Small Home server - HDD/SDD

[Fred Smith]

On Mon, Apr 28, 2014 at 12:44:02PM -0500, Javier Perez wrote:
>    HI
>    I have a small home server (photos, videos, music) that is reaching
>    full capacity.
>    It is a 750GB,  partitioned as a 50G OS and 700G Data + swap
>    The mobo, an Intel  DG31PR mobo has 1 PATA and 4 SATA ports (3GB/s).
>    Currently it is running FC20, having been continuously upgraded from
>    almost Fedora 1 I think
>    I got a 2TB WD red HDD for it.
>    My plan is to put the OS on a USB stick ( San Disk Low Profile 64GB
>    SDCZ33-064G-B35 ) and use the whole 2TB for Data. I'd rather not have a
>    PATA SDD, and I do not want to lose one of the SATA ports.  Eventually
>    I want to have a system with 4 HDDs, in a Raid 1+0 configuration to
>    prevent data loss.
>    I have some questions.
>    1. I could use ext4 on all HDDs eventually. But I wonder, can I use
>    ZFS? Specially I would like to have the ability to expand the single
>    HDD into a Raid once I get the second HDD as painlessly as possible. If
>    I use ext4 I guess I will have to backup/create raid

though I can't tell you the steps, it is possible to build a raid-1 array
using Linux Raid, with only one drive. it'll be in "degraded" mode
because of only one drive, but you could then easily (??) add a second
or subsequent drive to the array. Instructions (more or less) abound
on the web.

>    system/reformat/restore the data. I have the idea that zfs only needs
>    to be aware that there is a new drive and it will expand the filesystem
>    accordingly. I'd rather not use LVM. I was burned by it once.
>    2. Is the USB OS ok? I do not feel I am losing that much, after all, it
>    is a system that will be mostly on at home.
>    3.Should I add hibernation to it? How quickly will it come back from
>    hibernation if someone requests data?
>    Is there anything I should know I am not taking into consideration?
>    Thanks!


-- 
---- Fred Smith -- fredex at fcshome.stoneham.ma.us -----------------------------
               Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths;
                     Guide me in your truth and teach me,
                         for you are God my Savior,
                    And my hope is in you all day long.
-------------------------- Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV) --------------------------------