ZFS pool degraded on new build

dastrix80

New Member
Oct 25, 2025
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Hi All

Setup a new machine using intel enteprise ssds, one has 18% wear but shouldnt be an issue

Noted this now, machine detects the disks as does proxmox ui

root@proxmox:~# zpool status
pool: VM_Storage
state: ONLINE
config:

NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM
VM_Storage ONLINE 0 0 0
mirror-0 ONLINE 0 0 0
scsi-35002538a48b2ad30 ONLINE 0 0 0
scsi-35002538a48b2ad10 ONLINE 0 0 0

errors: No known data errors

pool: rpool
state: DEGRADED
status: One or more devices could not be used because the label is missing or
invalid. Sufficient replicas exist for the pool to continue
functioning in a degraded state.
action: Replace the device using 'zpool replace'.
see: https://openzfs.github.io/openzfs-docs/msg/ZFS-8000-4J
config:

NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM
rpool DEGRADED 0 0 0
mirror-0 DEGRADED 0 0 0
3251081179864595118 UNAVAIL 0 0 0 was /dev/disk/by-id/ata-INTEL_SSDSC2KB480G8_BTYF83150H7H480BGN-part3
ata-INTEL_SSDSC2KB480G8_PHYF933100M6480BGN-part3 ONLINE 0 0 0

errors: No known data errors

Smart values all show just fine

What would you suggest?

Thanks!
 
Hi there

It looks like the issue isn’t the SSD itself but the ZFS label on one of the rpool members.

The key part of your zpool status output is:

Code:
status: One or more devices could not be used because the label is missing or invalid.
...
3251081179864595118 UNAVAIL was /dev/disk/by-id/ata-INTEL_SSDSC2KB480G8_BTYF83150H7H480BGN-part3

SMART can still look perfectly fine, ZFS doesn’t mark a device failed because of SMART, it marks it failed when the ZFS metadata at the start/end of the partition becomes unreadable. That’s what the ZFS‑8000‑4J message ID refers to.

This usually happens due to:
  • corrupted or partially overwritten ZFS labels
  • a partition table rewrite
  • a cable/port event that caused the disk to briefly disappear
  • leftover labels from a previous pool
The disk is physically present (Proxmox UI sees it), but ZFS can’t match the on‑disk label with the expected GUID, so it drops it and keeps the pool running in degraded mode.

Since it's a new system, a backup is probably not essential but as usual, before attempting the following make sure your important data, logs or VMs are backed up, if needed.

If the disk is the correct one and SMART looks good, you can safely wipe the stale ZFS labels and re‑add it to the mirror:

Code:
# Identify the correct disk
ls -l /dev/disk/by-id | grep INTEL_SSDSC2KB480G8

# Wipe old ZFS labels
wipefs -a /dev/disk/by-id/ata-INTEL_SSDSC2KB480G8_BTYF83150H7H480BGN

# Reattach it to the rpool
zpool replace rpool 3251081179864595118 \
  /dev/disk/by-id/ata-INTEL_SSDSC2KB480G8_BTYF83150H7H480BGN-part3

# Monitor the resilver
zpool status -v

If the resilver completes cleanly, the disk is fine.
If it drops out again, then start suspecting cabling or the SSD.

The 18% wear isn’t related — Intel enterprise SSDs typically run reliably down to 0% remaining life.


Fabián Rodríguez | Le Goût du Libre Inc. | Montreal, Canada | Mastodon
Proxmox Silver Partner, server and desktop enterprise support in French, English and Spanish