Installing TrueNAS Scale onto USB

[georgelza]

Hi all
I got my TrueNAS Core installed onto a USB atm,
Planning on now switching to TrueNAS Scale and thinking of doing the same, not seeing any notes on how to do this.

G

 

[georgelza]

... need some input/comment.
My "bunker" pool has 3 x 4TB space / RaidZ1.
I normally like installing apps on a SSD based "App" pool, keep it segregated. just finding, after last nights failure of my single M.2 based App pool, I got some 500GB SSD's... but don't have power cables, was thinking of taking 2 and creating a mirror pair.
I can create a directory on the "Bunker" pool and install apps there.
so it's a time to do this... vs going and getting the cables, but also using 2 Sata ports on my LSI controller.
comments please.
extra fact, part of the Scale desire is to run docker images, which i think would be better suited on the mirror pair of 500GB SSD's. so might be answering my own question.
G

 

[georgelza]

hmm, and while I'm thinking out loud.
At the moment I got my TrueNAS CORE OS deployed on a single 16GB USB, slightly worried about the state of the USB...
So want to deploy the new SCALE onto a new USB, as per above question...
The other option is to install it onto this App Mirror pair ?
Comments please.
G

 

[sretalla]

Do you mean going to the Update screen, changing trains to SCALE and then doing the "Upgrade"?

Also, running on a USB stick is not great... USB to SATA with an SSD is much better.

 

[sretalla]

The other option is to install it onto this App Mirror pair ?

You can't share the OS and a "data pool" (apps live on data pools) without going "off piste" and unsupported (but there is a method if you want to look it up).

 

[georgelza]

Do you mean going to the Update screen, changing trains to SCALE and then doing the "Upgrade"?

Also, running on a USB stick is not great... USB to SATA with an SSD is much better.

If you propose I do it via this then sure...
thought I would build a new USB and then "pull" the storage configurations into it... but happy to run a upgrade, sure that's well tested.

 

[georgelza]

You can't share the OS and a "data pool" (apps live on data pools) without going "off piste" and unsupported (but there is a method if you want to look it up).

ok... well then I'm def not using those 2 x 500GB's for that.
Could this not have been done by partitioning those 500GB's into say 50GB OS and 450GB for data usage.
With he sizes of discs today it is a big waste to allocate one or 2 in mirror purely then for OS.
funny enough, App pool has been on a M.2 device and OS on a USB, the USB outlived/lasted the M.2.

I will then rather do an in place upgrade,

 

[georgelza]

with a plan to relook location of the OS down the line ?
G

 

[sretalla]

Could this not have been done by partitioning those 500GB's into say 50GB OS and 450GB for data usage.

That's the "hack" I'm talking about... unsupported and can cause you trouble down the line when a disk fails.

 

[sretalla]

With he sizes of discs today it is a big waste to allocate one or 2 in mirror purely then for OS.

You don't need to mirror the OS, just keep config backups.

 

[sretalla]

funny enough, App pool has been on a M.2 device and OS on a USB, the USB outlived/lasted the M.2.

You're certainly in the 1% on that one.

 

[georgelza]

h

That's the "hack" I'm talking about... unsupported and can cause you trouble down the line when a disk fails.

ehehe ok, ok so won't do...
but it makes so much sense... considering drive sizes today, for home usage.
I understand for enterprise they can throw away a drive for the OS.
G

 

[georgelza]

You're certainly in the 1% on that one.

well i could maybe then buy the smallest M.2 I can pick up, replace that onto the MB as a OS host... and then add the 2 SSD's for Application.
How difficult is it to move the OS from a USB onto the M.2 thinking it can be done using a simple DD command, or is there a TrueNAS capability / functionality for this.
Just looking at time line and ($$$ flow atm)
G

 

[sretalla]

it makes so much sense... considering drive sizes today, for home usage.

So do it if you can't stand to see "waste"... just know these things:

I have to waste an entire drive just for booting?

This resource was originally created by user: jgreco on the TrueNAS Community Forums Archive. Please DM this account or comment in this thread to claim it. With the advent of TrueNAS Scale, we seem to be getting a large number of people from the Linux community who are not quite grasping what...

www.truenas.com

HOWTO: Split SSD with boot-pool to create partition for data (no USB install, easy config migration)

Hello, while there already exist HOWTOs about "shrinking" boot-pool, e.g. HOWTO: Using a pair of large SSDs with boot and data pools for SCALE HOWTO: TrueNAS Scale: from 32gb USB to booting from mirrored larger enterprise SSD's, create add'l partition/data pool from remaining free space Credit...

www.truenas.com

 

[sretalla]

well i could maybe then buy the smallest M.2 I can pick up, replace that onto the MB as a OS host... and then add the 2 SSD's for Application.

Sounds fine.

 

[sretalla]

How difficult is it to move the OS from a USB onto the M.2 thinking it can be done using a simple DD command, or is there a TrueNAS capability / functionality for this.

Don't do that.

Save your config.

Fresh install onto M.2

Restore config.

Done.

 

[georgelza]

Don't do that.

Save your config.

Fresh install onto M.2

Restore config.

Done.

well that's the procedure/functionality then.
Will see quickly what M.2's the local shop has and at what cost.
aka upgrade CORE->SCALE in place on the USB now or tell SCALE during process to install directly onto new M.2 available.
G

 

[georgelza]

Whats the view of M.2 based PCI cards on hosting a couple of large/fast M.2's for pool storage ?
G

 

[sretalla]

Whats the view of M.2 based PCI cards on hosting a couple of large/fast M.2's for pool storage ?

That's OK. M.2 is just PCI lanes anyway.

 

[georgelza]

... need some input/comment.
My "bunker" pool has 3 x 4TB space / RaidZ1.
I normally like installing apps on a SSD based "App" pool, keep it segregated. just finding, after last nights failure of my single M.2 based App pool, I got some 500GB SSD's... but don't have power cables, was thinking of taking 2 and creating a mirror pair.
I can create a directory on the "Bunker" pool and install apps there.
so it's a time to do this... vs going and getting the cables, but also using 2 Sata ports on my LSI controller.
comments please.
extra fact, part of the Scale desire is to run docker images, which i think would be better suited on the mirror pair of 500GB SSD's. so might be answering my own question.
G

update, no M.2 SSD in town, only M.2 NVME which does not work on my MB,

going to see if I can for now fit a standard SSD/500Gb, install onto that, then source a M.2 and then do a reinstall onto that in 2 odd weeks.
if I can't get the SSD/500GB working for now, got a lack of power points... will then do in place upgrade, and then do re-install onto new M.2 SSD in 2 weeks.

G