Another dumba$$ newbie

[Krackster]

If I did this right you should be able to see my system specs, I hope. I needed a storage solution for sharing files at home with kids who are heavy gamers and some other files. I have xfinity with the highest tier services ( 1 gig unlimited). I have a 2.5 gig port on the router hooked to a 2.5 gig unmanaged switch with 2.5 adapters in all the computers on the network. I have been building computers for many years so I have knowledge and a slew of parts laying around. What I don't have is IT smarts. I do want to learn VM's. Any help at all would be appreciated.

Would like to:

Have a NAS

Have at least library for steam (3 user accounts) possible VM for steam

Plex style media server

Have windows backups for all computers

 

There is more I would like to do but just don't have the brains yet to figure some things out.

If I did not attach the right information file let me know so I can get the correct specs.

Currently all parity and formatting is done, tried to move a 470 gig music folder from my computer but is stuck in my cache drive (240 gig cache) so the transfer stopped 239 gig. Can you tell me what I did wrong?

myserver-diagnostics-20220827-0842.zip

[trurl]

Those diagnostics are without the array started, so can't tell anything about your user shares, and this problem

1 hour ago, Krackster said:

tried to move a 470 gig music folder from my computer but is stuck in my cache drive (240 gig cache) so the transfer stopped 239 gig

is all about your user shares.

 

So I won't be able to give more specific advice until you post new diagnostics with the array started.

 

Here is some general advice:

 

If you need to transfer more than cache can hold don't cache. It is impossible to move from fast cache to slow array as fast as you can write to cache.

 

Mover is the process which moves files from cache to array. Mover is intended for idle time, default schedule is daily in the middle of the night.

 

A share set to cache:yes will overflow to the array if cache has less than Minimum Free available.

 

 

[Krackster]

ok, here is a fresh diagnostics

myserver-diagnostics-20220827-1944.zip

[Krackster]

Is there a trigger point at which the cache will start moving files to the array automatically while still transferring the files from my computer?

 

[trurl]

Mover moves on the schedule I already mentioned. There is a plugin which will move based on other criteria, but it won't help because

18 minutes ago, trurl said:

It is impossible to move from fast cache to slow array as fast as you can write to cache.

This is simply a limitation of the hardware.

 

21 minutes ago, trurl said:

A share set to cache:yes will overflow to the array if cache has less than Minimum Free available

Your cache has zero Minimum Free, so cache:yes shares will never overflow to the array since nothing is less than zero. You should set Minimum Free for cache to larger than the largest file you expect to write to cache.

 

Each user share also has Minimum Free. If an array disk has less than Minimum, another will be chosen if allowed by other settings. You should set Minimum Free to larger than the largest file you expect to write to the share.

 

Other than the share anonymized as s-----------e, you only have the default docker/VM related shares appdata, domains, isos, system.

 

You want appdata, domains, system on fast pool (cache) and set to stay there so docker/VM performance isn't impacted by slower array, and so array disks can spin down since these files are always open.

 

These shares are cache:prefer as they should be, but your system share has files on the array, probably because you enabled Docker/VM Manager before installing cache. To get system moved to cache you will have to disable Docker and VM Manager in Settings and then run Mover.

 

 

[Krackster]

ok I understand. Can I disable the cache for the pool temperarily so I can move all my data to the aray first. my data transfer would be a one time shot just to offload all my files to to server first, the enable the cache for normal use? I have about 5tb of data to be stored on the server in my computer. I highly doubt that my average usage on the cache wouls exceed 2tb daily.

[trurl]

The generic meaning of "pool" is a collection of disks considered together for some purpose. In that generic meaning, all of your assigned disks are a pool because they are all included in user shares.

 

It is useful in Unraid to make a distinction between the array, and other assigned disks. In addition to the array, which can be protected by one or two parity disks, you can also have multiple pools, and each of these pools can have multiple disks. Cache is the default pool. Pools are listed in the webUI under Pool Devices. Usually when we use the word "pool" in Unraid this is what we mean.

 

Each user share has settings which control whether, how, and which pool it uses.

 

You can toggle Help for the whole webUI by clicking the help (?) button at upper right. Or you can toggle help for a specific setting by clicking its label. Go to User Shares page, click on that s-----------e share, and take a look at the help for various settings.
 

[trurl]

Here is some more specific advice for your current situation.

1. Stop transferring files
2. Disable Docker and VM Manager in Settings
3. Go to Array Operation and click the Move button so files already on cache for that s-----------e share will be moved to the array, and files on the array for the system share will be moved to cache.
4. Wait for Mover to complete as indicated by the button becoming enabled again
5. Set s-----------e share to cache:no until you are finished with the initial data load

How much data do you need to transfer? One thing you can do to make it faster is do it without parity assigned since parity updates slows down writes to the array. Of course you would have to rebuild parity after.

 

[trurl]

Be sure to set Minimum Free for cache and your shares as I already mentioned.

54 minutes ago, trurl said:

You should set Minimum Free for cache to larger than the largest file you expect to write to cache...You should set Minimum Free to larger than the largest file you expect to write to the share.

 

In the general case, Unraid has no way to know how large a file will become when it chooses a disk for it. If a disk has less than Minimum, another will be chosen.

 

For cache:yes and cache:prefer shares, if cache has less than Minimum, Unraid will choose an array disk (overflow). Note that cache:only shares will not overflow to the array.

 

If an array disk has less than Minimum for the user share, another array disk will be chosen if allowed by other settings (split level, include/exclude).

 

Examples:

 

Minimum is 20G, a disk has 25G free, you write a 15G file. Since the disk has more than Minimum, it can be chosen. If it is chosen, after the file is written, the disk will have 10G remaining, less than Minimum, so it won't be chosen again.

 

Minimum is 20G, a disk has 25G free, you write a 30G file. Since the disk has more than Minimum, it can be chosen. If it is chosen, the write will fail after filling the disk since there isn't enough space.

 

 

[Krackster]

Thank you for your help. This is my first server build and I really should be using the help section before posting

[trurl]

Please don't hesitate to post and ask questions.

 

I only mentioned help so you would know it was there, and to give you additional information about what we are discussing. There is also a link to the manual (wiki) in the bottom right corner of your webUI and at top and bottom of the forum.