Smartctl is great, don't get me wrong. But it's an issue when it's the only option integrated in a GUI.
Some small devices can make great PVE nodes. Sure, a 4.5W TDP CPU won't crunch much tasks, and 4GB won't let you run that many things. But such devices have their reason to exist, AND to run Proxmox.
What are these? Well, you would mostly think of a singleboard computer, a tinkerboard or something.
But lets recycle some niche hardware that is greatly under-rated, especially for how cheap you can get them. Compute sticks.
I actually made a post 6 months ago about how I went on to install Proxmox on one, and it has been running smoothly since and fulfilling its purpose (Recursive DNS/Certs/ReverseProxy/Cron/Dashboard&Utilies).
And back then I did mentioned that Proxmox, during the install wouldn't be able to target an oh-so-common type of storage in low powered devices: eMMC storage.
It can be worked around, it could be supported, but it's of least concern if you know how to go around the issue.
Smartctl though, is also incapable of communicating with such storage media (and it's normal).
For that, you would need mmc-utils, which works great in commandline, but as such requires to go out of your way to not just quick-check the GUI.
So I wonder, am I an edge-case junktastic OCD-ridden crackhead, or are some of you all also wishing for mmc-utils' integration in Proxmox' GUI (possibly eMMC support in the install ISO too?), and a smartmontools alternative when it comes to mail alerts for storage media's health(though that one could be scriptable)?
Some small devices can make great PVE nodes. Sure, a 4.5W TDP CPU won't crunch much tasks, and 4GB won't let you run that many things. But such devices have their reason to exist, AND to run Proxmox.
- Such low power devices are great when it comes to keeping a network's critical appliances and services running on UPS during a brown out, while more power hungry non-critical systems shut down to increase battery run-time.
- And it makes sense (really) to have such low powered devices run Proxmox. That way, they are part of the cluster, available as any other bigger node through the same interface, behind the same credentials, with the same cluster-wide firewall and policies, leveraging the same backup system, and their workloads (LXC containers and maybe even a small VM or two) can be moved to an other node swiftly in the rare time they have to be taken down for maintenance.
Inter compatibility, interoperability and ease of maintenance... a dream!
What are these? Well, you would mostly think of a singleboard computer, a tinkerboard or something.
But lets recycle some niche hardware that is greatly under-rated, especially for how cheap you can get them. Compute sticks.
I actually made a post 6 months ago about how I went on to install Proxmox on one, and it has been running smoothly since and fulfilling its purpose (Recursive DNS/Certs/ReverseProxy/Cron/Dashboard&Utilies).
And back then I did mentioned that Proxmox, during the install wouldn't be able to target an oh-so-common type of storage in low powered devices: eMMC storage.
It can be worked around, it could be supported, but it's of least concern if you know how to go around the issue.
Smartctl though, is also incapable of communicating with such storage media (and it's normal).
For that, you would need mmc-utils, which works great in commandline, but as such requires to go out of your way to not just quick-check the GUI.
So I wonder, am I an edge-case junktastic OCD-ridden crackhead, or are some of you all also wishing for mmc-utils' integration in Proxmox' GUI (possibly eMMC support in the install ISO too?), and a smartmontools alternative when it comes to mail alerts for storage media's health(though that one could be scriptable)?