Order File Placement Plug-in (Suggestion/Request)

[Beaker1024]

I like the idea of the Order File Placement Plug-in and have it installed from the start.   I've tried using it and found that I would like to be able to adjust to in a way that it currently does not allow.

 

I love that you have the option for different drive filling orders by either duplicated or unduplicated files!

 

In my case I have 5 drives.   4 of which I don't mind filling equally but the 5th (so 1 of them) is just a "in case" drive for overfill or extra (I'm using it also for WHS "Client Backup Folder/share" that is NOT inside the DrivePool).

 

Currently this feature's settings allows you to order or rank the drives as to which gets filled first then next, etc.... But it's a ranking where easy is a "priority level" of filing above or bellow the other.

 

I'd like to be set my 4 main disks as equal level of filling (let the rest of the balancer dictate everything) and have the 1 other drive set as level bellow the other 4 for filling.

 

So Currently I can setup like this:
Drives Filling (any order but all at different ranked levels/order of filling):

Fill order / HDD drive

1) A

2) B

3) C

4) D

5) E

 

I'd like do be able to setup like this (able to set equaly/matched/balanced filling for some and one (or more) as reserve):

Fill order / HDD drive

1) A, B, C, D

2) E

 

This isn't urgent or a high priority for me as my client backup "Other data" has the drive filled to almost an equal % as the rest so it's kind of working out on it's own.  Just something I thought I could use settings wise if that didn't happen with the "other data" helping me.

 

I hope that makes some sense.  I must admit that this request is based completely on just my own interpretations of the features/settings and I could be completely wrong or not understanding how to use what is already offered.

 

BTW: Since using DrivePool & Scanner on my WHS2011 my life has gotten alot easier!

 

I haven't installed or tried (don't have reason too) the SSD Optimizer plug-in but I think what I am looking for is the inverse of that plug-in (which would make sense to me to be in the Order File Placement Plug-in.

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Well, since the default strategy is to fill up disks all at the same time (specifically to place files on the disks with the most available free space), I don't think this would be too difficult.

 

 

So specifically, you want a balancer that would allow you to create groups of disks to be filled, one group at a time.

 

Are you using StableBit DrivePool 2.X? If so, then you may be able to do this already, by using the "File Placement rules", in theory. 

Create a rule for "\*" and select the disks you want. Then make sure that you use the option (at the bottom) to "Allow files to be placed on other disks if all the selected disks are this full", and set the slider to something reasonable, like 90% (this prevents the disk from becoming too full, just in case).

 

This should 

[Beaker1024]

I see what you mean.  I had briefly thought to goto the File Placement rules in the balancer but didn't know where to start (in the wildcard/how to select files).

 

Thanks for the insight into the "\*" rule and the rest makes perfect sense! 

 

Thanks again!

[Christopher (Drashna)]

I'm not entirely sure that the "\*" rule will work, but I am absolutely certain that "\Foldername\*" will work.

 

So if you are using WHS2011 or Server Essentials (as it appears that you are), then you could use "\ServerFolders\*" for the rule and that should work exactly how you want.

 

 

Additionally, we do have a section in the manual that goes over the File Placement rules:

http://stablebit.com/Support/DrivePool/2.X/Manual?Section=File%20Placement