Hello all,
I posted a question to the TrueNAS forums about this, I got some good replies but I am still not sure I understand.
The post(s) is here for reference: Hardware config and iSCSI with Windows
Basically, I don't just want the advise, I am trying to understand the why.....and want to finally make a decision
I work in IT, and I am not comfortable with anything I don't understand, I didn't like driving cars until I took one completely apart in college
So, I found the articles here written by Patrick about the ZIL/SLOG/L2ARC and so forth, and I think I might *finally* get it.
To summarize, given the following scenario: (I will get to why in a minute)
- SM X10SRH-CF w/128GB RAM and 16-core CPU
- 16x 4TB 7200RPM SAS2 (Seagate ST4000NM0023) - setup as two 8x RaidZ2's striped, ≈43TB usable
- iSCSI connected to Server 2019 DE, just a filer, no VMs
- TrueNAS and Server 2019 are VMs on the same host (using passthrough, etc.)
- I won't provision 100% of the storage to iSCSI, maybe 24-32TB
OK, here is what I think I now understand about this:
- L2ARC is mostly pointless, this is just too small of an application, need to be doing much more storage and RAM
So, I would love to hear from some folks here, especially if Patrick feels like chiming in, on what you would do and especially why you think so.
Smacking my upside the head and telling me to get over this and move on from analysis paralysis is perfectly OK
As to the why:
- I am much more comfortable with Windows than TrueNAS/BSD, and there is allot of software I can use on it
- I have heavily researched just doing storage spaces, but I don't think it is ready to trust my data to it yet, as much as I want to like it
Thanks
-JCL
I posted a question to the TrueNAS forums about this, I got some good replies but I am still not sure I understand.
The post(s) is here for reference: Hardware config and iSCSI with Windows
- Also some great conceptual talk here: Similar system to iX-3216 WWIX do?
- Helpful mainly because it lists all my hardware with lots of detail
I think maybe they think I am just an idiot and gave up on me, and maybe they are right Basically, I don't just want the advise, I am trying to understand the why.....and want to finally make a decision
I work in IT, and I am not comfortable with anything I don't understand, I didn't like driving cars until I took one completely apart in college
- I work in a server team and do mainly VMware, Citrix, I am a specialist in hardware and networking, we have a separate guy for the SAN
So, I found the articles here written by Patrick about the ZIL/SLOG/L2ARC and so forth, and I think I might *finally* get it.
To summarize, given the following scenario: (I will get to why in a minute)
- SM X10SRH-CF w/128GB RAM and 16-core CPU
- 16x 4TB 7200RPM SAS2 (Seagate ST4000NM0023) - setup as two 8x RaidZ2's striped, ≈43TB usable
- iSCSI connected to Server 2019 DE, just a filer, no VMs
- TrueNAS and Server 2019 are VMs on the same host (using passthrough, etc.)
- I won't provision 100% of the storage to iSCSI, maybe 24-32TB
- I will have another smaller volume just so that I can use some of the other features of TrueNAS, such as Transmission
- My networking in the house is all 1Gig CAT6, I only use WiFi for mobile and IOT, might start getting into 2.5/5Gig EthernetOK, here is what I think I now understand about this:
- L2ARC is mostly pointless, this is just too small of an application, need to be doing much more storage and RAM
- Might even do more harm than good as it will consume RAM
- Adding a ZIL/SLOG is of questionable benefit- Could be a mirrored pair of 400Gig 12Gig SAS WD/HGST HUSMM1640ASS204
- These are 10 DWPD/5 years, PLP, 1000+MB/s Read/Write, good devices, but just may not be utilized
- I also have some 400Gig U.2 NVMe Seagate Nytro ST400KN0001, faster but these are read/mixed optimized drives
- 3 DWPD, but that may be splitting hairs because that is still around 2PB each over 5 years, I will never hit that
- After reading Patrick's articles, I imagine it would go slightly faster, but may not be worth it
- Don't know about the new features in TrueNAS, don't understand them well enoughSo, I would love to hear from some folks here, especially if Patrick feels like chiming in, on what you would do and especially why you think so.
Smacking my upside the head and telling me to get over this and move on from analysis paralysis is perfectly OK
As to the why:
- I am much more comfortable with Windows than TrueNAS/BSD, and there is allot of software I can use on it
- In a few years after I am more comfortable with TrueNAS, I will probably look back on what a fool I was not to just use it as a filer directly
- Doing SMB3+ natively in Server 2019 (or Windows vNext) has benefits vs. Samba, especially with 6-8 Win10 clients- I could do SMB<->SMB and make Windows just another client, tempting, but harder to do things like RAM caching as a file server
- I can do asynchronous deduplication (with ReFS or NTFS) from Windows with non-insane RAM requirements (saves me 4-5TB currently)- I have heavily researched just doing storage spaces, but I don't think it is ready to trust my data to it yet, as much as I want to like it
- I may setup a separate test server just to run it for a couple years and see how it goes, or use it as a backup or something
- On the other hand, ZFS seems rock solid, basically it has one job and it does it really well
- Long term data integrity is my #1, then maybe power, performance, noise, etc. (have at least 2 other backups + one in the cloud)
- My primary use cases are 20+ years of family pictures and video (allot), general files, and a bunch of DVD/BD ISO's (allot)- Building my new theater, and thinking of getting into Plex or Kodi as I have not tried them before
Thanks
-JCL