The SCALE CLI guide is a work in progress! New namespace and command documentation is continually added and maintained, so check back here often to see what is new! Dataset Namespace The dataset namespace has one namespace, user_prop and 22 commands, and is based on dataset creation and management functions found in the SCALE API and web UI. It provides access to storage dataset methods through the dataset commands. Do not use the user_prop commands.
Snapshots are one of the most powerful features of ZFS. A snapshot provides a read only point-in-time copy of a file system or volume. This copy does not consume extra space in the ZFS pool. The snapshot only records the differences between storage block references whenever the data is modified.
Why do I want to keep snapshots? Snapshots keep a history of files and provide a way to recover an older or even deleted files.
Using Local Replication A local replication creates a zfs snapshot and saves it to another location on the same TrueNAS SCALE system either using a different pool, or dataset or zvol. This allows users with only one system to take quick data backups or snapshots of their data when they have only one system. In this scenario, create a dataset on the same pool to store the replication snapshots. You can create and use a zvol for this purpose.
Use the Storage > Snapshots screens to create and manage snapshots on your TrueNAS.
Use the to display the Show Extra Columns dialog, and after clickng SHOW, the Snapshot screen changes to dipslay the blue COLUMNS button with options to modify the table information. It also changes the individual snapshots listed to show the individual snapshot action options from the more_vert rather than the navigate_next expand symbol that, after clicking on it, expands the selected snapshot to show details with the action options on the bottom of the expanded view of the snapshot.
Storage > VMware-Snapshots coordinates ZFS snapshots when using TrueNAS as a VMware datastore. When a ZFS snapshot is created, TrueNAS automatically snapshots any running VMware virtual machines before taking a scheduled or manual ZFS snapshot of the dataset or zvol backing that VMware datastore.
To copy TrueNAS snapshots to VMWare, virtual machines must be powered-on. The temporary VMware snapshots are then deleted on the VMware side but still exist in the ZFS snapshot and are available as stable restore points.
Use Storage > VMware-Snapshots to add a VMWare snapshot that coordinates ZFS snapshots when using TrueNAS as a VMware datastore.
Name Description Hostname Enter the IP address or host name of the VMware host. When clustering, use the IP address or host name of the vCenter server for the cluster. Username Enter a user account name created on the VMware host. The account must have permission to snapshot virtual machines. Password Enter the password associated with the value in Username.
The Snapshots screen lists dataset snapshots on the system. It allows you to add new or manage existing snapshots.
Access to the Snapshots screen is available using the Manage Snapshots link on the Data Protection widget on the Datasets screen and by clicking Snapshots on the Periodic Snapshot Tasks widget on the Data Protection screen.
If the selected dataset does not have snapshots, the screen displays No Snapshots are Available. Figure 1: No Snapshots Available Enter a dataset path in the search field at the top of the screen to check for snapshots for other datasets.
Snapshots are one of the most powerful features of ZFS. A snapshot provides a read only point-in-time copy of a file system or volume. This copy does not consume extra space in the ZFS pool. The snapshot only records the differences between storage block references whenever the data is modified.
Why do I want to keep snapshots? Snapshots keep a history of files and provide a way to recover an older or even deleted files.
Viewing Snapshots To view a list of snapshots for a system, click EXPLORE on the system widget (information card), then select the pool.
Click Snapshots to see a list of snapshots for the root or pool-level dataset. To see a list of snapshots for any other dataset, click on the dataset, then on Snapshots.
The header displays the breadcrumb for the system, pool, and dataset. To return to the pool, click the down arrow beside the system name, then select the pool on the dropdown list.
Viewing the List of Snapshots File Explorer limits the number of snapshots Windows presents to users. If TrueNAS responds with more than the File Explorer limit, File Explorer shows no available snapshots. TrueNAS displays a dialog stating the dataset snapshot count has more snapshots than recommended and states performance or functionality might degrade. There are two ways to view the list of snapshots:
Go to Datasets > Data Protection widget > Manage Snapshots link to open the Snapshots screen.
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