Upgrading 32bit setup to a 64bit setup

[dmt0]

Hi all,

I want to upgrade my 32 bit rig to a 64 bit mobo/cpu.

Here's my plan of action:
1) Change the mobo, plug all HDDs into the same slots (same order)
2) Boot, do a GUI update to a 64 bit Freenas version.

Are there any coveats?
Will this work?
Can I run into trouble on the way of not being able to import my ZFS volume (especially after mobo swithcover)?
I'm planning to use a 64 bit P4 with 8GB ram - would this be sufficient? I have 4 hdds 2GB each in one ZFS volume.

 

[louisk]

I don't suggest that. I would suggest that you do a new install of 64bit. I would also point out that if you're going to add any more storage, you should get more RAM. Best practice says 1G RAM per 1T of storage.

 

[dmt0]

OK, so I'd save the database, than clean install the 64 bit Freenas, than import the database into it.
What happens to the ZFS volume though?
Unofficial FAQ (http://protosd.blogspot.ca/2011/12/protosds-unofficial-freenas-8-faq.html#q1) says that I should "EXPORT your Pool(s) from the GUI first". Unfortunately that is all it says. What are the other steps?
Export - reinstall - import?
GUI with all its warnings makes it appear as if export=delete. I really want to make sure I know the whole process before I start - I have no space to back up the data unfortunately.
As to the RAM - I have 8GB for 8TB of storage that I don't plan to add to any time soon. So I think I should be set for now. It works _almost_ fine with 4GB right now... :)

 

[survive]

Hi dmt0,

I think that when you shutdown FreeNAS one of the things it does is exports the pool. Think of exporting the pool as ejecting a USB key in Windows....it makes sure all the files are closed and gracefully unmounts the key so it should come up cleanly on the next thing you plug it into.

Here's what I would do. Save the config database & shutdown. Take a second 4GB usb key & do a cd install to the new key, reboot & upload your config. It should really be that easy!

-Will

 

[louisk]

Yes, export, new install, import.

You can do export or export + delete. I'd suggest the former

 

[ProtoSD]

1) Save your settings/config/database from the GUI from "Settings->Save Config"
2) Export your pool(s) from the GUI
3) Reinstall FreeNAS x64
4) Restore your saved settings from step #1
5) *IF* your pool is not there, try doing an "Auto Import" from the GUI Volumes ->View Volumes

Exporting your pool(s) is not required, but is a way to make sure your pool is cleanly dismounted. Sometimes you'll see a message if you import from the command line about the pool being previously mounted on X hardware, exporting first disassociates the pool from the previous hardware it thinks it was attached to.

The GUI warnings probably need some clarifications, but don't click the wipe/delete checkbox.

It works _almost_ fine with 4GB right now..

"Almost fine" is "almost ok" until it's not, then you crash or lose your data ;)

Thanks for pointing out the lack of details in the Unoffical FAQ, I'll try to update that. I didn't realize how much I was getting into when I started the FAQ and tutorials I've put together! :)

 

[dmt0]

Finally got around to do the upgrade.
Following your instructions everything was a breeze. So now I have a shiny new 64 bit FreeNAS setup.
Removed all the tuneables that were relevant to the 32bit thing. Tested it with transferring a 16GB chunk of files over the Gigabit Ethernet with NFS.
The system is stable. Utilizes around 6GB of RAM. Got an average transfer speed of 15.5 MB/s, which is better than anything I got in the past, but not quite as good as expected, perhaps a bit of tuning would be in order.
Thanks a lot to everyone for the support and insights!

 

[cyberjock]

What CPU do you have? I don't know much about NFS(never used it but read about it), but I know for CIFS I'd expect better results if you are using any CPU that's a core-i7.

 

[dmt0]

As it says in the sig - Celeron 420 1.6GHz. It was chosen basically because it's the coolest running 64bit CPU I could find. Pretty far from i7

 

[cyberjock]

I never recommend Celerons to anyone. Even my mom doesn't have a Celeron. Maybe someone else can comment if I'm wrong. Being that it is from 2007 and it's a single core single thread I'd say you likely need a better CPU. If you have another CPU that is compatible with that computer I'd seriously consider upgrading. Celerons are starved for L2 cache.

 

[dmt0]

Well, I'm not running an IT department here. This was initially meant to be a replacement for an external hard drive - that is more safe due to replication and is able grow as the need arises, while still being just one volume.
I'd put an i7 there if you're willing to donate one :)

 

[cyberjock]

You never really said how you are sharing your files. If you are running CIFS, then your CPU is certainly your problem. CIFS is single threaded(which causes it's own problems because too many people buy 8 core low ghz cpus over few core high ghz cpus) but to get good speeds CIFS will pretty much max out a core on its own.

I'd just keep your eyes peeled for an old but more powerful CPU for socket 775. Those are SO old. I haven't owned a socket 775 since 2009 myself. The recommended box price is $35 per Intel. LOL. I didn't know Intel sold CPUs for that little.

http://ark.intel.com/products/29734/Intel-Celeron-Processor-420-(512K-Cache-1_60-GHz-800-MHz-FSB)

 

[dmt0]

This CPU costed me $5 :)
It has another advantage - 35W of heat at the peak, that's pretty cold. I've got myself a low power, quiet system at the expense of a little bit of performance, which at this point is still better than an average USB hard drive, and that's all I need really. And I'm keeping more of the hardware away from the landfill :)

 

[cyberjock]

$5! Big roller! Don't blow your whole wad on one CPU!

 

[John Leto]

These instructions worked perfectly for me. Thanks a ton!