How to turn to ZFS

[lumox]

Hi,
I have been doing a few changes to my proxmox setup and the VMs installed in it. I still have one disk in which runs only Proxmox OS. I then installed a new ssd in which runs all my VMs.

Other two HDDs are used to both backup VMs (zst files) and store ISO Images. I'd like now to add a new HDD e create a ZFS with these 3 HDDs.

I'd like to use my ZFS pool not only to backup my Vms, store my ISOs, but also as a store space for one of my linux VM in proxmox, I mean as one of a linux partition or NAS directory
How can I achive that?
Thanks

 

[bobmc]

With a pool called tank for example

zfs create tank/proxstore
zfs create tank/proxstore/vmstore
zfs create tank/proxstore/iso
zfs create tank/proxstore/backups

Then from the proxmox gui, select datacentre -> storage -> add

from the choices you can choose either 'Directory' or 'ZFS'

if you choose ZFS and choose a dataset - e.g tank/proxstore/vmstore - then you can select content only from [Disk image | Container ]
if you chose Directory and a dataset - e.g /tank/proxstore/iso - then you can select content from [ISO image | VZDump backup file| Container template | Snippets] as well as [Disk image | Container]

 

[lumox]

Sorry, I'm still learning this zfs staff.

1) Does every HDD have to be the same size (i.g. 500GB each)?
2) How do I add each HDD to the pool?
3) Do I need to format the HDDs installed in my proxmox machine which already store data?

Thanks

 

[bobmc]

Sorry, I'm still learning this zfs staff.

1) Does every HDD have to be the same size (i.g. 500GB each)?
2) How do I add each HDD to the pool?
3) Do I need to format the HDDs installed in my proxmox machine which already store data?

Thanks

1) The drives can be mixed sizes but if you have two 1TB drives and a 500GB drive ZFS will treat each drive as 500GB. However, if you later replace
the 500GB drive with a 1TB drive the pool will resize accordingly.
2) You can create ZFS Pools in the GUI. Select the host, then Disks -> ZFS, then Create: ZFS
3) You don't need to format the HDDs but you might get warnings if the disks have already been used

 

[Dunuin]

3) You don't need to format the HDDs but you might get warnings if the disks have already been used

But in that case Proxmox will format them so back them up first.
Also make sure to calculate the right volblocksize for that pool before importing/creating VMs or you are wasting alot of capacity. And you can't change that later. Without doing that you will loose 1,5 drives and not 1 drive for parity and padding.

 

[lumox]

2) You can create ZFS Pools in the GUI. Select the host, then Disks -> ZFS, then Create: ZFS

So, if I got it right, first the command above (zfs create tank/proxstore...etc), then via gui..maybe

 

[Dunuin]

"zfs create" creates only datasets. You need to create the pool first you want to add the datasets to.