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Total Noob Broke ZFS

Featured Replies

So I had a failing disk on a ZFS pool. I bought a new disk and installed it. When I tried to start the array I got a warning, "Invalid Config - Cache Pool Invalid" or some such thing.

I did a search and discovered that I should run -new config- because the cache pool doesn't recognize the new disk. I chose to preserve all current assignments. I have replaced disks before on this same ZFS pool and never had to do this.

Anyway, I think I lost all of my ZFS pool data. Because after I ran new config, I only had a pool with one device. When I mounted the other disks, the 6 disk ZFS pool has no data.

I have a fairly recent backup so it isn't the end of the world, however it would be really nice to learn that the other 5 disks are still intact and I can rebuild the ZFS drive without starting over.

I have run backup/restore appdata reccently too.

Here is the BIG problem. I probably shouldn't be using Unraid. I am a GUI user only. I have been really happy with Immich and hosting a webpage, but I just don't know enough to properly deploy Unraid.

I don't know where to start and I thank you in advance for being gentle with me.

  • Community Expert

Attach Diagnostics ZIP to your NEXT post in this thread.

  • Community Expert

Post the output from zpool import

  • Author

I'm on the road and my wife said the internet is down, therefore no Unraid Connect. I will post as soon as the net is back up.

Thanks!

  • Author

The net is back up

root@Tower:~# zpool status

pool: cache

state: ONLINE

status: Some supported and requested features are not enabled on the pool.

The pool can still be used, but some features are unavailable.

action: Enable all features using 'zpool upgrade'. Once this is done,

the pool may no longer be accessible by software that does not support

the features. See zpool-features(7) for details.

scan: scrub repaired 0B in 00:00:31 with 0 errors on Sun Nov 9 02:00:33 2025

config:

NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM

cache ONLINE 0 0 0

sdj1 ONLINE 0 0 0

errors: No known data errors

pool: zfs

state: ONLINE

status: Some supported and requested features are not enabled on the pool.

The pool can still be used, but some features are unavailable.

action: Enable all features using 'zpool upgrade'. Once this is done,

the pool may no longer be accessible by software that does not support

the features. See zpool-features(7) for details.

config:

NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM

zfs ONLINE 0 0 0

sdh1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdg1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdd1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdf1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdc1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sde1 ONLINE 0 0 0

errors: No known data errors

Edited by GRBHV5

  • Community Expert

Reimport both pools, or just the one that is giving the GUI error, am also seeing a third pool cfg on the diags zfss. What is this? There can't be pools with unassigned slots.

on main click on the first device for that pool and then "remove pool"

back on main, create a new pool with the same name and number of slots

assign the pool device(s), leave the filesystem set to auto

start the array to import the pool

  • Author

Oh, I was searching for a way to get that zfs pool up and running and created a new pool (zfss). I have since erased it.

Your direction appears to have worked for the cache pool but not for my zfs pool. Since I was in the process of replacing a failing drive when I foolishly ran the new config operation, I wonder if I should reinstall the old drive and try to remove and re-import the pool with the original disks. Well, I guess I will do that since it hasn't worked thus far.

Thank you very much, when I return home tomorrow I will give it a shot. Thanks for the help so far, I'll let you know if it works.

root@Tower:~# zpool status

pool: cache

state: ONLINE

status: Some supported and requested features are not enabled on the pool.

The pool can still be used, but some features are unavailable.

action: Enable all features using 'zpool upgrade'. Once this is done,

the pool may no longer be accessible by software that does not support

the features. See zpool-features(7) for details.

scan: scrub repaired 0B in 00:00:30 with 0 errors on Sun Nov 16 02:00:31 2025

config:

NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM

cache ONLINE 0 0 0

sdj1 ONLINE 0 0 0

errors: No known data errors

pool: zfs

state: ONLINE

status: Some supported and requested features are not enabled on the pool.

The pool can still be used, but some features are unavailable.

action: Enable all features using 'zpool upgrade'. Once this is done,

the pool may no longer be accessible by software that does not support

the features. See zpool-features(7) for details.

config:

NAME STATE READ WRITE CKSUM

zfs ONLINE 0 0 0

sdh1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdg1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdd1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdf1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sdc1 ONLINE 0 0 0

sde1 ONLINE 0 0 0

errors: No known data errors

tower-diagnostics-20251116-1218.zip

  • Community Expert
15 hours ago, GRBHV5 said:

but not for my zfs pool.

Not sure I follow. Both pools are online, and there aren't any missing devices. Post a screenshot from main.

  • Author

My ZFS pool had around 4gb of data on it, and it was a RAID Z2 config. Now it has no data on it.

Come to think of it, my cache pool was a mirrored ZFS.

Image 11-17-25 at 04.34.jpg

  • Community Expert
3 hours ago, GRBHV5 said:

My ZFS pool had around 4gb of data on it, and it was a RAID Z2 config.

Doing a new config would not touch that, pool must have been recreated as a raidz pool.

  • Author

I guess that's my whole issue. I wonder if my data is lost now and I should just start to rebuild.

  • Community Expert

If the old pool is no longer available and a new one was created, the old data is likely lost, only option would be a file recovery app, like UFS Explorer, but since a new pool was created on top of the old one, even that would likely have a small chance of working.

  • Author

Bummer

Initially I just replaced a drive like I have done in the past, I've never had an issue before.

Edited by GRBHV5

  • Community Expert

Just replacing a drive would not recreate the pool; something more must have happened.

On 11/17/2025 at 10:40 AM, GRBHV5 said:

My ZFS pool had around 4gb of data on it, and it was a RAID Z2 config. Now it has no data on it.

Come to think of it, my cache pool was a mirrored ZFS.

Image 11-17-25 at 04.34.jpg

In the logs, I noticed:
"Nov 13 18:49:02 Tower unassigned.devices: Error: Device '/dev/sdh1' mount point 'zfs' - name is reserved, used in the array or a pool, or by an unassigned device.

Nov 13 18:49:02 Tower unassigned.devices: Disk with serial 'MB014000GZYVU_73S0A0J6FUHH', mountpoint 'zfs' cannot be mounted."

Seconds : You're using cache drive with ZFS. Not a good practice IMHO has you've already ARC acting as a cache.

Third : Don't call your pool "zfs, zpool, etc..." It makes things more complicated.

Fourth : What does the "zpool history zfs" command list?

Edit : Did you check if your data are on your cache drive? There's 10 GB used, sounds like a copy of your data are there.

Edited by gyto6

  • Author
On 11/18/2025 at 5:22 AM, gyto6 said:

"Nov 13 18:49:02 Tower unassigned.devices: Error: Device '/dev/sdh1' mount point 'zfs' - name is reserved, used in the array or a pool, or by an unassigned device.

Nov 13 18:49:02 Tower unassigned.devices: Disk with serial 'MB014000GZYVU_73S0A0J6FUHH', mountpoint 'zfs' cannot be mounted."

I tried to replace a failing drive. I used this process:

Procedure if you cannot have both the old and new devices connected at the same time:

  • stop the array

  • on the main page click on the pool device you want to replace/upgrade and unassign it, select 'no device'

  • start the array

  • that device will be offlined from the pool (2-way mirrors will be reduced to a single device pool)

  • shutdown the server

  • remove the old device, install the new device

  • turn on the server, if array auto-start is enabled stop the array

  • on the main page assign the new pool device

  • start the array

  • a 'zpool replace' will begin and the new device will be resilvered

  • progress can be seen by clicking on the first pool device and scrolling down to “pool status”

  • when done again check "pool status" page to confirm everything looks good

I got as far as the second instance of "start the array". At that time I received an error "Invalid Config". I did a search and discovered that I should run -new config- because the cache pool doesn't recognize the replacement disk for the data array. From there I had lost my main data pool (named ZFS), I have been unable to get the 6 disk, RAID Z2 pool named ZFS back up and running.

On 11/18/2025 at 5:22 AM, gyto6 said:

Seconds : You're using cache drive with ZFS. Not a good practice IMHO has you've already ARC acting as a cache.

The cache drive was a mirrored ZFS pool. What file system do you recommend?

On 11/18/2025 at 5:22 AM, gyto6 said:

Third : Don't call your pool "zfs, zpool, etc..." It makes things more complicated.

Okay, is there a standard naming protocol or should I just make any other name that doesn't include the file system type?

On 11/18/2025 at 5:22 AM, gyto6 said:

Fourth : What does the "zpool history zfs" command list?

root@Tower:~# zpool history zfs

History for 'zfs':

2025-11-13.17:57:12 zpool create -o compatibility=legacy -o ashift=12 -f zfs /dev/sdh1

2025-11-13.17:57:13 zpool set compatibility=off zfs

2025-11-13.17:57:14 zpool export zfs

2025-11-13.18:05:33 zpool import -f -m -N -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-13.18:05:33 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-13.18:05:37 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-13.18:05:37 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-13.18:05:37 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-13.18:05:37 zfs set compression=off zfs

2025-11-13.18:06:27 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-13.18:07:27 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-13.18:07:27 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-13.18:07:27 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-13.18:07:27 zfs set compression=off zfs

2025-11-13.18:07:30 zpool add -f zfs /dev/sdg1 /dev/sdd1 /dev/sdf1 /dev/sdc1 /dev/sde1

2025-11-13.18:47:33 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-15.16:25:38 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-15.16:25:38 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-15.16:25:39 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-15.16:25:39 zfs set compression=off zfs

2025-11-16.10:57:28 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-16.10:59:38 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-16.10:59:38 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-16.10:59:38 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-16.10:59:38 zfs set compression=off zfs

2025-11-16.11:00:58 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-16.11:02:53 zpool import -f -m -N -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 -d /dev/sdh1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-16.11:02:53 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-16.11:02:57 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-16.11:02:57 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-16.11:02:57 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-16.11:02:57 zfs set compression=off zfs

2025-11-16.11:04:07 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-16.11:05:20 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-16.11:05:21 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-16.11:05:21 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-16.11:05:21 zfs set compression=off zfs

2025-11-16.11:22:10 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-17.03:31:02 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-17.03:31:02 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-17.03:31:03 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-17.03:31:03 zfs set compression=off zfs

2025-11-17.03:33:16 zpool export -f zfs

2025-11-19.08:02:29 zpool import -f -m -N -o autoexpand=on -d /dev/sdh1 -d /dev/sdg1 -d /dev/sdd1 -d /dev/sdf1 -d /dev/sdc1 -d /dev/sde1 11880219569979196938 zfs

2025-11-19.08:02:29 zfs set -u mountpoint=/mnt/zfs zfs

2025-11-19.08:02:30 zpool set autotrim=on zfs

2025-11-19.08:02:30 zfs set compression=off zfs

  • Community Expert

Trying to replace a device or doing a new config would not create a new pool. Something is still missing. If you run into more issues in the future, please ask for help before proceeding.

What a mess. @GRBHV5

Are you ready to recreate this pool properly?

Could you supply 2 more nvme drives to speed up this pool?

However, can you please share : ls /dev/disk/by-id/

Just to get an already prepared list of command for you, because I don't consider as a good practice to create pool with sdx names as you've no clue wich drive is concerned this way, and it's hardly exportable to another config.

Edited by gyto6

  • Author

I'm going to have to recreate. Oh well, thanks for all the help!

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