Anyone using storage spaces

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timmmay

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#1208958 6-Jan-2015 09:24

Thanks BG. Have you done any migrations, changed servers, anything complex? Or just installed and used?

CYaBro

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#1209004 6-Jan-2015 10:11

We've used it at work since server 2012 was released but just to create a big drive so no mirroring.
It has worked great and we have increased the storage a few times without an issue.
I've since removed Server 2012 and put Windows 8.1 on this machine and it immediately picked up the storage spaces drive and all data was readable, we didn't have to do anything.

I've also just moved my home server to 2012 R2 Essentials with a storage spaces drive, again no mirroring, and it is working great as well.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

timmmay

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#1209012 6-Jan-2015 10:20

Thanks CYB, that's good to hear. I suspect I'll go for this over a NAS, much cheaper, especially using W10 beta for now (risk acknowledged). Minor hassle upgrading and getting software working, but my W7 install is probably 3-4 years old anyway. I'll probably go for a 2x4TB mirror initially, assuming it can detect and repair errors with files between the two drives when mirroring is used. A 3 disk parity set probably isn't necessary for me, plus there's additional cost there.

billgates

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#1209013 6-Jan-2015 10:22

timmmay: Thanks BG. Have you done any migrations, changed servers, anything complex? Or just installed and used?

Nothing complex. Did put the disks in a Windows 8.1 host to see if it picks it up and it did and read the ReFS file format as well. It is a set and go software RAID to me. I use 2 way mirror.

Do whatever you want to do man.

timbosan

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#1209070 6-Jan-2015 11:21

timmmay - if you want some real world test results of Storage Spaces, there is an excellent review of it here http://betanews.com/2014/01/15/windows-storage-spaces-and-refs-is-it-time-to-ditch-raid-for-good/

Covers how it works, how it compares to NTFS, and quite importantly, to ZFS, but also covers testing of removing drives from a pool, accessing data on a removed SS drive connected to a Windows laptop to recover data. This is actually one of the best blogs I have read in a while, its very complete, covers competing technologies, and offers real world results.

I run 2012R2 at home, and has always been wary of storage spaces, however I am now keen to give it a try.

timmmay

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#1209107 6-Jan-2015 11:43

I'd partially read that before, but I've read it properly now and it does look good. Sounds like a mirror set is a good option, I'll get a couple of HGST drives and W10 and give it a shot in a couple of weeks hopefully :)

timbosan

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#1209119 6-Jan-2015 11:59

timmmay: I'd partially read that before, but I've read it properly now and it does look good. Sounds like a mirror set is a good option, I'll get a couple of HGST drives and W10 and give it a shot in a couple of weeks hopefully :)

Just curious - why W10 and not 2012R2? Or even 8.1? (assuming you are focusing on a client set up over a server)

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timmmay

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#1209121 6-Jan-2015 12:05

timbosan:
timmmay: I'd partially read that before, but I've read it properly now and it does look good. Sounds like a mirror set is a good option, I'll get a couple of HGST drives and W10 and give it a shot in a couple of weeks hopefully :)

Just curious - why W10 and not 2012R2? Or even 8.1? (assuming you are focusing on a client set up over a server)

Because I'd have to buy a new machine and OS license for 2012R2, whereas with W10 I can use my PC. Bonus that W10 beta is free, then I'll upgrade later to full. I mostly just use that PC, with connections from a laptop and media player.

timmmay

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#1211959 11-Jan-2015 16:28

Does anyone have any experience/thought around using two different brands/speeds of hard drives in a mirror set, primarily to avoid the drives failing at the same time? How about using NAS/non-NAS drives? Using NAS drives it will likely return errors more quickly and let the storage subsystem deal with the error.

I have one HGST 4TB (US$165) on the way, rated #1 for reliability by BackBlaze. I'm considering the Seagate NAS ($164), WD Reed (US$154) or another HGST which would be from the same batch. BackBlaze rate the Seagate Barracuda (not NAS) very good, they found the 3TB WD Red relatively unreliable so maybe I'll avoid the 4TB as well. I've found Seagate pretty good if the drives are left running all the time, but for offsite backups rarely connected I find them less reliable.

timmmay

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#1232001 5-Feb-2015 21:34

Well I'm not very impressed with ReFS and Storage Spaces. I get this message (second image) which makes me go "oh sh**".

Turns out it's just a permissions problem. So if windows 10 on a ReFS storage space says "Drive not accessible, the volume repair was not successful" it can mean "you don't have permissions to read this disk". That's an important difference.

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#1232030 5-Feb-2015 22:09

I thought of using Storage Spaces on my Microserver. Ended up doing a 3TB ReFS volume mirrored to a second 3TB drive - and a third 3TB drive is a backup that runs nightly.

I thought that unless I wanted a different RAID level the basic Windows soft mirroring on ReFS volume should do the trick.

Fergs63

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#1257569 13-Mar-2015 01:32

I've been running 4x2TB in a single drive pool under (now) Win 8.1 for quite a while now.
I have a mixture of volume types in use on the pool, two-way mirrored, simple and parity.
Write speed to the parity volumes is far from speedy, but reads are fine.
I like that I can create the volumes at any size, even larger than the underlying disk pool capacity.
It means that I don't have to guess which partitions will fill up faster and then commit to a storage layout first.
Since commissioning I have had a single disk failure which ended up as hardly a drama at all. A quick trip to PB Tech for a replacement drive, a bit of fussing to figure out which physical disk had actually crapped out and which one of the four in the case it physically was, then simply add the new disk to the drive pool and leave it to rebuild all the volumes. Job done! I had one simple volume whose contents were permanently lost, but it had nothing of importance on it by design.
I have had a couple of games that won't run when installed to one of the storage space volumes but don't know if that's because it's not the system drive or because it's a storage space volume.
I have no experience with mixing (physical) drive sizes and types in the pool, all my disks are the same brand, type and size.
Overall I'm very happy using Storage Spaces and if I was completely rebuilding my PC would not hesitate to use them again.

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