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TrueNAS core TIPS

And for completion here are some tips in general for NAS:

 

  1. Use backup. NAS is not a backup. It is a part of backup, never forget this. Always have backup on a different media (or different NAS) and off site if possible!

  2. Use hard disks and SSDs from different vendors always. You may be unlucky and receive media from a problematic batch and have multiple failures during the recovery.

  3. Use RaidZ2 or RAID6 or better to reduce the risk of completely losing the data.

  4. Use high quality PSU. A NAS runs all the time, so selecting PSUs with GOLD certification or better can reduce your power consumption.

  5. Use UPS or at least an AVR. It is a very bad idea to stop a NAS system without proper shutdown procedure.

  6. Don't overuse the NAS server with multiple VMs/docker instances/Jain instances. Keep it simple!

Here are some tips and tricks from my TrueNAS home NAS server. In my previous post I analyzed the reasons for using TrueNAS instead of Linux distributions (ZFS, stability etc). After two months running the system, here are some tips from experience using it:

  1. Use a stable version. Although very stable, TrueNAS can contain bugs. Try to use the stable and the production ready versions (RELEASE).
  2. Use a dual media from different vendors for boot devices to avoid catastrophic scenarios.
  3. Always backup (a) the configuration and (b) the encryption keys. If you lose your encryption keys, you lose your data!
  4. Prefer the official repository plugins rather than the community maintained. From time and time I noticed incompatibilities after updates.
  5. Don't add many Jails instances. If you overshoot it, then something is wrong in your system design.
  6. Test your system (motherboard, controllers, nics, etc) if it compatible with the distribution.

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