I want to essentially clone my current Cache Drive to a new SSD. I've done this in the past with Clonezilla, but my current Cache drive is showing up as 1.02 TB and the new SSD is 1.0 TB so Clonezilla will not clone due to the smaller target size.

What is the best way about doing this process so that I can insert the new SSD into my unraid system and it be like there was no difference?

I'm only using about 200GB on the Cache so definitely not full.

What filesystem is the pool?

Attach Diagnostics ZIP to your NEXT post in this thread.

Cache pool is xfs

tower-diagnostics-20260130-1600.zip

Why do you want to replace it?

It’s just some knock off brand I bought on Amazon. I have a Samsung one I’d like to put in there now instead for sense of reliability. I’m within the return period with Amazon so I’m trying to swap them.

Move shares from cache to array, replace cache and format, move shares from array to cache. I will give a link to that process later.

But before mover can make a clean job of that, you need to fix some of your shares.

Go to the User Shares page and click the CLEAN UP button at the bottom. That will remove .cfg files for any shares that no longer exist.

These are the user shares with files on cache (anonymized unless defined by your docker or domain .cfg)

a-----a                           shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache, disk2, disk5
apps                              shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache, disk5
d-----s                           shareUseCache="prefer"  # Share exists on cache
system                            shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache, disk5
VirtualMachines                   shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache
T----------s                      shareUseCache="no"      # Share exists on cache

As you can see, you have some that are configured to be only on cache, but they have files on the array. Setting a share to only use cache won't move any of its files that are already on the array. But that's all OK because that will all get cleaned up at the end when we move shares back to cache.

We need to make sure that all files that are on the array for those shares will actually fit on cache when we move them back to cache later.

Go to the User Shares page and click COMPUTE ALL button at the bottom. Wait for the results. If it hasn't produced results for each of your user shares after several minutes, refresh the page.

Then post a screenshot.

I did some cleanup before doing all of this. The only share I have that exists only on the cache only is the apps share (which is for all of my Docker files, sometimes called appdata).

What exactly do you want a screenshot of? All of that data will fit on the new SSD cache drive no problem.

1 hour ago, ColonelRhodes said:

I did some cleanup before doing all of this. The only share I have that exists only on the cache only is the apps share (which is for all of my Docker files, sometimes called appdata).

If you took care of those things I saw in your diagnostics after you posted them, then you need to post new diagnostics.

17 hours ago, trurl said:

a-----a                           shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache, disk2, disk5
apps                              shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache, disk5
d-----s                           shareUseCache="prefer"  # Share exists on cache
system                            shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache, disk5
VirtualMachines                   shareUseCache="only"    # Share exists on cache
T----------s                      shareUseCache="no"      # Share exists on cache

Those diagnostics show you have apps configured to only put files on cache, but any files already on the array won't be moved, and it has files on disk5. Same for your system share. And there is also another share you have configured the same way, a-----a, only put files on cache, but has some on disks 2,5. Those will also need to be moved off cache. Maybe you don't intend to move that one back to cache after replacing cache.

I wanted a screenshot of the COMPUTE ALL results from User Shares page, that tells how much of each disk or pool is used by each user share.

1 hour ago, ColonelRhodes said:

All of that data will fit on the new SSD cache drive no problem.

Maybe, but I was trying to find out how much of cache and array were used by those shares with files on cache and the array, and if those array files would also fit on cache when you move whatever you want back on cache.

1 hour ago, trurl said:

I wanted a screenshot of the COMPUTE ALL results from User Shares page, that tells how much of each disk or pool is used by each user share.

There are several ways to get that same information. You could go to the User Shares page and just click Compute... on the same line with each share we are interested in.

Another share I just noticed is T----------s. That one is configured to not use cache, but it has all its files on cache. Maybe you made some of these settings in preparation for changing cache, but no shares are configured as they will need to be to get things moved off cache.

Another thing you will have to do is go to Settings - Docker and disable Docker, and Settings - VM Manager and disable VM Manager. And leave them disabled until everything is back in place on your new cache.

20 hours ago, ColonelRhodes said:

What is the best way about doing this process so that I can insert the new SSD into my unraid system and it be like there was no difference?

I guess I really should have posted this link to the documentation before anything else:

https://docs.unraid.net/unraid-os/using-unraid-to/manage-storage/cache-pools/#moving-files-between-a-pool-and-the-array

Ok, I think I'm all set. Here is the latest diagnostics, but SSH'ing in and looking at my /mnt/cache I see no data on there.

I think I'm ok to remove the Cache and add the new one now?

tower-diagnostics-20260131-1724.zip

3 hours ago, ColonelRhodes said:

ok to remove the Cache and add the new one now?

yes

Thank you for the help. Got everything moved over safely and the new drive is working as expected as my cache pool.

If you want to confirm you got everything moved back that belongs on cache, take a look at the User Shares page and do Compute... for apps, system, Virtual Machines. These are the shares you have configured to use for your dockers/VMs. Ideally, these would all be on cache or other pool with nothing on the array, so dockers/VMs will perform better, and so array disks can spin down since these files are always open.

Yep, all are in place for cache performance benefits with those shares