From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Nov 21 04:04:05 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 20702106566B for ; Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:04:05 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from apseudoutopia@gmail.com) Received: from mail-bw0-f54.google.com (mail-bw0-f54.google.com [209.85.214.54]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A49938FC08 for ; Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:04:04 +0000 (UTC) Received: by bkbzs8 with SMTP id zs8so8077843bkb.13 for ; Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:04:03 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type; bh=Eb7mnvV+t0F7F39+Pd8bBBFCA7RB/7a0MK4gB+e3kMw=; b=ATxZDTrRL3NdO3mYpJESRLGDeE/JNVpZ0gHXqFNCuuljqKYna4tvGak4oHQm9E4xHh wlIBPnWle8ORgBizmo6hE7G31IxzL42KlsdTWHcrtwJ8HnXfgju/aX0c+tNyAH+pjsPq a338WO9rG0t7yVgc/eufbFrx2GP2HYYIkNtng= MIME-Version: 1.0 Received: by 10.205.137.135 with SMTP id io7mr12735341bkc.88.1321846448791; Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:34:08 -0800 (PST) Received: by 10.204.133.215 with HTTP; Sun, 20 Nov 2011 19:34:08 -0800 (PST) Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:34:08 -0500 Message-ID: From: APseudoUtopia To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Subject: Setting up ZFS - Filesystem Properties and Installing on Root X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 21 Nov 2011 04:04:05 -0000 Hello, I'll be setting up a server with ZFS on 9.0-RELEASE (when it's released...). I've never used ZFS before, and although I've been reading quite a bit about it, I have some questions. My plan is to use RAID-Z1 across 4 disks. I'll be using GPT, and I would like the root to be ZFS as well. I found a guide: http://wiki.freebsd.org/RootOnZFS/GPTZFSBoot/RAIDZ1 In step #4, it has you create boot, swap, and zfs partitions on all 3 (which would be 4 in my case) disks. Then, in step #5, you install the bootloader into all 3 (4) drives. Why do you need boot and swap partitions on EACH disk? It seems to me that you would only need disk 1 to have boot, swap, and zfs, and the other 3 disks only have one partition (using the entire drive) for zfs's pool. Does it have to do with the RAIDZ1 setup? Even then, I don't understand it because it's not disk mirroring, it's RAID. The BIOS is set to look on one specific disk for the loader, not all of them. It seems I'm not understanding something entirely here. Also, with ZFS, you can have an unlimited number of filesystems, correct? I've been trying to figure out the best way to create these filesystems with the appropriate flags (specifically: atime, compression, devices, exec, quota, readonly, and setuid). If, for example, I set devices=off and suid=off on the tank/var filesystem, it is applied to the children filesystem, such as, /var/log, /var/db, and so on? The flags/properties can be changed on-the-fly, correct? If, for example, I set a filesystem noexec, but later realize I need exec, I can change it without issue? Does anyone with zfs experience have any tips on creating a filesystem layout, in terms of which filesystems to create and what flags/properties? Would it be bad to set noatime, nosuid, nodev, and noexec all on the tank, then allow each property appropriately for each directory as necessary? As in, set the whole tank noexec, but allow exec for /bin, /usr/home, /usr/local/bin, etc.? Thank you all very much!