upgrading from 8.0 to 9.3

[jober]

My current version is FreeNAS-8.0-RELEASE-amd64 and It has been running fine for a little over 4 years. I would like to upgrade to 9.3 but I'm not sure I can make that jump. Is there any reason why I can't?

 

[Mlovelace]

You can upgrade to 9.3 if your hardware supports it. @cyberjock had posted an upgrade path in a previous thread. https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...over-afp-in-yosemite-10-10.25619/#post-161323

 

[gpsguy]

Since you are on 8.0, I recommend going to 8.20 first, before, continuing on with the upgrade order in cyberjock's message. You can download older versions of FreeNAS from here: http://download.freenas.org/

If you provide us with your hardware details, see forum rules in red at the top of the page, we'll try to tell you whether you'll be able to run 9.3 or not.

For starters, do you have a minimum of 8GB of RAM? Are you using ZFS or UFS? If the latter, you won't be able to upgrade beyond 9.2.1.9, without backing up your data, destroying your pool, and starting over.

 

[jober]

Thanks for the reply guys.
List of current hardware:
AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto Dual-Core 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W
JetWay JHZ03-GT-LF AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M4B1333C9
Intel RAID Controller Card SATA/SAS PCI-E x8 8internal ports (SASUC8I)
Antec TruePower New TP-650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.3 / EPS12V V2.91
NORCO RPC-4020 4U Rackmount Server Chassis w/ 20 Hot-swappable SATA/SAS Drive Bays
3ware CBL-SFF8087OCF-05M 1 Unit of .5M Multi-lane Internal (SFF-8087) Serial ATA Breakout Cable
Koutech USB 2.0 Header-Pin to Dual Type-A adapter Model IO-UU220
SanDisk Cruzer 4GB Flash Drive (USB2.0 Portable) Model SDCZ36-004G-A11
8 x Hitachi GST Deskstar 7K2000 HDS722020ALA330 (0F10311) 2TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
RAIDZ2

I hope to add this controller AOC-SAS2LP-MV8 and 8 x 4TB HDD.

 

[neo_]

I hope to add this controller AOC-SAS2LP-MV8

I would place my hope elsewhere as there's no compatible FreeBSD/FreeNAS drivers for that card. Look into LSI based controllers, not HighPoint RocketRaid.

 

[gpsguy]

I don't know how you are using the "Intel RAID Controller Card", but if you are mixing ZFS and RAID, that's a recipe for disaster. We recommend using a HBA flashed to IT mode. IBM M1015's are popular here.

Given that you already have 8x2TB drives and hope to add 8x4TB drives, you need to replace your motherboard first. In fact, even with just the 8x2TB drives, I wouldn't even upgrade to 9.1 yet. Your motherboard only supports a maximum of 8GB of RAM. Look at the stickies in the hardware section for suggestions.

 

[jober]

Thanks for the suggestions