I'm generally pretty good at figuring things out, and I've looked at the manual and searched the forums, but I'm not understanding what I'm seeing.

 

MY TV Share includes three drives. Each one has a TV Folder

 

The fact that I have Split Level 2 should override the allocation method, correct? And make each EXISTING series write to only one disk, where if I start a NEW show, it would use the allocation method?

 

Right?

 

Obviously not!

 

I have seasons and eps all over the place. I'd like the complete run of a show on a single drive.

 

So what is it that I'm not understanding. I keep reading and searching, but something's either not clicking on in my brain or my install is hosed or... I have no idea.

 

Thanks for any help

 

I'm generally pretty good at figuring things out, and I've looked at the manual and searched the forums, but I'm not understanding what I'm seeing.

 

MY TV Share includes three drives. Each one has a TV Folder

 

The fact that I have Split Level 2 should override the allocation method, correct? And make each EXISTING series write to only one disk, where if I start a NEW show, it would use the allocation method?

 

Right?

 

Obviously not!

 

I have seasons and eps all over the place. I'd like the complete run of a show on a single drive.

 

So what is it that I'm not understanding. I keep reading and searching, but something's either not clicking on in my brain or my install is hosed or... I have no idea.

 

Thanks for any help

 

 

Split level and allocation method work hand in hand, while you have a split level of two set you did not mention how your allocation method is set. Highwater will produce very different results than Most Free.  Split level does not override Allocation method.

 

Edit to add:

 

Split level will address WHERE it is split, Allocation method will address WHEN it splits.

 

Thank you for the reply

 

I have most free now. It was my understanding that a split level of 2 and allocation of most free would mean that all shows in a series - say All Mythbusters, would write to their original drive, but if I start a new show, say Bones, it would start that show on the drive with the most free space and continue to write all seasons and episodes to that drive.

 

This is where I get in to the part that I'm not understanding something.

 

I have seasons and eps all over the place. I'd like the complete run of a show on a single drive.

 

This is the way I understand it with TV as the share. Refer to http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php/Un-Official_UnRAID_Manual#Split_level

 

TV

-series folder

--season folder

---season files

 

A split level of 1 will keep each TV series on a single disk and split level of 2 will keep each season on a single disk. The split level of 2 means that the complete TV series can be stored on multiple disks, however each individual season of that TV series will be on a single disk.

 

Yes, the manual says two different things in two different paragraphs. That's half the confusion.

 

At first it says split level one won't split it at all and is too low a setting, (ie TV wouldn't be split)

 

Then it goes on to say that split level one doesn't split the series.

 

If that were all the confusion, that would be fine - one of the two would work, but for instance right now I'm looking at two disks, 4 & 6, with roughly equal portions of a single season of a show, meaning NEITHER of the scenarios in the manual is being respected.

OK, the main thing you seem to have missed is that the split level is dependant on the folder structure. You MUST describe the directory structure if you want to verify your split level setting. Without the folder structure we are guessing. You MUST fisrt know the directory structure you will use before picking a split level.

 

The manual is telling you how the split level works for 3 different directory structure cases (examples). Each case has a directory structure illustration followed by an explanation of the possible split levels and their effects. The effect of the split level will change because the directory structure has changed.

 

Basically, the split level does over-ride the allocation method. The split level will force a certain disk for certain files even if the allocation method calls for a different disk.

 

Ah sorry - I assumed that was fairly standard enough.

 

TV

-Show Folder (w/info and thumbnails and whatnot)

--Season folders

 

I CAN see the mixup between 1 and 2 - ie I assume there are people who just put show folders on the raw drive, but even still - why would I have a season on two drives?

 

 

How did these episode files get on the drives?

Ah sorry - I assumed that was fairly standard enough.

 

TV

-Show Folder (w/info and thumbnails and whatnot)

--Season folders

 

I CAN see the mixup between 1 and 2 - ie I assume there are people who just put show folders on the raw drive, but even still - why would I have a season on two drives?

 

In this situation a split level of 2 will allow the Show Folder to be created on each of your data drives. What is causing your shows to get moved all over the place is your MOST FREE allocation method. With this method the show gets put on the drive that has the MOST FREE space. If you want to keep shows on one drive for as long as possible consider changed to HIGH WATER which will fill the drive to a pre determined point before rolling to the next drive.

Ah sorry - I assumed that was fairly standard enough.

 

TV

-Show Folder (w/info and thumbnails and whatnot)

--Season folders

 

I CAN see the mixup between 1 and 2 - ie I assume there are people who just put show folders on the raw drive, but even still - why would I have a season on two drives?

 

In this situation a split level of 2 will allow the Show Folder to be created on each of your data drives. What is causing your shows to get moved all over the place is your MOST FREE allocation method. With this method the show gets put on the drive that has the MOST FREE space. If you want to keep shows on one drive for as long as possible consider changed to HIGH WATER which will fill the drive to a pre determined point before rolling to the next drive.

 

This is not true. Level 2 allows the show folder to be created on multiple drives but does not allow the season folder to be created on multiple drives. Therefore, each season should be together on a single drive.

 

Once again. We need to know how the data ends up in the share??

I initially did a big load in from various drives and sources when I consolidated all my media. Nowadays most of it comes in through Sabnzbd (via Sickbeard for TV). Right now I'm rearranging it manually with MC

 

 

Copying from one to another share will over-ride the split level and allocation method. The data will stay on the same array disk if the share is using that disk. In other words, if the files exist on disk2 before you copy them to the TV share they will stay on disk2.