Question on having a m.2 drive for boot

[scopedberg]

Afternoon everyone, so I have a question which is if it’s alright to install the base proxmox OS and node on a m.2 SATA SSD Won’t be running anything heavy just some home stuff.) I will use an enterprise grade SATA drive for the VMs but for the main OS I plan on getting a cheap 128gb m.2 ssd or maybe a bit larger. Would it be ideal to have it run like that? And if so which SATA M.2 should I buy? I seen online that Micron, Samsung etc.. thanks. The computer supports a 2.5 SATA drive and a SATA M.2. So I plan on using the m.2 for boot

 

[UdoB]

Would it be ideal to have it run like that?

Ideal? No!

Acceptable? Maybe! It always depends on your expectations!

I have some nodes (in a cluster) which boots from a single device. (Because of the restrictions of a Mini-PC in a $Homelab.) But the hosted VMs live on a redundant one.

What do you require? What do you on expect when (not: if!) a device (be it a disk or a computer!) fails? It is completely up to you...

The computer supports a 2.5 SATA drive and a SATA M.2.

You can build a (sub-optimal, but working!) mirrored ZFS pool during installation with this...

Of course: ymmv! But personlly I am in team ZFS ;-)

 

[scopedberg]

Ideal? No!

Acceptable? Maybe! It always depends on your expectations!

I have some nodes (in a cluster) which boots from a single device. (Because of the restrictions of a Mini-PC in a $Homelab.) But the hosted VMs live on a redundant one.

What do you require? What do you on expect when (not: if!) a device (be it a disk or a computer!) fails? It is completely up to you...


You can build a (sub-optimal, but working!) mirrored ZFS pool during installation with this...

Of course: ymmv! But personlly I am in team ZFS ;-)

Thanks for the info! Now if a drive did fail I would have backups since I usually backup my VMs on an external SSD weekly. I currently plan having a single mini pc which is why I’m limited to the m.2 and the SATA. Also what SSD would be a good choice for it?

 

[UdoB]

Also what SSD would be a good choice for it?

For me? Any device with PLP.

Via a German search engine: https:// geizhals.de/?cat=hdssd&xf=7156_Power-Loss Protection~7525_SATA

Most of my SSDs are "Enterprise class". Most of my NVMe are not. This make no sense, necessarily. But especially the Homelab requires compromises...

 

[DerekG]

Thanks for the info! Now if a drive did fail I would have backups since I usually backup my VMs on an external SSD weekly. I currently plan having a single mini pc which is why I’m limited to the m.2 and the SATA. Also what SSD would be a good choice for it?

I have QTY7 Proxmox nodes running on single SSD/NVMe drives in my Homelab, for approx. 4 years now. I do keep meticulous triple PBS backups of the guests, and figure that if the Proxmox host drive fails it's simple enough to rebuild, with the only issue being iGPU etc passthrough.

I wouldn't recommend 128GB drives, as the SSD/NVMe drive endurance increases with capacity (more space mean more capacity for wear levelling), so the min I have are 256GB drives. However, if the drive is used for boot only, then you might get away with a low capacity drive.

 

[scopedberg]

I have QTY7 Proxmox nodes running on single SSD/NVMe drives in my Homelab, for approx. 4 years now. I do keep meticulous triple PBS backups of the guests, and figure that if the Proxmox host drive fails it's simple enough to rebuild, with the only issue being iGPU etc passthrough.

I wouldn't recommend 128GB drives, as the SSD/NVMe drive endurance increases with capacity (more space mean more capacity for wear levelling), so the min I have are 256GB drives. However, if the drive is used for boot only, then you might get away with a low capacity drive.

Alright, yeah I decided I might use a used Micron SSD or similar for boot. Think the capacity might be 256 minimum. Thanks for the info! And also if I were to use a single SSD would a 480gb Micron 5100 eco be alright? I’ll be making backups so if it fails I’ll have backups.

 

[DerekG]

And also if I were to use a single SSD would a 480gb Micron 5100 eco be alright? I’ll be making backups so if it fails I’ll have backups.

Yeah, that will be fine for the boot drive.

Not sure what system you'll be running the setup on, but for a homelab, you really want to be running the VM's / CT's guest on SSD or better NVMe drives, SATA drive are just too slow for anything apart from media data storage. How many drives can you fit into the system? If you can only install 1 SSD or NVMe drive, I would use that both for boot and VM/CT store, just make sure that those are backed up.

 

[scopedberg]

Yeah, that will be fine for the boot drive.

Not sure what system you'll be running the setup on, but for a homelab, you really want to be running the VM's / CT's guest on SSD or better NVMe drives, SATA drive are just too slow for anything apart from media data storage. How many drives can you fit into the system? If you can only install 1 SSD or NVMe drive, I would use that both for boot and VM/CT store, just make sure that those are backed up.

I’m currently deciding between two systems. One is a bit more expensive but has 3 slots 2 m.2 SATA Slots and 1 2.5 SATA slot. The other system has a single m.2 slot along with a 2.5 SATA slot. Would it be alright if i installed the main os on the SATA drive (2.5) or if i picked up the other system I’ll put it on a cheap enterprise grade ssd connected to the m.2 and the second m.2 slot could also be a enterprise grade ssd except much bigger and used for the VMs. Could also put a HDD in the SATA slot for storing data.

 

[DerekG]

I’m currently deciding between two systems. One is a bit more expensive but has 3 slots 2 m.2 SATA Slots and 1 2.5 SATA slot. The other system has a single m.2 slot along with a 2.5 SATA slot.

The question is what is it that you are trying to achieve there? As in which servers/applications do you have in mind to run on the system.?
Also I assume that you do not have an unlimited budget, in which case I would forget about the enterprise SSD's and focus on the creation of a solid disaster recovery plan. There are not many homelab situations where you can't manage with 1 hour or even 2 days downtime, so starting out with dual boot and enterprise kit is an overkill for most.

I would definitely opt for the system which supports the most drives (and RAM), even if you are not using them all right away. Ideally you would want mirrored or multiple drives for boot and for the VM/CT guests. but that starts to get costly. So if it were me setting up the system with those limitations, I would start out with a single drive for both boot & VM/CT, if you are not running 50 different application then the access speed shouldn't be an issue. Plus VM/CT's can always be moved to additional storage at a later date as you grow the system. Dependant on which applications you plan to use will decide how much storage you need in the 2 additional slots. I have always found that RAM / Network speed / Drive capacity are the limiting factors in that order.

What I would be most concerned about is getting hold of another low spec PC but large enough SSD storages to run Proxmox backup server. Those used mini or tiny PC's are great for that as just about any system where you can install SSD will do.

Once you get started you will get a far better idea of your equipment requirements, so keeping the system as flexible as possible without breaking the bank should be the focus now, unless that is, you have a specific application in mind.

 

[scopedberg]

The question is what is it that you are trying to achieve there? As in which servers/applications do you have in mind to run on the system.?
Also I assume that you do not have an unlimited budget, in which case I would forget about the enterprise SSD's and focus on the creation of a solid disaster recovery plan. There are not many homelab situations where you can't manage with 1 hour or even 2 days downtime, so starting out with dual boot and enterprise kit is an overkill for most.

I would definitely opt for the system which supports the most drives (and RAM), even if you are not using them all right away. Ideally you would want mirrored or multiple drives for boot and for the VM/CT guests. but that starts to get costly. So if it were me setting up the system with those limitations, I would start out with a single drive for both boot & VM/CT, if you are not running 50 different application then the access speed shouldn't be an issue. Plus VM/CT's can always be moved to additional storage at a later date as you grow the system. Dependant on which applications you plan to use will decide how much storage you need in the 2 additional slots. I have always found that RAM / Network speed / Drive capacity are the limiting factors in that order.

What I would be most concerned about is getting hold of another low spec PC but large enough SSD storages to run Proxmox backup server. Those used mini or tiny PC's are great for that as just about any system where you can install SSD will do.

Once you get started you will get a far better idea of your equipment requirements, so keeping the system as flexible as possible without breaking the bank should be the focus now, unless that is, you have a specific application in mind.

Ah alright, my main use is basically home assistant and pihole and a small windows VM that will barely be powered on so I’m just gonna go with a single large SSD. I’ll also install proxmox backup server on a spare computer I have and make backups to an external SSD often. Thanks for the tips. I’ll go with a m.2 ssd for now that’s big enough (maybe 480gb or more) I’ll go with the system that has more slots (actually it’s not really that expensive I just have to buy a bunch of components that are missing from it which shouldn’t be a problem at all.)