Windows drive full error copying large file (700 GB) to pool with multiple member disks with sufficent space

[phhowe17]

I was copying a project file (700 GB) from non-pooled drive to folder in pool.  Pool has 32 TB free, multiple disks with > 2 TB free.  There is one drive in the pool with < 600 GB free and an SSD disk (500 GB, 423 GB free) marked as SSD in Balancers, SSD Optimizer.   I suspect that Drive Pool can not copy a file to the pool if the SSD drive is smaller than the file size, even if sufficient disk is available on a non-SSD drive.    Pool and Folder duplication is not enabled. Drive Pool is v2.3.3.1505

[Shane]

Your suspicion is correct; if you've told DrivePool via the SSD Optimizer to use particular drive(s) as a buffer for new files then new files are going to be limited by the free space of those drive(s).

Note also that the "Fill SSD drives up to X%" option only causes a new file to bypass the buffer if the drives marked as SSD are already X% full before copying the new file.

[phhowe17]

Sounds like a feature request is in order.

[Shane]

Note that it isn't possible to have DrivePool choose the destination drive(s) based on the size of the incoming file, as the latter isn't something it can obtain in advance due to the way Windows file operations work.

At best, you could request a feature to have DrivePool optionally report its free space to Windows based on the current destination drive rather than that of the free space of the pool as a whole (although I'm not sure whether the balancers would be able to override that as-is).

Pro: for copying single files where Windows/applications check the file's size versus the destination drive free space you would know in advance whether the transfer was completable.

Con: for copying multiple files where Windows/applications instead check the aggregated size versus the free space they could refuse to perform the transfer even though there'd be enough room on the pool (e.g. copying a hundred 10GB files as one Explorer operation to an empty 10TB pool with a 500GB buffer drive could be rejected due to "insufficient" space on the buffer drive even though DrivePool would be able to handle the operation).

[phhowe17]

I remove the SSD cache drive and rebooted the server.  Still can not copy the 700 GB file to a pool with multiple member drives having over 2 TB free.  There are three drives with under 700 GB free.  It feels like DrivePool is returning the available space on the drive with the least available space.

 

 

[Shane]

That's weird. Did you turn off the SSD Optimizer altogether or does it have Ordered Placement turned on (if the latter, try turning it off)? Do you have any File Placement rules set? What other balancers do you have active?

[phhowe17]

My bad.  SSD optimizer had 1 SSD still enabled (I've got tooooo many drives). Removing all SSDs from SSD optimizer allows copy. 

 

Optimizer enabled, but no drives marked as SSD (wrong!)

Ordered Placement turned off

No File Placement rules

Off
- Disk space equalizer
- Volume Equalization
- Drive Usage Limiter
- Ordered File Placement

On
- SSD Optimizer but no SSD's marked
- StableBit Scanner
- Prevent Drive Overfill
  Drive fill options: not to fill > 90% or 100 GB free
  Drive emptying options: empty upto 85% or 200 GB free