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Date:      Thu, 02 May 2019 00:06:33 +1000
From:      Michelle Sullivan <michelle@sorbs.net>
To:        Paul Mather <paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu>
Cc:        freebsd-stable <freebsd-stable@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: ZFS...
Message-ID:  <165446da-7b9a-26a3-e92f-41095382232e@sorbs.net>
In-Reply-To: <713FB681-94F6-4F3A-AC69-417362D29B6E@gromit.dlib.vt.edu>
References:  <30506b3d-64fb-b327-94ae-d9da522f3a48@sorbs.net> <CAOtMX2gf3AZr1-QOX_6yYQoqE-H%2B8MjOWc=eK1tcwt5M3dCzdw@mail.gmail.com> <56833732-2945-4BD3-95A6-7AF55AB87674@sorbs.net> <3d0f6436-f3d7-6fee-ed81-a24d44223f2f@netfence.it> <17B373DA-4AFC-4D25-B776-0D0DED98B320@sorbs.net> <70fac2fe3f23f85dd442d93ffea368e1@ultra-secure.de> <70C87D93-D1F9-458E-9723-19F9777E6F12@sorbs.net> <CAGMYy3tYqvrKgk2c==WTwrH03uTN1xQifPRNxXccMsRE1spaRA@mail.gmail.com> <5ED8BADE-7B2C-4B73-93BC-70739911C5E3@sorbs.net> <d0118f7e-7cfc-8bf1-308c-823bce088039@denninger.net> <2e4941bf-999a-7f16-f4fe-1a520f2187c0@sorbs.net> <CAOtMX2gOwwZuGft2vPpR-LmTpMVRy6hM_dYy9cNiw%2Bg1kDYpXg@mail.gmail.com> <34539589-162B-4891-A68F-88F879B59650@sorbs.net> <CAOtMX2iB7xJszO8nT_KU%2BrFuSkTyiraMHddz1fVooe23bEZguA@mail.gmail.com> <576857a5-a5ab-eeb8-2391-992159d9c4f2@denninger.net> <A7928311-8F51-4C72-839C-C9C2BA62C66E@sorbs.net> <713FB681-94F6-4F3A-AC69-417362D29B6E@gromit.dlib.vt.edu>

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Paul Mather wrote:
> On Apr 30, 2019, at 8:14 PM, Michelle Sullivan <michelle@sorbs.net> 
> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> Michelle Sullivan
>> http://www.mhix.org/
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>>> On 01 May 2019, at 01:15, Karl Denninger <karl@denninger.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> IMHO non-ECC memory systems are ok for personal desktop and laptop
>>> machines where loss of stored data requiring a restore is acceptable
>>> (assuming you have a reasonable backup paradigm for same) but not for
>>> servers and *especially* not for ZFS storage.  I don't like the 
>>> price of
>>> ECC memory and I really don't like Intel's practices when it comes to
>>> only enabling ECC RAM on their "server" class line of CPUs either 
>>> but it
>>> is what it is.  Pay up for the machines where it matters.
>>
>> And the irony is the FreeBSD policy to default to zfs on new installs 
>> using the complete drive.. even when there is only one disk available 
>> and regardless of the cpu or ram class...  with one usb stick I have 
>> around here it attempted to use zfs on one of my laptops.
>
>
> ZFS has MUCH more to recommend it than just the "self-healing" 
> properties discussed in this thread.  Its pooled storage model, good 
> administration and snapshot/clone support (enabling features such as 
> boot environments) make it preferable over UFS as a default file 
> system.  You can even gain the benfits of self-healing (for silent 
> data corruption) for single-drive systems via "copies=2" or "copies=3" 
> on file sets.
>
>
>> Damned if you do, damned if you don’t comes to mind.
>
>
> Not really.  Nobody is forcing anyone only to use ZFS as a choice of 
> file system.  As you say above, it is a default (a very sensible one, 
> IMHO, but even then, it's not really a default).  If you believe ZFS 
> is not right for you, do a UFS installation instead.
>
> BTW, I disagree that you need top-notch server-grade hardware to use 
> ZFS.  Its design embodies the notion of being distrustful of the 
> hardware on which it is running, and it is targeted to be able to 
> survive consumer hardware (as has been pointed out elsewhere in this 
> thread), e.g., HBAs without BBUs.
>
> I am using ZFS on a Raspberry Pi with an external USB drive. How's 
> that for server-grade hardware? :-)
>

Was I drunk posting again?  I thought others were advocating that server 
grade hardware was suitable for ZFS and if you are using consumer grade, 
you get what you pay for and dont blame ZFS etc..

This is an interesting issue... 2 thoughts of mind...   ZFS safe to use 
on COnsumer hardware or not?  ECC necessary or not?  "The data on disk 
is always right" or not? .. it can't be all of the above by the very 
nature of the arguments that all seem to be against me, but not against 
each other... even though they are directly in conflict (and I have seen 
this on other ZFS lists... usually just before or after the 
justification for no 'FSCK for ZFS' (which after looking deeply into how 
ZFS works, I mostly agree with - which I stated earlier) - though a 'ZFS 
walk' tool may be the compromise that satisfies those who believe that 
an FSCK should be available and usually have no idea why it probably can 
never happen.... I will point out that someone from this thread messaged 
me this: https://www.klennet.com/zfs-recovery/default.aspx - which seems 
to be exactly what I'm talking about - a 'zfs walk' sorta told 
however... it's winblows only ... but if it does what it says on the 
packet.. this would probably be the missing link that would appease most 
ZFS detractors and people like me - who think ZFS is good for those with 
server grade hardware, but really not a good idea for the general linux 
user... :) (*waits for the flames*)

-- 
Michelle Sullivan
http://www.mhix.org/




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