Add drives to an existing array, then extend the existing partition/file system?

  • So I did a test run on the SuperMicro motherboard and memory using some 1TB drives I have laying around.


    I noticed some errors when installing the ZFS plugin on the VM but didn't note them at that time, I also received the following errors when installing it on the physical MB. Anything to worry about?


    Building initial module for 4.9.0-0.bpo.4-amd64
    configure: error:
    *** Please make sure the kmod spl devel <kernel> package for your
    *** distribution is installed then try again. If that fails you
    *** can specify the location of the spl objects with the
    *** '--with-spl-obj=PATH' option.
    Error! Bad return status for module build on kernel: 4.9.0-0.bpo.4-amd64 (x86_64)


    Then several lines down..


    cp: cannot stat '/var/lib/dkms/spl/0.6.5.9/build/spl_config.h': No such file or directory
    cp: cannot stat '/var/lib/dkms/spl/0.6.5.9/build/module/Module.symvers': No such file or directory


    It appears to work, I have 5 drives setup as a Raid-Z1 VDEV on pool1.


    I also noticed that even though I have ZFS setup using all the drives they still show up as available when you click on "Create File System". Why?


    Would there be any reason to turn S.M.A.R.T. on or would that interfere with ZFS?


    Dave

  • ***If you use USB thumbdrives, you must use the flashmemory plugin or they'll wear out quickly. With this plugin, you can't just turn it on. Look closely at the instructions on plugin page. You'll need to alter a config file, manually, on the CLI.***

    OK, thanks, I completely missed the instructions. I made the modifications and rebooted.
    It mentions after making the modification to "Enable the Plug-in" and reboot, I assume enabling it means to install it, as I don't see an actual enable button?


    THUMB Drives
    In reference to your thumb drive cloning, if it works, it works. I was just thinking of a more automated process, like I use on my Windows machines. I have StorageCraft (get it free through work, wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise) and it allows me to take continuous snapshots of each and every volume on my workstation and server. Should either one of them fail I can simple do a Bare Metal Restore back to the same or dissimilar equipment.


    You mentioned you use 32GB Thumb drives, is that the smallest you'd advice using? I only ask because I have a couple 8GB's laying around, but have no problem picking up a few 32GB SanDisk Ultra's, their cheap on Amazon.


    ECC & Motherboards
    I don't get Intel's logic for supporting ECC on only i3's and Xeon, but not i5 and i7's.


    My dislike of AMD comes from long past experiences of energy sucking, hot running, and major issues with drivers not being stable and AMD not keeping their drivers current. Of course I have no recent experience with them so my concerns may very well be dated...


    I remember you or someone asking me about the size of my SuperMicro board (I know there's a joke in there somewhere :) ). In any case it's a standard ATX motherboard, Model X8STE, has an Intel Xeon L5609 1.87GHz 4 Core processor (40 watts), and 16GB of ECC memory. Not to mention it's free! As I mentioned earlier the total power consumption was calculated at 164 Watts, I'm OK with that. The Termaltake MS-1 case holds 10 drives and with a 120MM fan in the front, one in the back and the power supply facing down on a wood floor it not only runs almost silent, there is plenty of cooling. I have the same case with 6 3.5" drives in my Windows server and the drives are just warm to the touch. My OS drives are around 45C, where as my 4 array disks around around 33C. The case temp is around 40C. The case will handle another two 120MM fans at the top of the case but I don't think it's necessary. The fans are 3 wire and the board has plenty of 3 wire connections.


    NEW Question - New thread?
    Does anyone have any experience with Owncloud or anything like it? I currently use my existing QNAP to backup the pictures on my phones, they have their own Android app to do this, and I'll need a replacement once I have OMV running.


    Thanks,


    Dave

  • the reason for installing the flashmemory plugin in is to reduce the frequency and size of the writes to your flash media. With flash media, the number of times a single location can be written is finite.

    That's not the problem with the flash media we're talking here about since even the cheapest products (even the counterfeit crap) implements at least primitive wear leveling.


    The real problem is 'write amplification' and that writing 1 byte at a time at the filesystem layer to any flash media might end up with magnitudes more data being written at the flash layer (that's all write amplification is describing). That's what the flashmemory plugin is used for: reducing write amplification by magnitudes even if set up in a way that all changes are synced to disk hourly (which is something I would recommend since otherwise contents in RAM are only written back to 'disk' at shutdown and lost when the server crashes)


    Without the plugin writing 5 bytes of log contents every minute to a flash media that uses 16KiB internal page size might end up with almost one MiB being written within every hour on a drive that is entirely full and does not implement TRIM (which applies to my knowledge to all USB thumb drives out there except those that are in reality mSATA or M.2 SSDs in a very recent USB enclosures with latest firmware upgrades applied).


    So it's important to understand write amplification and on media with small capacity why TRIM is important (since flash media not implementing TRIM starts to get a horribly high write amplification as soon as the whole data written to the decive over its lifetime exceeds its native capacity -- then all writes end up in read/modify/write cycles combined with at least one Erase Block being freed and overwritten -- all flash media has some spare pages for this purpose).


    TL;DR: With 'dumb' thumb drives or SD cards for the above reasons (write amplification too high, no TRIM availability and also no SMART attribute available to query the drive's wear-out indicator) flashmemory plugin is mandatory while with SSDs it's simply a good idea to use it since reducing write amplification in any case with an OMV use case.

  • Before starting a new thread - what brand/model of server (Dell,Compaq/model#) did you strip the Mobo and processors from? 2U is full ATX? Great. Along these lines, I might follow your lead. I almost did but finding a location in the house for a "2U pizza box" would be a pain, even in a closet. Repacking the Mobo and other server hardware, in a large low priced case, was a great idea.


    My company retired QTY. 2 - 2U SuperMicro servers, yes they make both motherboards and servers, not to mention other accessories.
    They were retired several years ago, I used one for VMWare for a while, the 2nd has always been a spare. I got tired of the noise coming from my network closet, the 2U chassis is a screamer with 4 small fans + the PSU, so I decided to build a silent dedicated Windows server last year, continuing to use my 2 Bay QNAP for backups.


    My data foot print has grown and I need a larger NAS, which is where stripping the SuperMicro 2U came in. One to build with, one as a spare.


    The motherboard is pretty much a standard ATX Server board, no manufacture specific plugs or wiring, so I can use it in any ATX case. NOTE: Not all manufactures boards are like this, Dell and HP are usually custom boards. Before the ASRock and other Atom mini boards came out SuperMicro was one of the preferred server boards to use for NAS builds, they may still be for some?


    I'm putting the board in the ThermalTake Mid-Tower Commander MS-I http://amzn.to/2AJyyi3, which like I mentioned will support 10 3.5" drives AND I forgot to mention a 2.5" drive at the bottom of the case. It comes in Black and a Snow White. The Black has a weird USB 3.0 connector for the front. Instead of a standard motherboard connector for the motherboard end it uses a USB A-Male which on most boards you'd have to pass it through the back of the case and plug it into one of the external USB ports. Check out the pictures here http://bit.ly/2BvtTn6. Why, I don't know, but coincidentally the SuperMicro board has two A-Females on the board surface so it will work out for me. The Snow White version has the standard motherboard connector. When I used the black case for my Windows server build I had to buy a converter to plug it into the motherboard. I was NOT routing it to the back of my PC via a card slot, that's just wrong...


    Here's the motherboard, it's old but it works: http://www.supermicro.com/prod…rd/Xeon3000/X58/X8STE.cfm


    I see Nextcloud has split off from ownCloud, I guess I should post a new Thread for that or look for an existing one...


    Thanks,


    Dave

  • **** Update ****


    Figured it out but I'm leaving my questions for others to learn.


    Did some digging, Update Manager is as suspected, check everything and install. However, this game me another error so I did a command line update with the following:



    apt-get updateapt-get dist-upgraderebootThis not only installed all the outstanding updates it updated my install to OMV 3.0.96.I was then able to complete the ZFS plugin install successfully.I guess when I was testing I must have ran the updates and didn't realize it.**** Original post follows ****


    Good news and Bad news...


    I just finished building my new OMV server today and started loading the software, problem, I can't get the ZFS plugin to install correctly.


    I'm running OMV 3.0.94


    I've installed OMV-Extras


    I've installed the Flash Memory plugin and made the edits to the fstab file


    When I attempt to install the ZFS plugin it give me the errors I listed above then shortly after that it keeps scrolling


    <<<<<*************************** Error **************************************


    I've rebooted, uninstalled it and re-installed it with the same results. It shows as installed and active under plugins but doesn't show up under the Storage menu.


    Ideas?


    P.S. Under Update Management, are these all the outstanding updates, do I just select them all and update them?


  • I just created my pool named pool1, are you implying that the mount point should be /srv/pool1 vs the default /pool1 ?

  • I guess I was looking for what best practices would be. If I don't plan on using any other file systems (Im using ZFS why would I?), is there any downside to putting it in the root?


    I think we covered this before but in the above reference screenshot, doesn't what your calling a file system equate to basically a folder? One that you can set different attributes on?


    I have Qty. 5 3TB drives in the system, I'm going to use raidz1. I have a 6th drive as a cold spare.


    Pretty? It runs silent and cool...


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