TrueNAS SCALETrueNAS SCALE Version Documentation
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Storage Dashboard

  10 minute read.

Last Modified 2024-03-19 08:38 EDT

The Storage Dashboard screen, allows users configure and manage storage resources such as pools (VDEVs), datasets, and disks, and to keep the pool healthy (scrub). The dashboard widgets organize functions related to storage resources.

No Pools Screen

The No Pools screen displays before you add the first pool.

Storage Dashboard without Pools
Figure 1: Storage Dashboard without Pools

The Create Pool button in the center of the screen opens the Pool Manager screen.

Storage Dashboard

The Storage Dashboard has four buttons at the top right of the screen that provide access to pool and disk functions:

  • The Import Pool button opens the Import Pool screen.

    Select a pool from the Pool dropdown list. These are pools that TrueNAS detects as present on the system but not yet connected in TrueNAS.

    Import starts the process to connect the pool in TrueNAS and bring it into SCALE. Import also reconnects pools after users reinstall or upgrade their TrueNAS system.

  • Disks opens the Disks screen with options to manage individual disks connected to the TrueNAS storage array.

  • Create Pool opens the Pool Creation Wizard.

After adding pools, the dashboard includes five widgets and two more buttons.

Storage Dashboard with Pool
Figure 3: Storage Dashboard with Pool
  • Export/Disconnect opens the Export/disconnect pool: poolname window that allows users to export, disconnect, or delete a pool.

    The Export/disconnect pool window includes a warning that states data becomes unavailable after an export and that selecting Destroy Data on this pool destroys data on the pool disks.

    Exporting/disconnecting can be a destructive process! Back up all data before performing this operation. You might not be able to recover data lost through this operation.

    This window displays the share type (for example, SMB share, etc.) affected by the export/disconnect operation if a share uses the pool.

    Disks in an exported pool become available to use in a new pool but remain marked as used by an exported pool. If you select a disk used by an exported pool to use in a new pool, the system displays a warning message about the disk.

    SettingDescription
    Destroy data on this pool?Select to erase all data on the pool. A field displays where you type the name of the pool to confirm the operation before the Export/Disconnect button activates.
    Delete configuration of shares that use this poolEnabled by default to remove the share connection to this pool. Exporting or disconnecting the pool deletes the configuration of shares using this pool. You must reconfigure the shares affected by this operation.
    Confirm Export/Disconnect(Required) Select to confirm the operation and accept the warnings displayed. Activates the Export/Disconnect button.

    Export/Disconnect executes the process and begins the pool export or disconnect. A status window displays with progress. When complete, a final dialog displays stating the export/disconnect completed successfully.

  • Select Expand Pool to increase the pool size to match all available disk space. Users with pools using virtual disks use this option to resize these virtual disks apart from TrueNAS.

    Confirm activates the Continue button.

Storage Dashboard Widgets

After adding a pool, the screen displays five widgets. The Unassigned Disks widget remains at the top of the dashboard if the system has disks not added to a pool. The other four widgets are a set that displays for each pool created on the system.

  • The Unassigned Disks widget displays the number of disks available on your system to use in pools. The disk count includes disks assigned in an exported pool. If you attempt to use a disk assigned in an exported pool, a warning message displays that prompts you to select a different disk.

    To see information on each disk on the system, click Manage Disks on the Disk health widget.

    • The Unassigned Disks widget Add to Pool window displays the number of unassigned disks and provides the option to assign disks to a new or existing pool.

      The Unassigned Disks area displays the number of unassigned disks, the size and type of disks, and indicates any disks associated with an previous pool.

      The Add Disks To window has three radio buttons:

      • New Pool opens the Create Pool > Pool Manager screen.
      • Existing Pool adds the Existing Pool dropdown list with available options.
      • Existing Pool (Legacy) adds the Existing Pool dropdown list with available options.

      After selecting Existing Pool, the Add Disks opens the Pool Manager screen if the existing pool was created with the Pool Manager. If the pool was created with the Pool Creation Wizard, Add Disks opens the Pool Creation Wizard. If you select New Pool, Add Disks opens the Pool Creation Wizard screen.

  • The Topology widget provides information on the VDEVs configured on the system and the status of the pool.

    The widget lists each VDEV type (data, metadata, log, cache, spare, and dedup). A Data VDEV includes the data type (stripe, mirror, RAID, or mixed configuration), the number of disks (wide), and the storage capacity of that VDEV.

    Manage Devices opens the Devices screen where you can add or manage existing VDEVs.

  • The Usage widget provides information on the space datasets use and the status of pool usage.

    The widget includes a color-coded donut chart that illustrates the percentage of space the pool uses. Blue indicates space usage in the 0-80% range and red indicates anything above 80%. A warning displays below the donut graph when usage exceeds 80%.

    Usable Capacity details pool space statistics by Used, Available, and Used by Snapshots.

    View Disk Space Reports opens the pool usage reports for the selected pool.

    Large (>1 petabyte) systems could report storage numbers inaccurately. Storage configurations with more than 9,007,199,254,740,992 bytes round the last 4 digits. For example, a system with 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 bytes reports the number as 18,446,744,073,709,552,000 bytes.

    Manage Datasets opens the Datasets screen.

  • The ZFS Health widget provides information on the health of the pool.

    Widget details include:

    • Pool Status as online or offline
    • Total ZFS Errors count of the number of ZFS errors
    • Scheduled Scrub Task as set or not
    • Auto TRIM as on or off

    View all Scrub Tasks opens the Data Protections > Scrub Tasks details screen. This lists all scheduled scrub tasks and allows you to add a new task or edit an existing task.

    • Clicking the Scrub button from the ZFS Health widget initiates a check on pool data integrity. The Scrub Pool dialog allows you to perform an unscheduled scrub task. If TrueNAS detects problems during the scrub, it either corrects them automatically or generates an alert in the web interface.

      By default, TrueNAS automatically checks every pool to verify it is on a reoccurring scrub schedule.

      To schedule a single or a regular pool scrub operation, click View All Scrub Tasks to open the Data Protections > Scrub Tasks details screen and add or manage scrub tasks configured on your system.

      Confirm activates the Start Scrub button.

    • The ZFS Health widget Edit Auto TRIM option opens a dialog to set Auto TRIM.

      When enabled, Auto TRIM allows TrueNAS to periodically review data blocks and identify which empty blocks of obsolete blocks it can delete. Leave unselected to incorporate day block overwrites when a device write is started (default). Select Confirm to activate Save.

      For more details about TRIM in ZFS, see the autotrim property description in zpool.8.

  • The Disk Health widget provides information on the health of the disks in a pool.

    The details on the widget include the non-dismissed disk temperature alerts for highest, lowest, and average temperature, and failed S.M.A.R.T. tests.

    Manage Disks opens the Storage > Disk screen.

    View Reports opens the Report screen for the disks in the selected pool.

    View all S.M.A.R.T. Tests opens the Data Protection > S.M.A.R.T. Tests screen.

Each set of pool widgets provides access to screens for disks, datasets, VDEVs, snapshots, quotas, and pool ZFS functions for the pool. For example, Manage Devices on the Topology widget opens the Devices screen with the VDEVs configured for only that pool.

Pool Status

Each widget in the set of four pool widgets includes a color-coded icon just to the right of the header. This icon indicates the status of the pool as healthy (green checkmark), offline (orange triangle), or in a warning state (purple warning sign).

Pool Status Indications
Figure 16: Pool Status Indications

This same information displays on both the Storage widget and a pool widget you can add to the Dashboard.

Upgrade Dialog

The Upgrade button displays on the Storage Dashboard for existing pools after an upgrade to a new TrueNAS release includes new OpenZFS feature flags. Newly created pools are always up to date with the OpenZFS feature flags available in the installed TrueNAS release.

Storage pool upgrades are typically not required unless the new OpenZFS feature flags are deemed necessary for required or improved system operation.

Do not do a pool-wide ZFS upgrade until you are ready to commit to this SCALE major version and lose the ability to roll back to an earlier major version!

Consider these factors before upgrading a storage pool to the latest OpenZFS feature flags.

  • Upgrading can affect data. Before performing any operation that affects data on a storage disk, always back up data first and verify the backup integrity.

  • New OpenZFS feature flags are permanently applied to the upgraded pool. An upgraded pool cannot be reverted or downgraded to an earlier OpenZFS version. A storage pool with the latest feature flags cannot import into another operating system that does not support those feature flags.

  • Upgrading a ZFS pool is optional. Do not upgrade the pool when reverting to an earlier TrueNAS version or repurposing the disks in another operating system that supports ZFS is a requirement.

The upgrade itself only takes a few seconds and is non-disruptive. It is not necessary to stop any sharing services to upgrade the pool. However, it is best to upgrade when the pool is not in heavy use. The upgrade process suspends I/O for a short period, but is nearly instantaneous on a quiet pool.

Section Contents

  • Pools: Describes the ZFS storage pool configuration screens in TrueNAS SCALE.

    • Disks: Describes UI screens and dialogs related to disk operations.

    • Pool Creation Wizard: Descriptions for settings and functions found in the Pool Creation Wizard.

    • Devices Screens: Provides information on settings and functions found on the Devices screens and widget.

  • Datasets: Describes the various ZFS dataset screens in TrueNAS SCALE.

    • Datasets Screen: Provides information on the settings and functions found on the Datasets screen and widgets.

    • Zvol Screens: Provides information on the settings and functions found on the Zvol screens and widgets.

    • Capacity Settings Screen: Provides information on the quota settings and functions found on the Capacity Settings screen.

    • Snapshots Screen: Provides information on the settings and functions found on the Snapshots screen.

    • User and Group Quota Screens : Provides information on the settings and functions found on the User and Group Quota screens.

    • Encryption Settings: Provides information on the settings and functions found on the SCALE storage encryption screens.

    • Edit ACL Screens: Describes the ACL permissions screens, settings for POSIX and NFSv4 ACLs, and the conditions that result in additional setting options.

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