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What do you need to know about ZFS deduplication?
Most storage environments contain a mix of data that is mostly unique and data that is mostly replicated. ZFS deduplication is per-dataset, which means you can selectively enable dedup only where it is likely to help. For example, suppose you have a storage pool containing home directories, virtual machine images,…
Is the ZFS file system worth the cost?
You have to decide what your needs are. ZFS is an awesome file system that offers you way better data integrity protection than other file system + RAID solution combination. But implementing ZFS has a certain ‘cost’. You must decide if ZFS is worth it for you.
How does ZFS protect data from disk errors?
ZFS also protects data against “silent error” of the disk, which can be caused by bugs of the firmware and malfunctions of the hardware, or even bad cables. With traditional file systems no error is raised in case of a disk’s physical error, with subsequent loss of data.
Is it better to use ZFS or mdadm?
With ZFS, you either have to buy all storage you expect to need upfront, or you will be wasting a few hard drives on redundancy you don’t need. This fact is often overlooked, but it’s very important when you are planning your build. Other software RAID solutions like Linux MDADM lets you grow an existing RAID array with one disk at a time.
Why do I need a top level dataset in ZFS?
Create a top level dataset called ds [n] where n is unique number across all your pools just in case you ever have to bring two separate datasets onto the same zpool. The reason I like to create one main top-level dataset is it makes it easy to manage high level tasks recursively on all sub-datasets (such as snapshots, replication, backups, etc.).
Which is the best way to test ZFS?
Test itwith some real data. This is the most accurate and straightforward option: Set up a test pool, enable ZFS deduplication on it, then copy a representative amount of the data you are considering onto it. Then use zpool listand look at the DEDUPcolumn for the deduplication ratio.
What are the different types of ZFS backups?
It’s backed up to CrashPlan offsite, rsynced to a friend’s remote server, snapshots are replicated to a local ZFS server, plus an annual backup to a local hard drive for cold storage. 3 copies onsite, 2 copies offsite, 2 different file-system types (ZFS, XFS) and 3 different backup technologies (CrashPlan, Rsync, and ZFS replication) .