ZFS file retrieval – failed hardware, i.e. motherboard

[jimk3.1415]

Understand that TrueNAS uses the ZFS file system and that Windows or Linux is not able to attach to ZFS formated drives.

So, if my computer hardware failed, but the TrueNAS hard drives were still good, what are the options for easy access to my data?

I’ve been learning TrueNAS by installing it in a Mirror RAID configuration on an older PC. I’m able to access TrueNAS and the saved files on my home network, using Windows 7, 10, and Linux Mint (also new to Linux).

I’m new to TrueNAS, but have had a D-Link DNS323 NAS for long time, and have not needed to access my DNS323 hardrives with another machines, other than from the network. I believe that I could take a hard drive out of the DNS323 and install it in a Linux machine and have access to my files, then I should also be able to move files onto my Windows machines.

Could someone please enlighten me on what my options are and even if I looking at this with the proper perspective.

Thanks

JimK

 

[bart2000]

If your motherboard fails you will need a new motherboard. You just need to put your old drives into your new server and boot off them.

What type of RAIDZ are you running. You may need more then one drive.

 

[Etorix]

As said, you install TrueNAS anew. If you saved a configuration file from your previous server, you load this file on the new server to restore all settings for shares and users—only networking is likely to require some intervention. If you have no saved configuration file, your import the pool and re-do all settings by hand.

Incidentally, ZFS is one of the most universal file systems and can be read on *BSD, Linux (depending on distro and/or additional installation), macOS, and even Windows (for once this is probably the least supported option!). However it may be that the pool is imported read-only if some feature flags deployed by TrueNAS are not supported by the host's ZFS implementation. So, just reinstall TrueNAS.