ZFS pool importing works for pools exported or disconnected from the current system, those created on another system, and for pools you reconnect after reinstalling or upgrading the TrueNAS system.
The import procedure only applies to disks with a ZFS storage pool. Do I need to do anything different with disks installed on a different system? When physically installing ZFS pool disks from another system, use the zpool export poolname command in the Linux command line or a web interface equivalent to export the pool on that system.
TrueNAS uses ZFS data storage pools to efficiently store and protect data.
What is a pool? Storage pools are attached drives organized into virtual devices (vdevs). Drives are arranged inside vdevs to provide varying amounts of redundancy and performance. This allows for high performance pools, pools that maximize data lifetime, and all situations in between.
ZFS and TrueNAS periodically reviews and heals whenever a bad block is discovered in a pool.
Use the Storage Pools screens to add or manage storage pools on your TrueNAS. The Pools screen displays a table of all the pools and datasets configured in your TrueNAS.
Figure 1: Storage Pools Screen Use the to display the Pools Actions dropdown list of pool operations.
Use ADD to display the Import Pool configuration wizard screens.
Use the for the root dataset to display the Action Menu for the root dataset which is different than the options for nested datasets.
This procedure only applies to disks with a ZFS storage pool. To import disks with different file systems, see Import Disk. ZFS pool importing works for pools that were exported or disconnected from the current system, created on another system, and pools to reconnect after reinstalling or upgrading the TrueNAS system. To import a pool, go to Storage > Pools > ADD.
Do I need to do anything different with disks installed on a different system?
After creating a data storage pool, there are a variety of options to change the initial configuration of that pool. Changing a pool can be disruptive, so make sure you are aware of existing resources on the system and consider backing up any stored data before changing the pool. To find an existing pool, log in to the web interface and go to Storage > Pools.
The current status and storage usage of each pool is shown.
The Disks screen lists the physical drives (disks) installed in the system. The list includes the names, serial numbers, sizes, and pools for each system disk.
Figure 1: Disks Screen Use the Columns dropdown list to select options to customize disk the information displayed. Options are Select All, Serial (the disk serial number), Disk Size, Pool (where the disk is in use), Disk Type, Description, Model, Transfer Mode, Rotation Rate (RPM), HDD Standby, Adv.
TrueNAS supports different encryption options for critical data.
Users are responsible for backing up and securing encryption keys and passphrases! Losing the ability to decrypt data is similar to a catastrophic data loss. Data-at-rest encryption is available with:
Self Encrypting Drives (SEDs) using OPAL or FIPS 140.2 (Both AES 256) Encryption of specific datasets (AES-256-GCM in TrueNAS 12.0) The local TrueNAS system manages keys for data-at-rest. The user is responsible for storing and securing their keys.
Advanced Settings provides configuration options for the console, syslog, kernel, sysctl, replication, cron jobs, init/shutdown scripts, system dataset pool, isolated GPU device(s), self-encrypting drives, system access sessions, allowed IP addresses, audit logging, and global two-factor authentication.
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes. Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
Advanced settings have reasonable defaults in place. A warning message displays for some settings advising of the dangers of making changes. Changing advanced settings can be dangerous when done incorrectly. Use caution before saving changes.
Make sure you are comfortable with ZFS, Linux, and system configuration, backup, and restoration before making any changes.
The Advanced settings screen provides configuration options for the console, syslog, audit, kernel, sysctl, storage (system dataset pool), replication, WebSocket sessions, cron jobs, init/shutdown scripts, allowed IP addresses, isolated GPU device(s), self-encrypting drives, and global two-factor authentication.
TrueNAS uses ZFS data storage pools to efficiently store and protect data.
What is a pool? Storage pools attach drives organized into virtual devices called VDEVs. Drives arranged inside VDEVs provide varying amounts of redundancy and performance. ZFS and VDEVs combined create high-performance pools that maximize data lifetime.
ZFS and TrueNAS periodically review and heal when discovering a bad block in a pool.
Reviewing Storage Needs We strongly recommend that you review your available system resources and plan your storage use case before creating a storage pool.
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