Currently I run a Freenas 9.10 with a 6x3Tb WD Red in a RAIDZ2 pool filled with 9+Tb of data on it.

 

I'm planning to upgrade my box, to unRAID, mainly because of the VM/Docker features. So I plan to use the following procedure in order to migrate it:

 

Currently I run a Freenas 9.10 with a 6x3Tb WD Red in a RAIDZ2 pool filled with 9+Tb of data on it.

 

I'm planning to upgrade my box, to unRAID, mainly because of the VM/Docker features. So I plan to use the following procedure in order to migrate it:

 

1. Build a new temporary box, with some spare parts and add 2x6Tb new WD Red HDDs.

2. Configure unRAID to my "temp box", keeping the 1out of 2 disks as parity.

3. Copy as many files the "temp box" can hold, from my existing FreeNAS box.

4. The remaining files I'll copy them on a Synology NAS, I already have, that has about 5Tb free space.

5. Move the 2x6Tb HDDs at the existing "FreeNAS" case and boot with the unRAID USB stick I created at the "temp box".

6. Now my "old Freenas" case runs unRAID with 2x6Tb already configured and all the data I previously copied on them . Correct??

7. Add the "old Freenas" 6x3Tb (already in the case) at the unRAID array devices expanding the box. Now the old case has unRAID installed with 1x6Tb & 6x3Tb plus 1x6Tb as parity. Correct??

8. Move the remaining files from my Synology NAS.

9. Add one 64Gb "slow" (spare) SSD disk as cache.

 

Is there any problem with the procedure? Please note that the existing case, hosting FreeNAS, it will have 2 SATA controllers (1x6 SATA + 1x5 SATA)

 

T.I.A.

 

PS: I don't have many simultaneous writes on my NAS. Only a couple of users at the local network and a couple of sporadic remote users. So, I don't have great speed needs (initially). Do you believe I have to add the SSD cache?

 

 

One thing to keep in mind is that you could also copy files to your new unRAID box without parity initially at full speeds then once complete, add in your parity drives and build the parity. It will essentially double your write speed or cut your total time in half. I had to move roughly 40TB when I built my unRAID servers and chose to go this route.

 

 

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The unRAID "cache" drive has become the default "application" drive.  You'll install your Docker image and Docker data files to the cache drive, and possibly VMs (they can also be installed elsewhere but the storage array isn't usually a good choice - either the cache drive or an SSD mounted via the Unassigned Devices Plugin is the way to go).  Once you're up and running your first addition should be the Community Applications Plugin, which is where you'll find the Unassigned Devices plugin as well as the many Dockers the community has been working on.