. So, for now it's just a warning. You can not heed it and suffer no problems whatsoever, or you can not heed it and die a messy death. We have no idea which side of the coin you will land on or how to predict it. If we did, we'd find this and fix it once and for all. :( We've asked the experts too, and they're stumped.

 

[cyberjock]

Note that 9.0.x was for TrueNAS and the version numbers aren't identical to FreeNAS since there was no 9.0.x FreeNAS versions. ;)

The new flags over 9.2.1.x are:

embedded_data
filesystem_limits

You can read about them at: https://us-east.manta.joyent.com/smartosman/public/man5/zpool-features.5.html

 

[RoboKaren]

Ah.... I understand a bit more. :)

So... if I upgrade my pool to the zfs flagset in 9.3, I can still use it in 9.2.x in case I have to regress back if I don't use the two new flags? (Or will something in the GUI automagically set them)

Karen


p.s. Note that I'm getting this error despite this being a pool that was created under Freenas 9.2.x.

 

[cyberjock]

Nope. You have it backwards.

If you upgrade your pool to the flags in 9.3 you cannot go backwards to 9.2.x. You should spend some time reading the manual RoboKaren. ;P

 

[RoboKaren]

I did read the manual, which seems to indicate as long as I don't set the flags then I'm ok, but it doesn't answer the question of why we need to upgrade the pool. So if the only difference is the addition of new flags, I'm unclear why: 1) I need to upgrade; 2) if the upgrade process somehow sets the flags and thus ruins pool compatibility with 9.2.x; 3) If I can just be happy and not upgrade (if that's the case, then why the warning).




ZFS pool on-disk format versions are specified via "features" which replace the old on-disk format numbers (the last supported on-disk format number is 28). To enable a feature on a pool use the upgrade subcommand of the zpool(1M) command, or set the feature@feature_name property to enabled.

The pool format does not affect file system version compatibility or the ability to send file systems between pools.

Since most features can be enabled independently of each other the on-disk format of the pool is specified by the set of all features marked as active on the pool. If the pool was created by another software version this set may include unsupported features.

 

[cyberjock]

The warning is because of what jkh said above.

Two different things happen when you do a "zpool upgrade <poolname>"

1. The feature flags are added to the pool.
2. The feature flags are set to enabled/active.

It is possible to add the flags without enabling/activating them, but it's kind of pointless (except to avoid the upgrade message). The general thought is you wouldn't upgrade if you didn't actually intend to use those settings.

 

[RoboKaren]

Ahh... I see.. enlightenment increases just a bit.

Hmmm.. it's a tough call:

1) Don't upgrade, risk the obscure bug that most probably won't hit me, but gain the ability to go back to 9.2x.
or
2) Get rid of the blinky yellow light and upgrade and lose the ability to go back to 9.2.x.

 

[cyberjock]

That's why you shouldn't generally upgrade until you know for 100% certainty you will not need to go back.

So what does this mean?

- You upgrade to the next version of FreenAS, you wait a few weeks, *then* you do the upgrade of the pool.
- You never *ever* upgrade when doing anything that isn't a RELEASE version unless you are on a test platform where the pool doesn't even store real data.

 

[solarisguy]

Very baaaaad news... Verrrry baaad news... I am not using extended attributes at all, so I am staying with zpool version 28 for now, but...

 

[joeschmuck]

Okay, I understand the rationale behind the warning however I created the pool using 9.3 Beta, not an older version and when I updated the FreeNAS software, the warning showed up.

 

[cyberjock]

Okay, I understand the rationale behind the warning however I created the pool using 9.3 Beta, not an older version and when I updated the FreeNAS software, the warning showed up.

That's a bug.

 

[rogerh]

Okay, I understand the rationale behind the warning however I created the pool using 9.3 Beta, not an older version and when I updated the FreeNAS software, the warning showed up.

As a matter of interest, was the new pool created with the new flags enabled/active?

 

[EdvBeratung]

Okay, I understand the rationale behind the warning however I created the pool using 9.3 Beta, not an older version and when I updated the FreeNAS software, the warning showed up.

Same here...
My pool was created with a 9.3 beta that I downloaded on Nov 10th. Today I updated to the latest 9.3 Beta from the GUI and the warning message was popping up.

 

[joeschmuck]

As a matter of interest, was the new pool created with the new flags enabled/active?

When you create a pool you are not given the ability to select option flags. I think it's a bug as well.