ZVOLS (VM / bhyve) not visible in Midnight Commander / and "ls".

[vafk]

I am experimenting with VM in FreeNAS 11.2 Storage - pools - [name of my dataset] shows my datasets and zvols. I find the datasets at /mnt/mydataset/... but I do not see the zvols there when using ls command. When using zfs list they appear but unfortunately I cannot use the unix commands to handle the files like I can do with datasets. I am usin MC (Midnight Commander) and like to know how to make the zvols visible in MC so I can handle (backup/move/delete) them.

Thank you!

 

[HoneyBadger]

zvols are devices, and should appear under /dev/zvol - they also cannot be treated like files for backup purposes. You should check out the manual about setting up snapshots on a schedule.

 

[vafk]

Thank you. I found 3 files under /dev/zvol. One VM was existing (= in use), two of them were dead corps. I tried to delete them form GUI and received error that they were busy. Deleted them with Midnight Commander and rebooted the system to confirm the records were gone.

***Edit*** After the reboot FreeNAS GUI still showed the two deleted zvols in the list but I was able to delete them (now) from GUI. I learned that if there are old zvols that FreeNAS GUI cannot remove for whatever reason, Midnight Commander can delete them, user reboots the system and then FreeNAS can clean the obsolete information. This is why I love tools like MC for workarounds such as this :) because otherwise lot of console commands needs to do the job.

Is there a similar tool like MC where one could actually move/backup the zvols?

 

[KrisBee]

@vafk You've already been told that zvols cannot be treated as files, yet you ask the same question about using midnight commander to move/backup zvols!

Midnight Commander is a program used to manage files from the shell. But are zfs datasets, or zvols, files? The answer is no. Is it any surprise using mc in the way you have caused inconsistency in the FreeNAS GUI display?

To create, edit, delete or make a snapshot of a zvol use the GUI. If you know the appropriate zfs commands you can do the same at the FreeNAS shell.

 

[vafk]

@KrisBee

forgive me when I asked for a tool for zvol with the functions move/backup, similar to MC, and not for console commands or FreeNAS GUI.

Since you highlight the FreeNAS GUI in particular (the existence of which I am familiar with), I would like to note that this GUI contains functions such as delete, edit & create snapshot, while for datasets there are more and different functions.

Since I obviously expressed myself misleadingly (English is not my mother tongue and this time I used the Google translator), I repeat/rephrase my question:

I wish an app that like Midnight Commander treats files (MC is just an example because there are many file explorers), handles zvols and runs outside of the FreeNAS GUI as app/tool/utility etc. Regardless of the nature of a zvol, how it is implemented technically and what is different from datasets, in the end zvol contains any information, which I would like to move from London to Paris by a click of a mouse. Google's search did not return such a app for keywords "app delete move edit zvols".

I hope that this morning I have expressed myself clearly and do not have to justify what the motivation for the functions I want and not to get a second comment that my question has already been answered when I am looking for apps and not console commands.

 

[danb35]

You can do this through the GUI as a replication task. You can do it through the CLI using zfs snapshot, zfs send, etc. What do you need to do that neither of those can handle?

 

[vafk]

@danb35

I am old-fashioned and grew up with Norton Commander. FreeNAS GUI is a nice thing but when it comes to my data I want to be independent from the only application.

The console commands you mention are the right way (for some) but hopefully for the lazy (like me) there is a separate app (we used to say software in the old times) that can do with one mouse click what the console task do. I am looking for such software.

 

[danb35]

I am looking for such software.

I'm not aware of any such software, and even if it exists, it wouldn't be part of the base FreeNAS OS, and (IMO) it's highly unlikely the devs would add it. Why would they, after all? What would be the point of adding software to duplicate what you can already do through the GUI?

FreeNAS GUI is a nice thing but when it comes to my data I want to be independent from the only application.

This strongly suggests that FreeNAS is not the software solution for you.

 

[vafk]

I see that you do not understand me.

I had the question if there was a tool on the market which could do what I described.

I did not ask about opinions, nor have I suggested that the makers of FreeNAS should add something good or stupid to their system, nor for the opinion if FreeNAS was the solution for me or not. I use FreeNAS since 4 years so should know that it IS the solution for ME when it comes to keep my data as "NAS".

When it comes to experimenting it is a different case so as one of my colleagues uses to say to discussions that end like this, da hat der Hund draufgeschissen.

 

[danb35]

I see that you do not understand me.

Perhaps not. Since you're posting on the FreeNAS forum (and not in the off-topic section), I infer you're asking for a third tool (in addition to the two you've already been given) to manage zvols in FreeNAS. There is currently no such tool, I'm not aware of any such existing tool which could be integrated into FreeNAS, and I strongly doubt that the devs would integrate it even if there were (though that's obviously their decision and not mine).

da hat der Hund draufgeschissen.

German certainly has its share of colorful metaphors.

 

[vafk]

Now that we finally understand each other :) hypothetical question, will it be one day, if zvol becomes more popular, possible to handle the zvol device in the way I described earlier? I am familiar with VMware and other VM's and when experimenting with them it is important for me to be able to physically copy & move the VM's like I would move a container.

Because FreeNAS is a application focussed on NAS, the feature of having a VM on the hardware is a nice gimmick for private sector because one would save energy having all tasks in one box. This and other goodies are not regarded as necessary for the main goals which is and should remain NAS. Since the possiblity is there and I see that now for me has a value - for Pi-hole for instance - I was looking for a tool to manage these new VM's from outside the FreeNAS in a way like 3rd party tools deal with VMware, Citrix and other VM's.

Now you write that I am posting on a FreeNAS forum and yes I selected the section Jails & bhyve hoping that my post is in the correct section. If that is wrong you can as well move it where it belongs to / or delete it because its should not be interpreted as Meckern (sorry that I don't have the equivalent for English, since I have no translator currently available).