FreeNAS 8.0.x - ready for production?

[nite244]

I wanted to get some feedback from others out there using or waiting to use FreeNAS in it's current state (8.0.2). For context's sake, when I say "production", this is in a home environment, but I come from an Enterprise IT background.

Are others out there starting to use FreeNAS in a full time environment or are most people still testing it out and waiting for things to settle down? It feels like there is still a lot of development and hence new features coming out (which is great, don't get me wrong), but it gives me the feeling that the platform is still growing. From my Enterprise background, using a growing, constantly changing platform is not usually the best plan, but in a home environment, it's not necessarily as bad.

My biggest concern is constantly needing to upgrade so I can run on the "supported" version - as versions continue, eventually you need to upgrade to the latest version so you can get all the bug fixes, etc in place and so that others can assist with any problems. With those upgrades, there's always the chance for something to break and possibly having your data inaccessible until you find a fix. The more upgrading, the more chance for a problem.

I'd like to know where others are at and how they're currently using a FreeNAS 8.0.x build in their environment (be it home, enterprise or otherwise).

Thanks!

 

[Durkatlon]

I run FreeNAS8 at home in "production" mode: the "live" NAS that houses all my important data, and that all computers in my home network access, runs FreeNAS8.0.1 right now.

I do however keep backups of this machine in case it goes haywire for some reason. Everybody should really.

I have an onsite backup system that gets rsync-ed nightly from the primary system. This system is usually the first one to receive a new version, since the rebooting that an upgrade involves doesn't cause any issues on this system (as nobody accesses it directly). So that system is running FreeNAS8.0.2 right now.

I also have an offsite backup which is a non-FreeNAS system that I bring into the house every once in a while (once a month ideally but sometimes I forget) and that is then also rsynced from the primary to bring it up-to-date, after which I move it offsite again.

 

[nite244]

I run FreeNAS8 at home in "production" mode: the "live" NAS that houses all my important data, and that all computers in my home network access, runs FreeNAS8.0.1 right now.

Great to hear - thanks for your feedback!

I do however keep backups of this machine in case it goes haywire for some reason. Everybody should really.

This is realistically the biggest part of my concern, as I don't have a backup system/method in place for my new FreeNAS setup quite yet, which is partially why I've held off on moving everything over. Do you run an identical system (or something close) to your main FreeNAS box? I've configured my main box with 6 x 2TB drives in RAIDZ2, so that has the potential for a lot of data and therefore it's not cheap to backup - but it does need to be done. Any recommendations on backing up this amount of data?

Thanks

 

[Durkatlon]

Yes, my secondary system (the one that receives an rsync incremental backup every night) is identical to the primary system. Both are setup as 2-disk MIRROR filesystems in ZFS. The tertiary system (the offsite backup) is completely different. It is a commercial Iomega NAS, setup with an XFS filesystem in RAID-5 configuration.

I actually have another set of 3 systems for even more data. Two of those are FreeNAS 7 (running identical 4-disk ZFS RAIDZ), and the third offsite backup is another Iomega (4-disk XFS RAID5).

I've attached some NAS-p0rn for your enjoyment. The first picture is my 4 FreeNAS systems and the UPS they're plugged in to. The second is the two Iomega NAS systems.

 

[joeschmuck]

Well I can't help but chime in.

At this time FreeNAS 8.x is not safe for valuable data. If you plan on running it ensure you keep a copy of anything you deem valuable.

Now to justify it... FreeNAS runs well on most computers but the snags hit when you have a hard drive failure, the power dies, the UPS doesn't interface properly to turn off your NAS, and those are a few serious issues. UPS works for me now but it doesn't work for everyone. Dealing with drive failures is probably the most severe problem. I've read some have been able to replace a failed drive and were okay but most end up loosing their data. Maybe they were not FreeBSD experts like most people who will want to use FreeNAS.

Just because it has the title "RELEASE" doesn't mean it's ready for prime time (I am one of many who feel this way). Anyone using it for business is a fool right now and should wait until several of us have tested it and give it a solid thumbs up. I don't mind a minor issue but replacing a failed hard drive without loosing data is major.

And I understand the developers are working on it but it's a slow process. This has been going on for what, over a year now?

I use my FreeNAS as a media server and secondary backup device to my consumer NAS product (which is very slow but very stable). I also use FreeNAS to learn FreeBSD, not saying that you want to or not.

If you want to run FreeNAS now and forget about it, run version .7 as it is stable. It's your call and I hope this actually helps you decide what to do.

 

[joeschmuck]

@Durk

Buddy, what brand/model are those cases? I have something pretty ugly and when I get a spare dime I'd like to transplant my system. Yeap, it's off topic a bit.

-Mark

 

[Durkatlon]

The cases are by Chenbro:

http://usa.chenbro.com/corporatesite/products_detail.php?sku=79

I love them, they are very small and very stylish. They take a miniITX mobo and have an external power brick.

Availability is a bit weird. Right now for instance, Newegg lists the case as "Deactivated" but I wouldn't be surprised if you check again next week, they're back in stock. They are definitely not discontinued by the manufacturer.

 

[joeschmuck]

Thanks Durk.

 

[nite244]

Dealing with drive failures is probably the most severe problem. I've read some have been able to replace a failed drive and were okay but most end up loosing their data.

This is another good point I forgot about in my original post, but reminds me of some other posts I've read. As you said, single drive failure should not be a full reload from backups, but rather an annoyance to be dealt with (assuming it isn't a massive failure of course). Not saying the recovery never works, but it does seem there is something to be concerned about.

If you want to run FreeNAS now and forget about it, run version .7 as it is stable. It's your call and I hope this actually helps you decide what to do.

I seem to have trouble getting my Sandy Bridge build to boot .7 (I'm assuming some of the drivers or the like are missing as the hardware is so new), but of course that's my scenario and not everyone's.

I may have just jumped in at the wrong time and assumed 8 would be closer to 7 with improvements, but it seems we've got a long road ahead of us until we get to version 7 like stability.