ZFS Datasets Setup

[Zecht]

I have two primary goals for my system, the first of which is reliable retention of my media library, and the second is reliable retention of my S.O.'s work-from-home files. What follows is my thoughts on its setup based on what I have read; the system has plenty of processing power, 16 GB RAM, 4 TB mirrored (2x4TB) ZFS raid1, Xeon processor.

ZFS Dataset1 -> Media storage and access via Plex
ZFS Dataset2 -> Files used daily in work-from-home environment
Dataset2 requires periodic snapshots every 2 hours that are compatible with Previous Versions (e.g. has to be CIFS).
All computers on the network are gigabit ethernet and hard-wired. Most files on dataset2 will be powerpoint-like or word document-like files.

The questions:
1. I am thinking that the best option for Dataset1 is an iSCSI setup, while using CIFS share on Dataset2 would be appropriate. Is this right?
2. I'm specifically wondering about the best option for reliable storage for dataset2. I know there are options like sync write, but I don't know if there is any real added benefit compared to just a weekly off-system backup. Is it preferable to just run a prev. versions compatible snapshot schedule with that ZFS dataset, or should I go with something else?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[anodos]

I have two primary goals for my system, the first of which is reliable retention of my media library, and the second is reliable retention of my S.O.'s work-from-home files. What follows is my thoughts on its setup based on what I have read; the system has plenty of processing power, 16 GB RAM, 4 TB mirrored (2x4TB) ZFS raid1, Xeon processor.

ZFS Dataset1 -> Media storage and access via Plex
ZFS Dataset2 -> Files used daily in work-from-home environment
Dataset2 requires periodic snapshots every 2 hours that are compatible with Previous Versions (e.g. has to be CIFS).
All computers on the network are gigabit ethernet and hard-wired. Most files on dataset2 will be powerpoint-like or word document-like files.

The questions:
1. I am thinking that the best option for Dataset1 is an iSCSI setup, while using CIFS share on Dataset2 would be appropriate. Is this right?
2. I'm specifically wondering about the best option for reliable storage for dataset2. I know there are options like sync write, but I don't know if there is any real added benefit compared to just a weekly off-system backup. Is it preferable to just run a prev. versions compatible snapshot schedule with that ZFS dataset, or should I go with something else?

Thanks in advance for the help.

I would use CIFS for both datasets. How large is dataset2? If it's relatively small, you can look into doing a crashplan backup.

 

[Zecht]

Thanks, dataset2 is only 500G.