FreeNAS 11.2-RELEASE has arrived!

[Crotalus]

Does this release solve the problem of the "Services" and "Control Services" not loading a page and hanging forever?

 

[NgM Dat]

Does this release solve the problem of the "Services" and "Control Services" not loading a page and hanging forever?

Hi Guys,
I have the same issue, this problem have been at last 2 years at FreeNAS 11.0 with the new UI.
When accessing FreeNAS from other Segment Network.

Now, with new FreeNAS 11.2 Release, it still not be solved.
I'm wondered why this issue doesn't fix for long time from the first report.
(https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...open-the-service-menu-control-services.54239/)

Or someone known how to solved it by set up configuration that I didn't known ?


My FNBox:
ASRock C2550D4I MiniITX
CFD DDR3 PC3-12800 CL9 32GB
WD HDD 2TB Blue WD20EZRZ/AFP / 5,400rpm / SATA3.0 x 7
Boot Disk SANDISK SSD Plus 120GB

 

[Crotalus]

I posted a new thread in the "Help and Support" > "11.2 and Services Hang" that I found. You might find it useful.

 

[raito88]

V11.2 arrived but with WD NAS RED PRO - 2TB - 7200rpm - Glitch - Read SMART Self-Test Log Failed - Error ATA Status: 41, 51
(Freenas older version (v10, V9, no problem with this WD HDD)

 

[diedrichg]

It looks like 11.2-U2 is complete! I'm excited to make the jump from the 11.1 train.

 

[TheRev]

Thank you for this. I love the new gui.

My motherboard crashed and burned a year ago on my NAS . I was using FreeNAS as a Media Center server and I had to rebuild. There was a lot of negativity in the forums and FreeNAS at the time was not meeting my needs. I ended up using a linux flavor of nas with Docker. Even though all the programs played nicely since they were written for linux, I found zfs to be quite buggy on a linux system. It would constantly give me drive errors and would drop my drives. The only answers people could give was equipment failure. I have never had this issue running zfs in BSD variant systems such as FreeNAS.

In this version of FreeNAS (11.2-RELEASE-U1 ) I have installed and played around with Docker VM / Rancheros. It installed flawlessly through the gui. After manually installing portainer on rancheros / Docker VM via ssh I was able to easily install various containers such as sabnzbd, couchpotatato, sickchill, hydra, calibre, plex, and lidarr with no issue. Everything played nicely and no need to ssh to tweak anything.

There is a bit of a learning curve for the new gui since I am used to the old interface. Thanks for linking to the old interface as I try to become acquainted with the new interface.

I may later link a quick and dirty tutorial of what I did. I see all kinds of videos and installs of Docker into FreeNAS out there using ssh, various scripts, attempted explanations of permission in order to get everything running. All the information out there is very confusing and it really does not have to be that complicated for a simple home nas media server with data I do not consider critical. All my critical data, such as family photos, research, etc., is on secure backup servers.

I love that this new version of FreeNAS is basically point and click.

Constructive criticism:

The only pitfall of running programs in containers through Docker VM on top of FreeNAS means that you have to access your pool/datasets via NFS. This is painfully slow regarding downloads. I personally don't mind since I do my downloads /backups in the evening while I'm sleeping.

It would be lovely to have FreeNAS natively merged with the Docker API such as Smartos, another BSD variant. This would allow direct access to the zfs pool from my understanding in lieu of having to go through NFS.

Cheers to the FreeNAS team and keep up the great work.

 

[Ericloewe]

It would be lovely to have FreeNAS natively merged with the Docker API such as Smartos, another BSD variant. This would allow direct access to the zfs pool from my understanding in lieu of having to go through NFS.

That is much more difficult than it sounds.

First of all, SmartOS is an Illumos distro. Illumos could be described as a somewhat distant cousin of the BSDs, with all that implies.

Now, all the Docker stuff you see out there is made up of Linux binaries. You could fairly easily port over the management stuff to use jails instead of Linux's dubious "containers", but you still have Linux binaries, which obviously won't just work on FreeBSD. SmartOS solves this by implementing a Linux system call table and by providing a number of Linux facilities that are used by applications. Sure, this is obviously just as doable on FreeBSD, but there's not that much interest in updating FreeBSD's Linux compatibility with all the bells and whistles - especially because some of them are best labeled "crimes against common sense".

 

[sremick]

some of them are best labeled "crimes against common sense".

I take it you're not a fan of docker?

 

[Ericloewe]

Docker itself is probably fine. It's the parts where the Linux people decided that obviously incorrect behaviors were best fixed by changing the man page. Or the paper-walled jails they call containers (to be fair, they might have added some concrete behind the paper since the last time I checked, but that is far from given).

 

[Ixian]

You can tune your NFS connections, also look in to one of the recommended devices for an SLOG, which can help greatly with NFS given sync writes are enforced unless you turn them off (which is not a great idea in this use case). Plenty of folks using FreeNAS with ESXi who've been through this and are getting great speeds with NFS mounts to their VMs. Page 4 of this thread has a lot of practical advice on the subject, though there are many others.

Better and easier road that you can control yourself. Whatever you think of Ericloewe's opinions on Docker he's right that trying to graft 'Nix in to BSD Illumos -style isn't a great idea nor one likely to be considered by the FreeNAS team. If you really need Docker, run a light VM host like you are doing and get NFS working properly for that use case. I wouldn't even use RancherOS for that, just go with Debian-minimal or something and make your life easier.

Also, I am curious - every app you mentioned you stood up a Docker install for can be run in a FreeNAS jail. I should know, I run several of them. Why didn't you go that route? You don't need to wait around for plugins (which are just pre-configured iocage jails); if you have the know-how to set up Docker, Rancher, etc. like you did then you could surely figure those out. I didn't find it hard at all, though admittedly I am used to iocage.

 

[TheRev]

Also, I am curious - every app you mentioned you stood up a Docker install for can be run in a FreeNAS jail. I should know, I run several of them. Why didn't you go that route? You don't need to wait around for plugins (which are just pre-configured iocage jails); if you have the know-how to set up Docker, Rancher, etc. like you did then you could surely figure those out. I didn't find it hard at all, though admittedly I am used to iocage.

Lol, because I saw Docker VM in the newest iteration of Freenas, got excited as well as curious to where Freenas was heading. I wanted to put it through it's paces and look at the pros and cons.

I am old, tired, and lazy and dislike having to sift through code and command lines. I paid my dues in high school and college. You don't know programming until you've dropped your stack of fortran /cobol punch cards. That's how old I am. Trying to piece stuff together is no fun for me anymore and our technology has come far enough to where I want nice a nice shiny gui with click and install. I think this mentality happened about the same time I traded in my stick shift for automatic transmission and leather heated seats. I like Docker and where it is heading.

Not complaining and have nothing negative to say about FreeNAS. Again, I was just curious to where Freenas was heading with Docker and happy to see it. Freenas gets love from me. I have been running an older version for years as my critical personal and business backup server.

In regards to tuning NFS, remember I said I was lazy and am also looking for a quick fix. I know NFS will never run as fast as the jails accessing the zfs pool. I've been to that rodeo. If I find time from my laziness, I will look further into iocage as well as FreeNAS virtualized. Thanks.



Cheers.

 

[Ixian]

There are a lot of us here like that - just because we have the knowledge to be the best Server janitor we can be doesn't mean we want to put up with the faff that's sometimes involved. I mean, I could do everything I do with FreeNAS now with FreeBSD if I wanted to, but I don't want to, because I don't want to deal with it either (nor do I relish being the only person in my house who could possibly understand even simple tasks like restarting a jail). I mean, that is what FreeNAS is about.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't tune for your situation though. A lot of it is set it and forget it anyway. Learning the various options regarding NFS mounts is time well spent. For example,

I know NFS will never run as fast as the jails accessing the zfs pool.

isn't exactly true. Nor is it really that hard to do once you do some research in to it.

You can do a quick and easy test right now, in the GUI - turn off sync for your NFS share(s). It won't hurt or mess anything up to try it. See what your transfer performance is like then. If it is much better (and it probably will be unless you have a different problem) then you know one problem to solve. You can either keep it that way (not a great idea, generally, though there are use cases for doing so) or put your log on a separate, faster device, preferably one with high write endurance. You don't need a lot of space - even 10GB is overkill for a 1Gbe connection. A small Optane would do the trick. Read the recommended SLOG device thread on these forums.

These days I also recommend NFS4 w/NFS 3 security model - also select-able in the FreeNAS gui. NFS4 is more performant than NFS3 and a lot of the little tweaks for the latter aren't as necessary with the former. And for most home server users the extra layer of security in NFS4 is more trouble than it's worth - which is why the option exists to use the older security model in FreeNAS, and is even exposed in the GUI.

In the end though, if you are bothering to run FreeNAS at all, and the application you want can be run in a jail (or as a plugin jail), then I'd recommend that. A lot less hassle - which is what you are trying to avoid - and not any more difficult to manage day to day. Docker has its uses for sure but when it comes to FreeNAS I only use it for lightweight apps that simply aren't available for FreeNAS/BSD. Which are fewer than you might think.

 

[sremick]

Docker itself is probably fine.

I'm not sold on them myself. And this doesn't help:

https://www.zdnet.com/article/doomsday-docker-security-hole-uncovered/

I'll stick to jails for as long as I can, despite being flamed elsewhere for criticizing docker. I trust FreeBSD and jails far more than I trust a mysterious black box blob container running Linux emulation.

 

[Ixian]

I have no issues with what Docker has done for the whole premise of containers, I think the problem is it is so convenient it's been stretched well beyond the original premise. Folks are running what are actually fairly complex packages with little to no insight in to how they were put together by someone else, because it is so simple to do so. This is especially prevalent in the home media server world, where if some rando has slapped together an image a thousand people will click>install>run it without a second thought. Folks even treat randomly downloaded application installers with more care than Dockers, and there are more tools to detect unwanted behavior with the former. It is incredibly easy to assemble a malicious Docker image; the only thing stopping it for most users is the hope that someone else who bothers to look will notice the problem first.

I.e. Docker is pretty great but it suffers from being so convienent that end users overlook - or don't know in the first place - basic precautions.

 

[BernhardMM]

Totally unrelated, but I thought I might drop this here :)

https://thehftguy.com/2017/02/23/docker-in-production-an-update/

 

[Ixian]

11.2 U2 has been pushed out a few days again, but all issues are marked complete?

 

[Adrian]

QA, release preparation, ...?

 

[Inquirer]

Never push a friday update. It will ruin your weekend. :)

 

[craigdt]

Never push a friday update. It will ruin your weekend. :)

Soooo true,
But I think in this instance it is waiting on one last item to be tested: https://redmine.ixsystems.com/issues/68835

 

[Ixian]

U2 is now out :)