ZFS

zfs send | zfs receive as non-root

In this post, I am using FreeBSD 9.3 but what I do here should have wide application, especially the errors I encounter. I believe in backups. Not just rsync, but multiple copies and in multiple places. RAID is not a backup. rsync is not a backup. The goal of this post is to send a copy of a ZFS filesystem to a remote server. The server in question is already backed up in […]

zfs send | zfs receive as non-root Read More »

Bacula on FreeBSD with ZFS

Full disclosure: I’m biased. I like the combination of PostgreSQL, FreeBSD, ZFS, and Bacula. In fact, I like it so much, I wrote the PostgreSQL backend for Bacula. Since then, I have been using Bacula for over 10 years. I have backed up to HDD, DDS, DLT, and SDLT. Bacula has proven to be reliable and it just works. Clients are available for a wide range of operating systems and Bacula doesn’t care

Bacula on FreeBSD with ZFS Read More »

zpool upgrade calls for gpart bootcode -b /boot/pmbr -p /boot/gptzfsboot

NOTE: when upgrading a zpool, it may be necessary to also upgrade the bootcode for that disk (or disks). Be aware of this before proceeding. I know I have missed this step more at least once. Earlier today I was adding a new pool to the system. After creating the pool, the status showed this: Let’s upgrade that pool now Upgrading the pool Upgrading the pool is easy: Oh… Now what? I wasn’t

zpool upgrade calls for gpart bootcode -b /boot/pmbr -p /boot/gptzfsboot Read More »

Adding two new drives (SSD) to an existing ZFS system

I haven’t tested this yet, but I’ve installed the hardware. The real test will come after a reboot and actual use of the new drives. NOTE: Although this claims to be creating a new ZIL (SLOG) do not believe it. In fact, stop reading right here. There is nothing of use below. What will they be used for? These drives are intended for ZIL (the ZFS Intent Log). This can speed up writes.

Adding two new drives (SSD) to an existing ZFS system Read More »

zfs receive stalled, filesystem 95% full

It seems that when I decided to send a filesystem from one server to another, I neglected to establish sufficient space existed. This morning, before I headed to BSDCan, I found that my server was very sluggish and slow to respond. Nagios was flagging all kinds of errors, some of which I’d never seen before. Looking at the system in question, I found the system 95% full: $ zpool list NAME SIZE ALLOC

zfs receive stalled, filesystem 95% full Read More »

zfs send on FreeBSD over ssh using mbuffer

I have two ZFS servers which have several TB of space. One of the great ZFS features is the ability to send one filesystem to another filesystem, on the current or another server. I will do this over ssh. One of my servers has a lot of spare space, so I figure I will duplicate my backups there. The source This server contains a Bacula Storage Daemon with access to about 27TB, with

zfs send on FreeBSD over ssh using mbuffer Read More »

Installing ezjail 3.3 on FreeBSD 9.2 using ZFS

Today I will be installing ezjail 3.3 on a FreeBSD 9.2 system. I will give an overview of the installation and go straight to the configuration of the first jail. As I type this, I’m looking back at my old notes from 2008. Installation I installed ezjail with this command: pkg install ezjail Configuration Enable ezjail by adding this command to /etc/rc.conf: ezjail_enable=”YES” This system is configured with ZFS and each jail will

Installing ezjail 3.3 on FreeBSD 9.2 using ZFS Read More »

Scroll to Top