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WSE2012R2 + DrivePool + Feeder Disk


Bricki

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Hello,

 

I am currently using DrivePool with WHS2011 but I want to upgrade to WSE2012R2 and I tested a little bit in a VM to get used to the new Server.

 

I installed WSE2012R2 + DrivePool test version in a VM and added a couple of Drives to test the Feeder Disk. I added the https://stablebit.com/DrivePool/Plugins Archive Optimizer Plugin, disabled all others and added one drive as a Feeder disk. I attached an image how I made the configuration.

 

Now to the question. If I copy something to my Pool, it will be placed on the Feeder disk first. But when will it be moved away from it? Till it is up to 71%? I tried a couple of things, but sometimes it moved the data directly to other disks, and then it finally moved it first to the Feeder disk, but never moved it away.

 

Can somebody please tell me what I have to do to get this behaviour:

I want that every file which is copied to the Pool will be placed onto the Feeder disk first, then the data should be placed on the Archive disks. Preferable when there is no load on the disks then the data from the Feeder should be placed to the Archive.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Jonas

 

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What determines when files are moved from the feeder to the archive disks is the settings on the main balancing configuration page.  I have mine set to balance every day at 5:00AM, and have checked "Or if at least this much data needs to be moved" and set it to 1GB - the lowest setting.  Then in the Archive Optimizer plugin's settings I have set 100% for both "Fill Feeder Drives up to" and "Fill Archive Drives up to"

 

I wish it was possible to specify MB instead of GB because I have many small <1GB files that are left sitting around on the feeder disk and I only have my archive disks configured for backup, so I have opened a ticket with the developer to give us a better option to be able to flush the feeder disk completely.

 

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For the balancing ratio slider, higher is better. That means it is more sensitive to anything being "out of place". 100% means that it will always try to balance, right away. In theory.

 

As for the the amount, I've flagged it for alex. To have a "any amount of data" option, instead of minimum of 1GB. But then again, 1GB is pretty small, all things considered.

 

https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/2167

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And I am on your side, 1GB can be much it would be better if the Feeder disk could be completely flushed.

 

Setting the slider to 100% should accomplish exactly that. It basically means "balance if any data needs to be moved".

 

Also, the latest internal BETAs do a better job of moving every single file off of a disk when it's being emptied.

 

In particular, here is info on that code change: https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/2166

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I have the same settings as you, and it looks wrong on quick view, there, the Disk is shown as if there are things on it. But when I look directly onto the disc and into the hidden DrivePool folder, then there is nothing in it, only Folders but there are all empty.

Windows Explorer also shows that the Feeder disk is empty except a couple of MBs but I think that this is some DrivePool related stuff, because all other disk have couple of GBs on them.

 

So it looks like it is working, but I have to test it with real hardware, I did only test with VMs.

 

I would suggest that you look into your Windows Explorer and onto the feeder disk and look there if there is everything ok. I think that the Quickview is sometime not accurate.

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@Bricki thanks for the advice, will check the drives when I get home today. This is also on a always on 2012 r2 essentials vm.

 

@Drashna I checked the addons download area last night and I have the same version. I also installed the beta for drive pool last night to see if it made a difference but it did not. It actually filled the feeder drives and when I tried to move a 30GB bluray rip to the pool it said there was not enough room on the drive. After that I removed the feeder disks and it cleared them like it should. After re-adding them and setting them back to feeder disks I tried moving the same file and same result, both disks are around the 30GB mark. After the file was done copying it quickly came up that it was balancing but after about a second went back to the pool normal green bar.

 

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

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Just wondering, if one would check the "Balance immediately" option under "Automatic balancing", would that note do what you want? I never did actually understand why anyone would want anything else but I am a rather limited user of DP.

 

Balance immediately is now the default on new installations of 2.X. Overnight balancing started being the default in 1.X because that version was exclusive to WHS 2011 and those machines, I'd imagine for the most part, tend to be on 24 hrs. a day.

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I wish it was possible to specify MB instead of GB because I have many small <1GB files that are left sitting around on the feeder disk and I only have my archive disks configured for backup, so I have opened a ticket with the developer to give us a better option to be able to flush the feeder disk completely.

 

Balancing can be complicated. Because of all the difference balancing scenarios that are possible it's difficult to understand what settings to use for each particular scenario.

 

Christopher has suggested this, and I agree, we need some kind of guides for each particular setup.

 

As for flushing the disk completely, I've implemented that and it's available in the latest BETA (CCR: https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/2166).

 

Dane, we can do remote support if you'd like, because I'm not entirely sure what's going on here.

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Did not test it any further, but it did work for me before to, only the display was wrong, but the data was actually transfered away. But I will do another test sometime soon. But if it worked for you I think it will work for me aswell. But I let you know.

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