Hi Everyone,

i am not sure if this is the right place to ask the question so please excuse the fact if that's the case

if one is in need for more than the default 30 drives in the main array, what are the options at hand that include parity ?
I thought about either having an unraid vm with pro license inside the main unraid and an external sas card passthrough to the vm but i am not how reliable it would be irl.

another alternative would be using a zfs pool with raidz3 ? is that the same as the main array with the exception that one can't mix and match hdd sizes ? i've read that we can't expand pools as of yet but it's coming soon, could i still expand existing pool after the future update or will it require create a new pool and copying the data to the new pool ?

ideally i would like to use another array but that feature AFAIK is nowhere near completion.

i'd like to have the main server either handle all the load or share cpu/ram/power consumption with the secondary instance through a vm with the ultimate goal to save on electricity, most drives are set to spin down and the instance has an acceptable power consumption unless its computing parity.

let me know If anyone has any other ideas.

Cheers

Edited November 25, 20241 yr by brenderrodriguez

Due to the # of disk i would recommend a consolidation and change to beata 7 and ditch the array in favor of zfs setups...

 

Unraid main array while ensuring parity protection. Here's a breakdown of the potential solutions and considerations presented in the discussion:

Options for Expanding Beyond 30 Drives with Parity:

 

Running an Unraid VM with a Pro License:

Setup: Utilize the main Unraid server to host a virtual Unraid instance and pass through an external SAS card.

Advantages:

Allows for a second independent array with parity.

Flexibility in separating workloads or storage configurations.

Concerns:

Potential reliability issues in real-world scenarios due to added complexity.

Performance impact from virtualization overhead.

 

Using a ZFS Pool with RAIDZ3:

Setup: Create a ZFS pool, offering RAIDZ3 for parity protection.

Key Differences from Unraid's Main Array:

ZFS pools do not support mixing and matching drive sizes; all drives in the pool should have the same capacity for optimal utilization.

Currently, ZFS pools are not dynamically expandable, though updates may enable this in the future.

Considerations:

Expansion may require creating a new pool and migrating data rather than in-place expansion.

ZFS is robust and efficient but operates differently from Unraid’s array system.

 

Awaiting Additional Array Feature in Unraid:

Current Status: This feature is still under development and not available for production use.

Advantages:

Native support for multiple arrays would eliminate the need for workarounds.

Timeline: Not near completion, so it’s not a short-term solution.

 

Efficiency and Power-Saving Considerations:

Most drives spinning down minimizes power consumption.

Both proposed solutions—Unraid VM or ZFS pool—might share CPU/RAM/power resources effectively, but running everything in one primary server could be simpler.

For parity-intensive setups, a secondary Unraid instance through VM may optimize load distribution.

 

 

Recommendations:

Beta Testing ZFS Pools: If you're comfortable with some experimentation, the ZFS pool option might be a stable, long-term solution, particularly if you're okay with the current limitations.

Secondary Unraid VM: For immediate needs beyond 30 drives with parity, a VM solution might suffice, provided you account for hardware reliability and performance.

Community Input: Leverage forum feedback for users who have implemented similar setups to validate your approach.

 

Review:

Review: