should you redirect your desktop documents download folders to unraid??

[comet424]

hi I curious  I kinda saw it in a video and I dabbled with it.. where in windows 10 I changed the downloads , documents, desktop, photos photos from my local comp to the unraid array.. but I find it slow at times or the desktop doesn't load up   etc..

 

is there a better setup to make sure you files always backed up,,, anyone else doing  there main files off the unraid…  I seen a video off linus tech tips he was working off the server too.... but I likd to save my SSD from wearing out  and thought about saving directly to the unraid..    but then I found windows glitchs sometimes  and instead of saving to redirected downloads folder on the unraid   it recreates a download folder on the windows to save.

 

but was just wondering if anyone is saving directly to the array  and whats your way to improve speed etc...  I just bought a couple 12TB and 14tb  drives to  replace my older 2tb ,,,  and if u guys save to 1 hard drive instead of the array over multiple arrays

 

and if there is any videos  of anyone setting something like this up or ideas... be great.. I just dabbling  nothing set in stone  just trying to figure best way to do things

 

hope I didn't confuse anyone  I do have dyslexia and I don't always make sense when I write things out

 

[comet424]

is there any tips you guys have  posted on how your array should be setup

like what things should be shared across the array of drives.. and what things  should be dedicated to a certain hard drive ..

so I can get the best performance  out of the drives

[allanp81]

I would've thought cache pool (or ssd shared via unassigned drives) was your only real option here as the drives are always available unlike normal array drives that will probably spin down.

[testdasi]

5 hours ago, comet424 said:

hope I didn't confuse anyone  I do have dyslexia and I don't always make sense when I write things out

No, your post is fine. Make more sense than some of the posts on here from non-dyslexia folks.

 

You shouldn't be following Linus in terms of home usage.

His work server is an all-nvme enterprise-grade storage server on a 40Gbps network that is capable of 5 GIGAbytes / s throughput. Even his home storage server is on 10Gb network + I believe he only uses that for Plex.

 

Personally, I have My Documents and Downloads on the server, albeit on (ssd) cache and not the array.

I used to have (some) Photos and Videos also on the server, albeit on (ssd) unassigned device and not the array.

My array only has my backup and Plex library.

 

You can see the pattern. Only stuff that doesn't need speed should be on the array, mainly due to the slow write speed.

Everything else should be on cache / unassigned device.

 

In order to move stuff onto the server though, you have to make sure that your connection between your desktop and the server is consistent. Your Downloads folder moving back to the local computer wasn't a bug. You probably lost connection at one point.

 

Last but not least, SSD endurance is very much misunderstood. Regular trimming will be more beneficial to your SSD lifetime than moving Documents and Photos onto the server. (that is assuming you are not thrashing the SSD with GB of write daily).

 

PS1: moving Desktop to the server is a big no-no. You are asking for troubles doing that.

PS2: strictly speaking, you shouldn't be moving Documents / Music / Photos / Videos to the NAS. You should add the NAS folders to those libraries (using the Libraries functionality of Windows).

Edited February 13, 2020 by testdasi

[comet424]

@testdasi (sorry this going to be a long reply)  ok thank you.. its not always my dyslexia is understandable.. also I seem to do run on sentences  so its hard   and it allllll sounds fine in my head.. and when I write words I write the wrong words  hate that..

 

so I was following some videos  reason I got it the idea.. I saw the space invader video and he did it through a VM  but I guessing you do that the changing the file location to the array... as like I had in early post  I had a cache drive fail ssd  and I got help from the jonnie guy   but my 1 windows VM wont boot properly  and I cant seem to get a windows 2016 ISO to run to repair it..   and dunno if you can view a VM...  as  I have a failining motherboard doesn't do proper shut downs or reboots   just issues and I changing from INTEL board to a AMD  just haven't yet....  

 

but ya I followed his doing that.. then I read how SSDS wear out and that they good for copying from your computer to unraid  then mover does it  but I was copying more files then the ssd could hold... plus I read they wear out  as my ssd only a year and its 90 % left   and I don't do cache  just my VMS and my appdata,domains,iso,system on it.. and now I run the vm backup and appdata backup as I don't wanna loose it again...

 

and then I watched other videos you want your games  on your array with mapped drive to play..  tried that too but then your parity always running too right?  plus like games like World of Warcraft will not allow you to run your game off a mapped drive etc  has to be physical drive on the computer...

 

so hate that Linus  bugger is 10 yrs younger then me  no wonder he so hyped up lol

but I was watching his video  don't buy 20tb hard drives   frig I got 12 14ts 6tb 2tb in my NAS  but at the end of the video  his wife was having same issue  they had the files on there nas  I guess as he does unraid  but I guessing he was meaning he turned off spin down.. 

here  is that video

 

and I remember linus talked about getting intel opta ssds they last longer.. what I don't understand how come memory doesn't seem to wear out and comes with life time warrenty  yet SSDs  same type  don't last as long and only 5 yrs  go figure? lol

 

and can you not add SSDS to your array?  so that the SSD is protected by the parity?

my idea was  

add a 1tb ssd  to my array  and all my share folders  would get the exclude to the SSD   this way it be protected if the SSD on a desktop or laptop failes then my files are safe...

 

but you do similar  but you use the CACHE section on unraid..     and if you leave as unnasigned drive as you mentioned then its not protected by the array...  how do you then protect your files...

I remember watching linus he had a program  as soon as you copy to the one server  it then replicates to the backupserver  but I googled it at the time was very expensive..

 

and if you add  2 ssds  to the cahce thing..  is 1 a Parity drive?  as I had cache fail  and was told even in a mirror id loose both drives so I wanted  if 1 SSD fails I still have backup.. or  is mechanical hard drives still better for backup

 

and since im a visual learner not much a reader  I had to re read what you wrote 5 times to understand it .. so  im slow  but I like this stuff.. not perfect  but I try.....

oh and I had googled  about the backup files from your desktop to unraid they talked about Flexi  something but that software I guess doesn't exist anymore as its not under community applications  but then again article was from 2013 lol 

 

if you have any pictures how your setup be ..  be great too so I can try it..  and I never went really SSD as I couldn't afford to buy something semi expensive and only lasts sooo many times..  soo I tried to use it the least.. already bricked a usb drive  running my pfsense on it  it lasted 1 month before it broke found out all the read writing and logging  worn it out... so I been skeptical  for SSDS

frig I just been looking at water cooling cpus as 20 yrs ago as a youth  they were horrible  boards shorting etc..  never got into it.. 20 yrs later  I was kinda looking into it  but always stuck with fans

 

I maybe a little late but I trying new stuf..

sorry for long story.. and hope you can weed out  what I was talking about and hope you can show some pictures  as I learn better that way... and sorry soooo long

 

[comet424]

oh and I do have a backup server  that I do at 3am  it rsyncs from my main computer to my 2 backup servers  1 off site one on same network... and I keep a constant OpenVPN connection  between my sisters house and mine through pfsense

but I find rsync isn't that good.. its ok  but it fails a lot on my own network    it will loose connection for some reason and then it just exit...  and wont run again till next day at 3am on crontab...  so its ok but it doesn't resume when connection is lost  which is a pain.. so I cant rely on rsync for completing in the middle of the night...