Help moving ZFS storage.

argaskins

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Jan 16, 2024
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Due to a lot of drive issues I decided to downgrade the size of my ZFS vdev. I currently have 3 12TB drives in ZFS Raid-Z1. I plan to switch to 3 3TB drive ZFS Raid-Z1. I have about 5 containers/vms that I would like to keep. the rest can go. My system doesn't have the sata connections available to have both ZFS groups running at the same time. I am looking for best ways to move the containers over without having to rebuild them. Suggestions?
 
Have good backup. Scrub the raidz1, remove 1x 12T, create 12T single pool, copy over to single disk, shutdown big pool and remove the remaining 2x 12T, insert 2x 3T, create 3T file with fallocate on 12T disk, create raidz1 with 3x 3T, copy over to new raidz1, detach sparse file, shutdown 12T pool and remove 12T, insert last 3T disk, replace in small raidz1 pool missing pseudo disk with the real one, done
:)
 
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My system doesn't have the sata connections available to have both ZFS groups running at the same time.
Buy some USB-to-SATA adapters to use them temporarily for this task. They are cheap, five to ten Dollars/Euros each...


Edit: that is probably not going to work for 3.5 inch harddisks, because of the required power...
 
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You really don't want raidzX for good VM interactive response, you'd be better off with a mirror.

https://search.brave.com/search?q=w...summary=1&conversation=32436901fda7e7fa36167e

My advice is to invest in a proper HBA in IT mode, make sure it's actively cooled, and get either a cheap 5-bay rack and a standard PC power supply, or a disk shelf. Otherwise you'll be in the same boat farther down the road when disk(s) start failing.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV142WM5

https://www.ebay.com/itm/194192688167?_trksid=p4375194.c101949.m162918
^ For what you get, the fans may be a bit loud at startup but it's amazingly inexpensive for 15x 3.5-inch drive bays (and can do SAS drives). IIRC it uses ~160 watts fully populated with spinners

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LF40KE
^ out of stock, but you get the picture

If you're not using a UPS, that would be the 1st thing to invest in if you're having "drive problems" - 2nd would be replacement cables, 3rd would be possibly power supply
 
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Due to a lot of drive issues I decided to downgrade the size of my ZFS vdev. I currently have 3 12TB drives in ZFS Raid-Z1. I plan to switch to 3 3TB drive ZFS Raid-Z1.

Whats makes you think, that the capacity of the drives is the cause for the issues? Sounds more like a failing drive, power or connectivy issue.
 
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I thought he has 3 smaller but new(/er) disks and the big once did a couple of work the last years and begin aging ... so he wants to go that way.