New user, first unraid build - Initial array setup using 2x HDD

[Choofthur]

Hi everyone! Looking forward to joining the unraid community - been watching a ton of videos and doing a fair bit of reading - I've been on TrueNAS for a few months and was generally unhappy with how convoluted everything was - after doing the research unraid seems perfect for me! 

 

So here's my story. Once my data finishes copying over to a USB drive I am rebuilding my server with unraid. I have 3x 12TB WD Elements drives that I will be shucking and installing (1x parity, 2x data). I also have a 500GB NVMe SSD for a cache drive. When I start the build I will have approx 9TB of data on 1 of the WD drives (NTFS). So which way is the best to go, to juggle the data onto the array and then wipe the drive, and finally add it to the array? It is worth noting that all of this data is media that is replaceable and not vital. I wouldn't want to have to download it again of course, but there's nothing critical. The server is mainly going to be Plex, Radarr, Sonarr, nzb, deluge etc. Anything critial is already stored on a separate server & backed up regularly to the cloud so this is not a major concern. 

 

Is this correct (once unraid USB is running, basic plugins installed etc):

 

1) shuck drives and add 1x data, 1x parity to a new array. add the NVMe as cache at this point.

2) use unassigned devices plugin to mount NTFS disk full of data (also shucked at this point)

3) use Krusader in docker to copy the data from the NTFS disk to the array to avoid copying thru network again

4) zero that drive and add it to the existing array.

5) Job Done, start setting up dockers etc and enjoy fiddling with it.

 

Questions:

 

Should I wait until all the data transfers are done, and the array is ready BEFORE adding the cache drive?

Should I add the 2 drives into a new array WITHOUT a parity drive, then add the 3rd drive as a parity afterwards?

Is there a better way around to do what I am trying to do?

 

I have read around a bit but haven't been able to pin this down specifically. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I think it comes down to the question of do I add 2x data or 1x data + 1x parity at the start. Copying the data across using unassigned devices/krusader seems like the best way to go either way. My understanding of the cache drive is that me copying 9TB of data directly to a media share won't affect the cache at all, unless I have set that share to do so (and being media storage I wouldn't do that)

 

Anyway that's what I think - what say you all?

 

 

[JonathanM]

3 hours ago, Choofthur said:

I think it comes down to the question of do I add 2x data or 1x data + 1x parity at the start.

yep

3 hours ago, Choofthur said:

It is worth noting that all of this data is media that is replaceable and not vital.

given this, I'd say 2x data and build parity after the data is copied.

A long SMART test on all spinners should suffice as a confidence check before trusting them.

[trurl]

And don't enable Docker/VM Manager until cache is added. 

 

Also not necessary to clear anything unless you just want to test the disk. 

[Gragorg]

I would also install the SSD and create your media shares. Set the cache to “No” and then after the transfer change the media shares to “Yes”. Be sure to setup your VMs, dockers and appdata on the cache drive. 

 

[trurl]

1 hour ago, Gragorg said:

Be sure to setup your VMs, dockers and appdata on the cache drive. 

 

That is the default as long as cache is installed. Why I said

 

1 hour ago, trurl said:

don't enable Docker/VM Manager until cache is added. 

 

As implied here

1 hour ago, Gragorg said:

Set the cache to “No” and then after the transfer change the media shares to “Yes”.

don't cache initial data load. Whether or not you cache any user shares after is up to you, but appdata, domains, system shares should be left at cache-prefer.

[Gragorg]

Sorry trurl.  I didn't mean to offend you.  Your comment wasn't there when I started typing my response out originally.  I only noticed it after mine posted.  No hard feelings!

[Choofthur]

Hey guys - thanks for your input and support! I ended up setting up with 2x12TB array (no parity) with the 500GB cache. Hooked up the 3rd 12TB (NTFS Data) drive with unmounted devices, then used Krusader to copy it across to my media share. Updated cache settings, unmounted the 3rd drive and added it to the array as Parity disk - its 9 hours into a 19hr parity sync now. Got my Plex server running - unfortunately my tar of the old Plex Media Server folder from my TrueNAS setup was corrupted so I lost my Plex database & metadata, but no big deal only took a couple of hours to clean up the library again (I'm VERY picky about naming conventions etc so it wasn't the end of the world). Worth the hassle for the move, and now I can back it up properly

 

After 3 days of playing with unraid I have to say I am blown away with how straightforward and user friendly this whole bloody setup is! The thing is rock solid, lightning fast, dockers are just a dream to work with compared to jails, and everything I want to do someone has already either built it or explained in excruciating detail how to do (I'm looking at you, SpaceInvaderOne!) 

 

unRAID is everything I wanted TrueNAS to be. I'm sure there's plenty of people who swear by it, but unraid is the perfect balance of user friendly and capable for me. Having a working 24TB server with redundancy & a cache drive is bloody great! The only question is, should I add another 12TB drive? There IS one more sata port left on the board......

 

Thanks again everyone

[JonathanM]

1 hour ago, Choofthur said:

The only question is, should I add another 12TB drive? There IS one more sata port left on the board......

 

No. If possible, leave one SATA port available for troubleshooting purposes.

 

If you run out of space, you can weigh your options then, but for now, leave it empty.