Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 1:58 AM, krad wrote: > A few people have mentioned labelling the drives. Its a good thing to do, > but take it a step further. Before you put the drives in the system, > physically label them with something identifiable (colored sticker, number > whatever). Then when you create the logical labels with geom, match them up. > Makes you life a lot easier when the 'RED' drive fails Also, think about how you label them. If you mark up the drive, the manufacturer may refuse to honor the warranty. (http://consumerist.com/2010/09/write-on-your-hard-drive-kill-the-warranty.html) Best to use something removable. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 19 November 2010 10:25, Matthew Seaman wrote: > On 19/11/2010 10:00, krad wrote: > > If you already have a 3ware card and you are familiar with them, why not > let > > it do the raid and just plonk zfs on top of the lun presented to the > system? > > Will make booting off pure zfs much easier. > > There's a lot of duplication of function there -- both ZFS and the RAID > card will be doing background tasks to try and ensure the integrity of > the data, which means more disk IO than is really necessary. > > Not really as zfs wouldnt be doing any raid. Just checksuming etc. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
> On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 9:30 AM, Peter wrote: > >> I tend to stay away from raid cards. With ZFS pools all you need is ZFS >> and any OS [easily move drives around servers], vs. raid cards have to >> be >> the same if moving/replacing/card fails. >> >> With 'ZFS: do not give it all your HDD' >> [ http://www.freebsddiary.org/zfs-with-gpart.php ] >> You don't even need to have drives that are exactly the same. >> >> Completely not tied to any hardware >> > > Wow! I'm learning more and more and I'm really beginning to like ZFS! > > Question: What happens if 1 drive out of say 4 fails in a pool? And what > about hotswapping a (faulty) drive? Is this still possible with ZFS? Can I > actually replace a Raid 5 setup with a ZFS settup and have the same data > security if drives fail?' > > Cheers, > Andy Easily can be done. zpool mirror on a desktop, I recently just did a 'zpool offline' one of the drives, unplugged it from my sata port, plugged in another drive, and put it into the pool - all with desktop running. No esata, just cheap sata controller [biostar mobo] with AHCI enabled in BIOS and loader.conf. [My version of cheap esata and "offsite backups"] Make sure to use labels when adding drives to pool. With gpart labels, I can plug a drive into any port and FreeBSD/ZFS will pickup the label and no need to worry about putting drives into correct port/controller. You might want to try raidz instead of raid-5, but I've no experience with that except for what I've read. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID-Z#RAID-Z ] ]Peter[ ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 19/11/2010 10:00, krad wrote: > If you already have a 3ware card and you are familiar with them, why not let > it do the raid and just plonk zfs on top of the lun presented to the system? > Will make booting off pure zfs much easier. There's a lot of duplication of function there -- both ZFS and the RAID card will be doing background tasks to try and ensure the integrity of the data, which means more disk IO than is really necessary. A good RAID card should give you almost all of what ZFS gives you, and if you spec it with BBU really should outperform ZFS over the same number of drives. Also RAID cards tend to have plenty of battery-backed cache, which also aids performance. Of course, all this comes at a fairly hefty price tag. ZFS wins by using some of the excess CPU power -- and modern CPUs tend to have cores and cycles to spare -- and the main system RAM, all of which you'ld have to have anyhow, to let you connect a bunch of drives to a system using relatively cheap SAS / SATA cards and get much the same functionality as an expensive dedicated RAID card. Not to mention you can do all the ZFS adminning from the OS; no need to boot into the BIOS or flail about trying to find a compatible management program. I've put ZFS on top of h/w RAID before now, but I configured the h/w RAID as a JBOD, and let ZFS do all the work. Cheers, Matthew -- Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 7 Priory Courtyard Flat 3 PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Ramsgate JID: matt...@infracaninophile.co.uk Kent, CT11 9PW signature.asc Description: OpenPGP digital signature
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:44:12 + Paul Wootton wrote: > Here is a copy from smartctl > 9 Power_On_Hours 0x0032 092 092 000Old_age > Always - 5958 > 193 Load_Cycle_Count0x0032 001 001 000Old_age > Always - 885346 > > The drive has less than 250 days online, but is nearly at tripple the > rated load/unload cycle. > While the drive is still working, I have NO faith in it anymore and > am just waiting for it to die. It seems almost necessary to use WD's wdidle3.exe utility to disable the aggressive power management. I'm at 27002 hours and 39405 load cycles so far. More worrying perhaps is that there's already a reallocated sector and a few uncorrectable errors logged. Having said that I got a brand new disk yesterday and found the "Multi_Zone_Error_Rate" was non-zero so I think people should probably stop worrying about the raw value and learn to focus on the Value/Worst/Thesh fields instead. -- Bruce Cran ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 19 November 2010 09:48, Andy Wodfer wrote: > On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 9:30 AM, Peter wrote: > > > I tend to stay away from raid cards. With ZFS pools all you need is ZFS > > and any OS [easily move drives around servers], vs. raid cards have to be > > the same if moving/replacing/card fails. > > > > With 'ZFS: do not give it all your HDD' > > [ http://www.freebsddiary.org/zfs-with-gpart.php ] > > You don't even need to have drives that are exactly the same. > > > > Completely not tied to any hardware > > > > Wow! I'm learning more and more and I'm really beginning to like ZFS! > > Question: What happens if 1 drive out of say 4 fails in a pool? And what > about hotswapping a (faulty) drive? Is this still possible with ZFS? Can I > actually replace a Raid 5 setup with a ZFS settup and have the same data > security if drives fail?' > > Cheers, > Andy > ___ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to " > freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org" > If you already have a 3ware card and you are familiar with them, why not let it do the raid and just plonk zfs on top of the lun presented to the system? Will make booting off pure zfs much easier. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 18 November 2010 13:51, Mike Tancsa wrote: > On 11/18/2010 7:16 AM, Andy Wodfer wrote: > > Hi, > > I'm going to build a server that's intended to store uncompressed > videofiles > > (where 1 hour film equals about 500GB). I plan on using Western Digital > 2TB > > or 3TB SATA harddrives. Total storage in version 1 of this server will > > probably be 8-12 TB. Harddrive speed is not so important so a 5400rpm > drive > > would be OK. Seems like the green line of WD harddrives use both 5400rpm > and > > 7200rpm. I will use RAID 5. > > I would stay away from the green series hard drives for this > application. There have been a number of reports of issues with the > drive's power saving design causing problems when used in raid arrays. > Search the list for more details. Use their black series instead. > > > > > The processor will be a 64bit capable Intel processor and I plan on using > a > > Highpoint Rocketraid or 3ware Raid controller. > > I would use FreeBSD 8.2 ( a contemporary RELENG_8 snapshot in other > words) that is AMD64. > eg > > ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/snapshots/201011/FreeBSD-8.1-STABLE-201011-amd64-dvd1.iso > > Use ZFS for the file system. Snapshots for backup and data integrity. > 3Wares are great controllers, but a decent MB with 6 SATA ports and then > an additional eSata controller with external drive cage like this one. > http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/adsa3gpx8-4e.asp > > see the man page for ahci on what is supported. > > Booting off zfs is a bit tricky. If you already have the 3ware card, a > pair of smaller / cheaper drives for the base OS and then all your zfs > drives for data storage is the least painful way to go right now. I do > this for my backup server. 10TB of storage, but the box boots off a > 3ware raid card in raid1 mirror for the base OS. > > ZFS is a bit of a different beast at first, but its very worth while to > get to know and understand. > >---Mike > ___ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to " > freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org" > Save on the drives and put the base part of the os on a usb stick, just make sure you mount the writeable areas of the os from the pool (tmp, var etc). A few people have mentioned labelling the drives. Its a good thing to do, but take it a step further. Before you put the drives in the system, physically label them with something identifiable (colored sticker, number whatever). Then when you create the logical labels with geom, match them up. Makes you life a lot easier when the 'RED' drive fails ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 9:30 AM, Peter wrote: > I tend to stay away from raid cards. With ZFS pools all you need is ZFS > and any OS [easily move drives around servers], vs. raid cards have to be > the same if moving/replacing/card fails. > > With 'ZFS: do not give it all your HDD' > [ http://www.freebsddiary.org/zfs-with-gpart.php ] > You don't even need to have drives that are exactly the same. > > Completely not tied to any hardware > Wow! I'm learning more and more and I'm really beginning to like ZFS! Question: What happens if 1 drive out of say 4 fails in a pool? And what about hotswapping a (faulty) drive? Is this still possible with ZFS? Can I actually replace a Raid 5 setup with a ZFS settup and have the same data security if drives fail?' Cheers, Andy ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
> Thanks a lot to all who responded to my post. > > I have learned lots here. Too bad I have to find another use for my 4 x > 2TB > green WDC drives I have laying around. Anyways - they'll probably end up > as > a temp/work drive on a few Windows stations. > > Btw. will these drive work better in a ZFS "pool/tank" (not connected to a > raid card)? I have noticed on my FreeNAS server that you can group several > drives together into "one" large ZFS "drive". I tend to stay away from raid cards. With ZFS pools all you need is ZFS and any OS [easily move drives around servers], vs. raid cards have to be the same if moving/replacing/card fails. With 'ZFS: do not give it all your HDD' [ http://www.freebsddiary.org/zfs-with-gpart.php ] You don't even need to have drives that are exactly the same. Completely not tied to any hardware > > So my conclusion is so far: I'm going to go for the 64bit version of > FreeBSD > and use ZFS (mainly due to error correction), but perhaps UFS for the OS. > I > will use a Raid controller (probably the RocketRaid 2640x1 which I have > here, but may also consider getting a new 3ware card with battery backup), > get the largest Raid Edition drives (need to order them) and use a > separate > Raid 1 for the OS (or worst case simply a SATA connector on the > motherboard > and backup this often) and a Raid 5 for the file storage area. > > Again - thanks a lot for all your help! Very appreciated! > > Best regards, > Andy > ___ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to > "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org" > -- ]Peter[ ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Fri, Nov 19, 2010 at 2:03 AM, Andy Wodfer wrote: > I have learned lots here. Too bad I have to find another use for my 4 x 2TB > green WDC drives I have laying around. Anyways - they'll probably end up as > a temp/work drive on a few Windows stations. > > Btw. will these drive work better in a ZFS "pool/tank" (not connected to a > raid card)? I have noticed on my FreeNAS server that you can group several > drives together into "one" large ZFS "drive". > They should be fine in ZFS, I think there is also a utility to set the amount of time before it parks the heads, if you raise the time you should less of the load/unload cycles. Not sure if it's mentioned, but those drives are susceptible to misalignment, however that shouldn't be an issue if you use the whole drive. -- Adam Vande More ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
Thanks a lot to all who responded to my post. I have learned lots here. Too bad I have to find another use for my 4 x 2TB green WDC drives I have laying around. Anyways - they'll probably end up as a temp/work drive on a few Windows stations. Btw. will these drive work better in a ZFS "pool/tank" (not connected to a raid card)? I have noticed on my FreeNAS server that you can group several drives together into "one" large ZFS "drive". So my conclusion is so far: I'm going to go for the 64bit version of FreeBSD and use ZFS (mainly due to error correction), but perhaps UFS for the OS. I will use a Raid controller (probably the RocketRaid 2640x1 which I have here, but may also consider getting a new 3ware card with battery backup), get the largest Raid Edition drives (need to order them) and use a separate Raid 1 for the OS (or worst case simply a SATA connector on the motherboard and backup this often) and a Raid 5 for the file storage area. Again - thanks a lot for all your help! Very appreciated! Best regards, Andy ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 11/18/10 18:23, Chuck Swiger wrote: On Nov 18, 2010, at 5:51 AM, Mike Tancsa wrote: On 11/18/2010 7:16 AM, Andy Wodfer wrote: Harddrive speed is not so important so a 5400rpm drive would be OK. Seems like the green line of WD harddrives use both 5400rpm and 7200rpm. I will use RAID 5. I would stay away from the green series hard drives for this application. There have been a number of reports of issues with the drive's power saving design causing problems when used in raid arrays. Search the list for more details. Use their black series instead. While the WDC green drives are unsuitable for any RAID application From my own personal experience, I will not use WD Green drives again, be it for RAID or not. I have a one as my boot up and OS drive on a home server configured as a single drive in a ZFS pool (so none RAID). The load/unload cycle is rated at 300,000. Here is a copy from smartctl 9 Power_On_Hours 0x0032 092 092 000Old_age Always - 5958 193 Load_Cycle_Count0x0032 001 001 000Old_age Always - 885346 The drive has less than 250 days online, but is nearly at tripple the rated load/unload cycle. While the drive is still working, I have NO faith in it anymore and am just waiting for it to die. Paul ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Nov 18, 2010, at 5:51 AM, Mike Tancsa wrote: > On 11/18/2010 7:16 AM, Andy Wodfer wrote: >> Harddrive speed is not so important so a 5400rpm drive >> would be OK. Seems like the green line of WD harddrives use both 5400rpm and >> 7200rpm. I will use RAID 5. > > I would stay away from the green series hard drives for this > application. There have been a number of reports of issues with the > drive's power saving design causing problems when used in raid arrays. > Search the list for more details. Use their black series instead. While the WDC green drives are unsuitable for any RAID application, and the WDC black series drives would be better, I'd only use them for a RAID-1 or RAID-10 setup. If the OP wants to use RAID-5 then you really need to go with the RE3/RE4 or RE-GP enterprise models due to TLER: http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1397 Otherwise, you're quite likely to have a drive or two get dropped out of the array due to a single bad sector, and you might end up having the entire RAID-5 volume getting corrupted as a consequence Regards, -- -Chuck ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 2010/11/18 at 8:44, ryan.cole...@cwis.biz (Ryan Coleman) wrote: FYI: I used Seagate hard drives (I hear they are coming out with a 3TB internal drive any day now): Yes, but a 5200-5400 RPM drive, I believe. From the OP: On 2010/11/18 at 3:16, wod...@gmail.com (Andy Wodfer) wrote: Harddrive speed is not so important so a 5400rpm drive would be OK. It would seem to me that a 5400 RPM very large drive is exactly what he is looking for. As he was being discouraged from using WD Greenline (which if the rumors are accurate is the only version the WD 3TB drive will be initially available in), the Seagate 3TB option may be useful to him. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Nov 18, 2010, at 11:29 AM, Peter A. Giessel wrote: > On 2010/11/18 at 3:16, wod...@gmail.com (Andy Wodfer) wrote: > >> Total storage in version 1 of this server will >> probably be 8-12 TB. > ... >> The processor will be a 64bit capable Intel processor and I plan on using a >> Highpoint Rocketraid or 3ware Raid controller. > ... >> 1. Which FreeBSD version should I install? > ... >> 2. I know that the 3ware Raid controller supports larger drives than 2TB (or >> was it 1TB?)... How can I create this huge partition/slice? I >> don't think the installer (atleast on the standard FreeBSD version) supports >> these large drives? > > Just chiming in with my own experience... I built a "cheap" media storage > server > so I don't have to keep digging DVDs out of the pile and can just stream them > from the server. 4x1.5TB Raid 5 disks. > > I haven't updated it to FreeBSD 8.2 yet, so: > [media: ~]> uname -a > FreeBSD media 8.0-RELEASE FreeBSD 8.0-RELEASE #0: Sat Nov 21 15:48:17 UTC > 2009 r...@almeida.cse.buffalo.edu:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC i386 > (its a Pentium 4... cheap but effective hardware... the processor is hardly > ever significantly used. Its just a file server). > > To ease booting problems, I used 3ware's drivers to create a booting volume > out of the bigger unit. FYI: I used Seagate hard drives (I hear they are > coming out with a 3TB internal drive any day now): Yes, but a 5200-5400 RPM drive, I believe. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 2010/11/18 at 3:16, wod...@gmail.com (Andy Wodfer) wrote: Total storage in version 1 of this server will probably be 8-12 TB. ... The processor will be a 64bit capable Intel processor and I plan on using a Highpoint Rocketraid or 3ware Raid controller. ... 1. Which FreeBSD version should I install? ... 2. I know that the 3ware Raid controller supports larger drives than 2TB (or was it 1TB?)... How can I create this huge partition/slice? I don't think the installer (atleast on the standard FreeBSD version) supports these large drives? Just chiming in with my own experience... I built a "cheap" media storage server so I don't have to keep digging DVDs out of the pile and can just stream them from the server. 4x1.5TB Raid 5 disks. I haven't updated it to FreeBSD 8.2 yet, so: [media: ~]> uname -a FreeBSD media 8.0-RELEASE FreeBSD 8.0-RELEASE #0: Sat Nov 21 15:48:17 UTC 2009 r...@almeida.cse.buffalo.edu:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/GENERIC i386 (its a Pentium 4... cheap but effective hardware... the processor is hardly ever significantly used. Its just a file server). To ease booting problems, I used 3ware's drivers to create a booting volume out of the bigger unit. FYI: I used Seagate hard drives (I hear they are coming out with a 3TB internal drive any day now): ___ # tw_cli /c0 show all /c0 Driver Version = 3.70.05.001 /c0 Model = 9550SXU-4LP /c0 Available Memory = 112MB /c0 Firmware Version = FE9X 3.08.00.029 /c0 Bios Version = BE9X 3.10.00.003 /c0 Boot Loader Version = BL9X 3.02.00.001 /c0 Serial Number = L320912A9410199 /c0 PCB Version = Rev 032 /c0 PCHIP Version = 1.60 /c0 ACHIP Version = 1.90 /c0 Number of Ports = 4 /c0 Number of Drives = 4 /c0 Number of Units = 1 /c0 Total Optimal Units = 1 /c0 Not Optimal Units = 0 /c0 JBOD Export Policy = off /c0 Disk Spinup Policy = 1 /c0 Spinup Stagger Time Policy (sec) = 1 /c0 Auto-Carving Policy = off /c0 Auto-Carving Size = 2048 GB /c0 Auto-Rebuild Policy = on /c0 Rebuild Rate = 1 /c0 Verify Rate = 1 /c0 Controller Bus Type = PCIX /c0 Controller Bus Width = 64 bits /c0 Controller Bus Speed = 66 Mhz Unit UnitType Status %RCmpl %V/I/M Stripe Size(GB) Cache AVrfy -- u0RAID-5OK - - 64K 4190.92 ON OFF Port Status Unit SizeBlocksSerial --- p0 OK u0 1.36 TB 29302771689VS2Y6AV p1 OK u0 1.36 TB 29302771689VS2X5A2 p2 OK u0 1.36 TB 29302771689VS2VDDA p3 OK u0 1.36 TB 29302771689VS2X5P6 ___ Because I was using an older motherboard that doesn't have EFI, I needed a boot partition that was less than 2.2TB, so I used 3ware's bios utility to make 2 volumes: ___ # tw_cli /c0/u0 show Unit UnitType Status %RCmpl %V/I/M Port Stripe Size(GB) u0 RAID-5OK - - - 64K 4190.92 u0-0 DISK OK - - p3- 1396.97 u0-1 DISK OK - - p2- 1396.97 u0-2 DISK OK - - p1- 1396.97 u0-3 DISK OK - - p0- 1396.97 u0/v0Volume- - - - - 20 u0/v1Volume- - - - - 4170.92 ___ To partition the larger volume I used gpart: ___ # gpart show => 63 41942943 da0 MBR (20G) 63 419295871 freebsd [active] (20G) 41929650 13356 - free - (6.5M) => 0 41929587 da0s1 BSD (20G) 0524288 1 freebsd-ufs (256M) 524288 8388608 2 freebsd-swap (4.0G) 8912896 8388608 4 freebsd-ufs (4.0G) 17301504 8388608 5 freebsd-ufs (4.0G) 25690112 16239475 6 freebsd-ufs (7.7G) =>34 8747055038 da1 GPT (4.1T) 34 87470550381 freebsd-ufs (4.1T) ___ Which turned out thusly: ___ # df -h Filesystem SizeUsed Avail Capacity Mounted on /dev/da0s1a248M163M 64M72%/ devfs 1.0K1.0K 0B 100%/dev /dev/da1p1 3.9T3.5T155G96%/media /dev/da0s1e3.9G 18K3.6G 0%/tmp /dev/da0s1f7.5G3.4G3.5G50%/usr /dev/da0s1d3.9G234M3.3G 6%/var ___ I jus
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Nov 18, 2010, at 6:16 AM, Andy Wodfer wrote: > Hi, > I'm going to build a server that's intended to store uncompressed videofiles > (where 1 hour film equals about 500GB). I plan on using Western Digital 2TB > or 3TB SATA harddrives. Total storage in version 1 of this server will > probably be 8-12 TB. Harddrive speed is not so important so a 5400rpm drive > would be OK. Seems like the green line of WD harddrives use both 5400rpm and > 7200rpm. I will use RAID 5. As a user of such a system (1.5TB, though) I recommend that you NOT use the green drives. If you insist on WD go with the Black. I've had good luck with Hitachi, myself. > The processor will be a 64bit capable Intel processor and I plan on using a > Highpoint Rocketraid or 3ware Raid controller. I have the RR2320 and am happy. > > So now my questions: > > 1. Which FreeBSD version should I install? (it must support large drives). > I'm currently using the standard FreeBSD 8.1 (STABLE) on several servers, > but this is a 32bit version, right? I suppose I need a 64bit version when I > use large harddrives? Running 8.1 for the AMD64. I'd run 64bit no matter what. You can always get 32bit to run in 64, but not v-v. > 2. I know that the 3ware Raid controller supports larger drives than 2TB (or > was it 1TB?). The Highpoint controller I'm not so sure of, but I've had good > experience with these on a few Windows servers and on one FreeBSD server. My > setup would be to use the entire disk for both operating system and > filestorage (in version 1). How can I create this huge partition/slice? I > don't think the installer (atleast on the standard FreeBSD version) supports > these large drives? Yes. I'm using UFS (at the recommendation 3 years ago of this list) and am quite happy. The 2320s are supporting both an 8x1TB RAID5 (6.3TB) and an 8x1.5TB RAID5 (~9.5TB) without issue. If you get it all going OK in the first run you have a web interface for the RR223x boards. > Thanks for your help. I might have follow-up questions as my project make > progress. Good luck, Andy. > Best, > Andy ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On 11/18/2010 7:16 AM, Andy Wodfer wrote: > Hi, > I'm going to build a server that's intended to store uncompressed videofiles > (where 1 hour film equals about 500GB). I plan on using Western Digital 2TB > or 3TB SATA harddrives. Total storage in version 1 of this server will > probably be 8-12 TB. Harddrive speed is not so important so a 5400rpm drive > would be OK. Seems like the green line of WD harddrives use both 5400rpm and > 7200rpm. I will use RAID 5. I would stay away from the green series hard drives for this application. There have been a number of reports of issues with the drive's power saving design causing problems when used in raid arrays. Search the list for more details. Use their black series instead. > > The processor will be a 64bit capable Intel processor and I plan on using a > Highpoint Rocketraid or 3ware Raid controller. I would use FreeBSD 8.2 ( a contemporary RELENG_8 snapshot in other words) that is AMD64. eg ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/snapshots/201011/FreeBSD-8.1-STABLE-201011-amd64-dvd1.iso Use ZFS for the file system. Snapshots for backup and data integrity. 3Wares are great controllers, but a decent MB with 6 SATA ports and then an additional eSata controller with external drive cage like this one. http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/adsa3gpx8-4e.asp see the man page for ahci on what is supported. Booting off zfs is a bit tricky. If you already have the 3ware card, a pair of smaller / cheaper drives for the base OS and then all your zfs drives for data storage is the least painful way to go right now. I do this for my backup server. 10TB of storage, but the box boots off a 3ware raid card in raid1 mirror for the base OS. ZFS is a bit of a different beast at first, but its very worth while to get to know and understand. ---Mike ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:51:13 + Bruce Cran wrote: > There's a guide to installing FreeBSD on zfs at > http://wiki.freebsd.org/RootOnZFS/GPTZFSBoot . Note that even if you > have a 'legacy' BIOS you can still use GPT - if you use the MBR scheme > you'll be limited to a maximum partition of 2TB. To answer the question - you use gpart to partition the drive and zpool to format it. e.g. for a single disk with no zraid: gpart create -s gpt devicenode gpart add -t freebsd-zfs -l label devicenode zpool create poolname /dev/gpt/label -- Bruce Cran ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 Sorry missed the ZFS part. > > >>> >>> 2. I know that the 3ware Raid controller supports larger drives than 2TB >> (or >>> was it 1TB?). The Highpoint controller I'm not so sure of, but I've had >> good >>> experience with these on a few Windows servers and on one FreeBSD server. >> My >>> setup would be to use the entire disk for both operating system and >>> filestorage (in version 1). How can I create this huge partition/slice? I >>> don't think the installer (atleast on the standard FreeBSD version) >> supports >>> these large drives? >>> >> >> You can use vinum or ZFS. >> > Excellent. I'm using ZFS on a FreeNAS installation. Is ZFS still considered > experimental on FreeBSD or is it now production ready? What tool or command > is used to partition/format/create a large ZFS drive? ZFS has its own command set and management tools. There are a number of talks about production readiness of ZFS. I have never had issues with it, but my own personal experiences are not true of the world. http://wiki.freebsd.org/ZFSQuickStartGuide i avoid using the raw block devices, and use gpart and create a partition the size of the device, and then use the /dev/gpart/label devices. see http://blogs.freebsdish.org/lulf/2008/12/16/setting-up-a-zfs-only-system/ for some ideas about gpart and this. > > Thanks and best regards, > Andy > ___ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org" William Brown pgp.mit.edu -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.14 (Darwin) iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJM5SHQAAoJEHF16AnLoz6JPZIQALgW/gs0YlkVKxMkcMqwJe2q /g3Sbb0xqp9Zuo0cwMv5KxZQKhaY2FZ1UD7ynSxB7lwxGEkNFPRUwS/CpXg4lJpK 6WbYEGfN2AAZKW2raE9Ufhb17xBuya5Z02EBnIBWVO9ts4wAiBT3AQ3PGQSuZu+A auO6HRsBcDmd6c/U2Q+Xg4yFXm4Y2RTh8mFzSFsGtKcbiRxPL7GD+isi1+ShbXCH KxNHkW2dub9Udn6cyA/9vCpdLV1SBL69MDh3ihDChI3g+QFgqnMzw2OWDusSxad5 Ub4Ox5dP8X06AYL6jiFThk9Wg51pxLlLj/+DuCvc9dwg0nqZfHca7fWkNQiRleQH kvOMq1OjWY2/E4Jz7qRe3/y7Yy9wrwIs+3w490p/1xtqE8b2d+Lr3g8OZgbkASoJ WWFJhEz5xVlkEusN/hbQpgn0eNOP4E4p7cVWiAf/YcCEDIJOufuIkgLlpBsjXEhP IO3ybMEDnpxVjDbumpUMLaYgXoVG3XDgKtBltb/vexdcvM0tKXNf9mvrAIIuc9dB XvrLXHU04YfggXj6Nakw8wRQqIDQI7JcJsejJNiiQVaBmIkIhoIDVfe4bOxpvrJw JMDWAejiAwqLpN3vgCkF9ohpiXrSwTOFNCAOBYZ+WubODJNfjGFrUdL7Dz+GZlPO Ehv6uu2QbF7SszSc5mHl =sTvS -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
On Thu, 18 Nov 2010 13:42:14 +0100 Andy Wodfer wrote: > Thanks! I didn't know I could use amd64 on Intel servers. Then my next > questions will be: How about the ports collection - does the 64bit > version have most of the ports? I need ffmpeg, php, apache, mysql, > imagemagick, ghostscript, exiftools and a few more small ones. amd64 is well supported now. It used to be that lots of ports didn't work, but I think that's mostly (totally?) been fixed now. > Excellent. I'm using ZFS on a FreeNAS installation. Is ZFS still > considered experimental on FreeBSD or is it now production ready? > What tool or command is used to partition/format/create a large ZFS > drive? The stability has greatly improved over the last year but it can still have issues. Apparently if something goes wrong you'll normally have to restore from backups since fixing filesystem errors isn't something you can normally do. There's a guide to installing FreeBSD on zfs at http://wiki.freebsd.org/RootOnZFS/GPTZFSBoot . Note that even if you have a 'legacy' BIOS you can still use GPT - if you use the MBR scheme you'll be limited to a maximum partition of 2TB. -- Bruce Cran ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 18/11/2010, at 23:12, Andy Wodfer wrote: > [snip] > >>> 1. Which FreeBSD version should I install? (it must support large >> drives). >>> I'm currently using the standard FreeBSD 8.1 (STABLE) on several servers, >>> but this is a 32bit version, right? I suppose I need a 64bit version when >> I >>> use large harddrives? >> >> Freebsd has been 64 bit for a long time. It supports multiple >> architectures. You want amd64 (yes, even on an intel 64bit) > > > Thanks! I didn't know I could use amd64 on Intel servers. Then my next > questions will be: How about the ports collection - does the 64bit version > have most of the ports? I need ffmpeg, php, apache, mysql, imagemagick, > ghostscript, exiftools and a few more small ones. Yes, it has largely the same ports. 64bit support has been very good for a long time, i use it on all my servers, production and dev. > > >>> >>> 2. I know that the 3ware Raid controller supports larger drives than 2TB >> (or >>> was it 1TB?). The Highpoint controller I'm not so sure of, but I've had >> good >>> experience with these on a few Windows servers and on one FreeBSD server. >> My >>> setup would be to use the entire disk for both operating system and >>> filestorage (in version 1). How can I create this huge partition/slice? I >>> don't think the installer (atleast on the standard FreeBSD version) >> supports >>> these large drives? >>> >> >> You can use vinum or ZFS. >> > Excellent. I'm using ZFS on a FreeNAS installation. Is ZFS still considered > experimental on FreeBSD or is it now production ready? What tool or command > is used to partition/format/create a large ZFS drive? > > Thanks and best regards, > Andy > ___ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org" William Brown pgp.mit.edu -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.14 (Darwin) iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJM5SEuAAoJEHF16AnLoz6J1fQP/jvPKWwQwKNffF4VGvjH/xN/ kFZ7jPCGY9hUamZjw7XpXbS7rmlVQzhUBHNI4og+K/wfn7eCtVE78cKYYWofOJ7S OsboIRRFWIHEL+Ob1MlTxlP+zCKE3ZFM8dy8ZDTqAkX2kEroj2tUrQl63+1uaJeJ 0fJ67Svsv36zVYjIRCJteaWgGARqZSKz8zVl6OfLuedcEh2ui571AWggMdnVtZ+S Y+T6kM9ZP5cYsbX7lruCJRdzM1H1GCaAClwrzpzK5Wedf/TQq07qtbcCohFhhtvw T/cr+KXm+bvOsUbMI/++mXfAxs6JB2mjl1Y0gi8ePFluC3FSwmI7jsdOEhpcY2CD vU27CIIC7bUyY8d0Q77rufVb8CpgcqELUEzejdfP6inBM9sQ+5Ds4M1420EXlGMo w0HXLoK5fYhXpQvBhYwT6gbcrJ/l4vUANa6YwP53igFU3JVXnmgRgA7iDZWyeG3N Ub5tdjcJpUCxUP7W0BMHdOa5/wkwv8vXhBTACRVK0Nrq0gbFTCqUJn2jhEOa2P1x FbrhlWMSXmZ2PlSKro7sqcYg3EeXH8zlPuAWO88ZPufBTxnTqsDY+rBYsM4HFN1S bKcsKWkkF8GoYs0yg407r/GhNt4+GvpQnU9JQJPQVHgwyapvcDT9uIZ/Q9dw1ps6 xL1pUajo//OKwSGBIi2c =S+nL -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
[snip] > > 1. Which FreeBSD version should I install? (it must support large > drives). > > I'm currently using the standard FreeBSD 8.1 (STABLE) on several servers, > > but this is a 32bit version, right? I suppose I need a 64bit version when > I > > use large harddrives? > > Freebsd has been 64 bit for a long time. It supports multiple > architectures. You want amd64 (yes, even on an intel 64bit) Thanks! I didn't know I could use amd64 on Intel servers. Then my next questions will be: How about the ports collection - does the 64bit version have most of the ports? I need ffmpeg, php, apache, mysql, imagemagick, ghostscript, exiftools and a few more small ones. > > > > 2. I know that the 3ware Raid controller supports larger drives than 2TB > (or > > was it 1TB?). The Highpoint controller I'm not so sure of, but I've had > good > > experience with these on a few Windows servers and on one FreeBSD server. > My > > setup would be to use the entire disk for both operating system and > > filestorage (in version 1). How can I create this huge partition/slice? I > > don't think the installer (atleast on the standard FreeBSD version) > supports > > these large drives? > > > > You can use vinum or ZFS. > Excellent. I'm using ZFS on a FreeNAS installation. Is ZFS still considered experimental on FreeBSD or is it now production ready? What tool or command is used to partition/format/create a large ZFS drive? Thanks and best regards, Andy ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
Re: FreeBSD and large harddrives
-BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE- Hash: SHA1 On 18/11/2010, at 22:46, Andy Wodfer wrote: > Hi, > I'm going to build a server that's intended to store uncompressed videofiles > (where 1 hour film equals about 500GB). I plan on using Western Digital 2TB > or 3TB SATA harddrives. Total storage in version 1 of this server will > probably be 8-12 TB. Harddrive speed is not so important so a 5400rpm drive > would be OK. Seems like the green line of WD harddrives use both 5400rpm and > 7200rpm. I will use RAID 5. > > The processor will be a 64bit capable Intel processor and I plan on using a > Highpoint Rocketraid or 3ware Raid controller. > > So now my questions: > > 1. Which FreeBSD version should I install? (it must support large drives). > I'm currently using the standard FreeBSD 8.1 (STABLE) on several servers, > but this is a 32bit version, right? I suppose I need a 64bit version when I > use large harddrives? Freebsd has been 64 bit for a long time. It supports multiple architectures. You want amd64 (yes, even on an intel 64bit) > > 2. I know that the 3ware Raid controller supports larger drives than 2TB (or > was it 1TB?). The Highpoint controller I'm not so sure of, but I've had good > experience with these on a few Windows servers and on one FreeBSD server. My > setup would be to use the entire disk for both operating system and > filestorage (in version 1). How can I create this huge partition/slice? I > don't think the installer (atleast on the standard FreeBSD version) supports > these large drives? > You can use vinum or ZFS. > Thanks for your help. I might have follow-up questions as my project make > progress. > > Best, > Andy > ___ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org" William Brown pgp.mit.edu -BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE- Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.14 (Darwin) iQIcBAEBAgAGBQJM5RpXAAoJEHF16AnLoz6JCdQP/06Sne+m2b3xKg9p1FQzK6vi vcE4rnWvA6EJNTc6I4R1ftv824CryKMpOtmy4HIySbGIoljx/1cAacQtUQr00oS0 GBR8IMJF3UaH3dUd+5nAuNJLhrHwJcDDT1bKF79zut8n4YiJ7a9d4ad9QZt4kkdr pNrDQgEZSvTYPKxREevutrmy723u0y979c8S1H7B8WT0MigQ7JwIK6zS9WhveMNt ONUxToppQxL0BhD8SP8lwUHF37WUJ11bUaGgNtEK38c3871vVZmEwfjfx1N9rbrt Skg9DulDnFM01iCuav1RTmKChlFXdvS6CcKt9SjeiEu3IvnYHoD8KW7OXnOfKssy UT5i4lYXYepjcObwBpcIJuqNlBPX+kV1GDLJ7Fu0crQwI251sOJknJlAP2RkkfLw NMax7kd1IvAlN/AoFQcSeGsdoFvqM+KZDSi5h6OO3A53Qqx0/MFQ6mneL01Fbxhx rDgpjKN0acuKEENasUDcCvhXA5Ffpvf3ih/+gH23xD1TEFuYZ4owNzmkefI69clH 3s/dYL5Qt0cj3gB/TiABojZbrr8SA1BfXUmDekY+LnTH62s8CVJ0ypkyL8tWcWSj TGzOyfJELpvLEGWyzfP593lCD2aTtpMkGc+BVivfDAu710qzPMBMWXFxBY5izF4N QMjpiI6PFs2oewbsP9XN =KFw3 -END PGP SIGNATURE- ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscr...@freebsd.org"
