---
pageType: source
id: source.zfs-casaos-project
title: ZFS-CasaOS-Project
sourceType: local-file
sourcePath: /home/topher/.openclaw/workspace-crash-bot/projects/zfs-casaos.md
ingestedAt: 2026-05-02T21:02:31.564Z
updatedAt: 2026-05-02T21:02:31.564Z
status: active
---

# ZFS-CasaOS-Project

## Source
- Type: `local-file`
- Path: `/home/topher/.openclaw/workspace-crash-bot/projects/zfs-casaos.md`
- Bytes: 10991
- Updated: 2026-05-02T21:02:31.564Z

## Content
````text
# ZFS on CasaOS — Project Plan

**Thread:** #setting-up-zfs-on-casaOS
**Status:** Planning
**Created:** 2026-04-16

## Overview
Migrate from current CasaOS setup to ZFS-backed storage with proper redundancy and an offsite backup strategy. Long-term play tied to new rig build.

## Current Hardware
- **OS:** CasaOS on existing Linux box
- **Drives (11 total, all spinners):** 6×4TB, 3×3TB, 1×8TB, 1×10TB — 48TB raw
- **Current usage:** Under 6TB
- **8TB + 10TB:** Currently in CasaOS — Plex, old machine backups, Minecraft servers, non-critical stuff
- **SSDs available:** Smaller sizes (details TBD)
- **Note:** 2TB drive replaced with 4TB (2026-04-18 update)

## ZFS Topology (Agreed)

### Main Pool ("tank")
- **Vdev 1:** 5×4TB raidz2 → ~12TB usable, 2-drive redundancy (the vault — irreplaceable data)
- **Vdev 2:** 3×3TB raidz1 → ~6TB usable, 1-drive redundancy (media, Minecraft, replaceable stuff)

### Backup (8TB + 10TB)
- Standalone backup targets, NOT part of the main pool
- Format TBD: ZFS for zfs send/recv OR ext4/NTFS for SHTF portability
- Consider: one ZFS for automated snapshots, one NTFS/exFAT for "grab and run" scenarios

### 4TB Drive (replaced 2TB)
- Scratch/overflow/ISO storage
- Possible L2ARC candidate (probably not needed — working set likely fits in RAM)
- Could also serve as hot spare for the raidz2 if desired

## Key Decisions Made
- **CasaOS stays** — not switching back to TrueNAS. Bare metal access (OpenClaw) matters.
- **ZFS layered underneath CasaOS** — CasaOS sees mountpoints, doesn't manage ZFS
- **Cockpit + ZFS plugin** for GUI management of ZFS layer
- **No dedup** — ever
- **Striped mirrors considered** but rejected for this drive mix (too much wasted capacity with mismatched sizes)
- **raidz2 on 5×4TB** chosen for main vdev — 2-drive redundancy, best for the vault
- **raidz1 on 3×3TB** — acceptable risk for replaceable data

## Key ZFS Rules Learned
- Can't add drives to existing raidz vdev — only replace or add new vdevs
- Mixed-size vdevs waste capacity (capped at smallest drive)
- Vdev expansion only after ALL drives in vdev are replaced with larger ones
- Striped mirrors are only topology where single-drive swap gives immediate capacity boost
- 50% overhead on mirrored setups

## Offsite Backup Strategy (Long-Term)

### 3-2-1 Compliance
1. **Main copy:** raidz2 pool on new rig
2. **Local backup:** 8/10TB standalone drives
3. **Offsite backup:** Old box relocated to brewery after migration

### Brewery Infrastructure
- HA box (HAOS) — hands off
- N100 (Batocera) — hands off
- Older Mac — janky ZFS, skip
- Raspberry Pis — possible backup target but slow
- **Best option:** Old server box moved to brewery as dedicated backup target

### Brewery Backup Setup (Future)
- Fresh Linux install on old box
- ZFS pool on backup drives
- `zfs send/recv` over SSH for automated incremental snapshots
- Cron job or systemd timer

## Migration Roadmap
1. Build new rig (see AI thread for hardware planning)
2. Set up ZFS pools on new rig with planned topology
3. Migrate CasaOS + all services
4. Verify everything works on new iron
5. Wipe old box, fresh Linux + ZFS as backup target
6. Relocate old box to brewery
7. Set up zfs send/recv over SSH for nightly incremental backups
8. Decommission old setup with confidence

## SHTF Portability Notes
- ZFS: Linux-readable only (no native Windows, read-only Mac)
- ext4: Linux native, Windows/Mac need tools
- NTFS/exFAT: Universal — any random box can read
- Consider keeping one backup drive as NTFS for "grab and run" scenarios
- Linux live USB can read ZFS/ext4 on any machine in a pinch

## Special ZFS Drive Uses (Reference)
| Type | Use | Drive Type | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| L2ARC | Read cache | SSD only | Skip unless ARC hit rate is low |
| SLOG/ZIL | Sync write log | SSD with PLP | Only for NFS/VMs/databases |
| Special vdev | Metadata storage | SSD preferred | High risk if not mirrored, overkill for home |
| Dedup vdev | Dedup tables | SSD | NO. Just no. |

## SMART Monitoring (Critical for Old Drives)

### Why It Matters
- All drives are old with no RMA coverage — failure = replace from own pocket
- SMART warnings give days to weeks of notice before total failure
- Running a degraded pool with old drives is risking data loss

### Key Metrics to Watch
| Attribute | Warning Threshold | Critical |
|---|---|---|
| Reallocated Sectors (5) | >0 | >100 |
| Current Pending Sectors (197) | >0 | >10 |
| Uncorrectable Errors (198) | >0 | any |
| Power-On Hours (9) | — | >50,000 |
| Temperature (194) | >40°C | >45°C |

### Setup
```bash
# Install smartmontools
sudo apt install smartmontools

# Enable and start smartd
sudo systemctl enable smartd
sudo systemctl start smartd

# Run short test (5-10 min)
smartctl -t short /dev/sdX

# Run long/comprehensive test (1-2 hours)
smartctl -t long /dev/sdX

# Check results
smartctl -l selftest /dev/sdX
smartctl -a /dev/sdX
```

### smartd.conf Configuration
```
# Email alerts on smartd warnings
DEVICESCAN -a -m user@example.com -M daily

# Or per-drive with specific schedules
/dev/sda -a -m admin@example.com -M daily -s (S/../.././02|L/../../6/03)
# Short test daily at 2am, long test Saturdays at 3am
```

### Power Cycle Count (12) — Also Worth Tracking
- Drive spinup count. High number = old drive that’s been powered on/off a lot
- Not a failure predictor on its own, but tells you wear history

### Pre-Pool Drive Health Check
Before building the pool, run full SMART tests on all drives:
```bash
smartctl -t long /dev/sda
smartctl -t long /dev/sdb
# ... etc
```
And check `smartctl -a /dev/sdX | grep -E '(Reallocated|Current_Pending|Uncorrectable)'`

Drives with any reallocated sectors or pending sectors should be considered questionable — use for non-critical vdevs or retire entirely.

### ZFS Integration
ZFS doesn't do its own SMART polling, but `zpool status` shows drive errors. A rising error count in `zpool status` alongside SMART warnings = replace that drive now.

```bash
# Check for ZFS errors
zpool status -v
```

## Pre-Pool Drive Testing (2026-04-18)

### Strategy
- 11 drives to test, 4 at a time (SATA port limitation)
- Sequential testing — run one batch, swap drives, run next batch
- Two-phase testing per drive:
  1. SMART long test (1-4 hours depending on drive size)
  2. badblocks non-destructive scan (6-12 hours per 4TB drive)

### Phase 1: SMART Long Tests
Tests all drives in current batch simultaneously.
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# drive-smart-test.sh
# Usage: ./drive-smart-test.sh /dev/sda /dev/sdb /dev/sdc /dev/sdd

DRIVES=("$@")
LOGDIR="/root/drive-health-logs"
mkdir -p "$LOGDIR"

for DRIVE in "${DRIVES[@]}"; do
  echo "[$(date)] Starting SMART long test on $DRIVE" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/test.log"
  smartctl -t long "$DRIVE" 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOGDIR/test.log"
  echo "[$(date)] SMART long test complete on $DRIVE" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/test.log"
done

echo "[$(date)] All SMART tests initiated. Check results with:"
echo "  smartctl -l selftest $DRIVE"
echo "  smartctl -a $DRIVE | grep -E '(Reallocated|Current_Pending|Uncorrectable|Power_On_Hours)'"
```

### Phase 2: badblocks Scan (Sequential)
One drive at a time to avoid port contention.
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# drive-badblocks.sh
# Usage: ./drive-badblocks.sh /dev/sda

DRIVE="$1"
LOGDIR="/root/drive-health-logs"
LOGFILE="$LOGDIR/badblocks-$(basename $DRIVE).log"

if [ -z "$DRIVE" ]; then
  echo "Usage: $0 /dev/sdX"
  exit 1
fi

echo "[$(date)] Starting badblocks non-destructive scan on $DRIVE" | tee "$LOGFILE"
badblocks -nvs "$DRIVE" 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOGFILE"
echo "[$(date)] badblocks complete on $DRIVE" | tee -a "$LOGFILE"
```

### Full Sequential Test Workflow
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# drive-test-batch.sh
# Run one batch of 4 drives through full testing pipeline

DRIVES=("$@")  # pass 4 drives as args
LOGDIR="/root/drive-health-logs"
mkdir -p "$LOGDIR"

for DRIVE in "${DRIVES[@]}"; do
  SERIAL=$(smartctl -a "$DRIVE" | grep 'Serial Number' | awk '{print $NF}')
  SIZE=$(smartctl -a "$DRIVE" | grep 'User Capacity' | awk '{print $5,$6}')
  
  echo "==========" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  echo "Drive: $DRIVE | Serial: $SERIAL | Size: $SIZE" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  echo "==========" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  
  # Phase 1: SMART long test
  echo "[$(date)] Phase 1: SMART long test" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  smartctl -t long "$DRIVE" 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  
  # Wait for SMART test to complete (poll every 60s)
  while true; do
    STATUS=$(smartctl -H "$DRIVE" | grep 'SMART overall-health' | awk '{print $NF}')
    if [ "$STATUS" = "PASSED" ] || [ "$STATUS" = "FAILED" ]; then
      echo "[$(date)] SMART test result: $STATUS" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
      break
    fi
    echo "[$(date)] Waiting for SMART test to complete..." | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
    sleep 60
  done
  
  # Capture SMART attributes
  echo "[$(date)] Capturing SMART attributes" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  smartctl -a "$DRIVE" > "$LOGDIR/smart-$(basename $DRIVE)-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  
  # Phase 2: badblocks (only if SMART passed)
  if [ "$STATUS" = "PASSED" ]; then
    echo "[$(date)] Phase 2: badblocks non-destructive scan" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
    badblocks -nvs "$DRIVE" > "$LOGDIR/badblocks-$(basename $DRIVE)-$(date +%Y%m%d).log" 2>&1
    echo "[$(date)] badblocks complete" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  else
    echo "[$(date)] SKIPPING badblocks — SMART test $STATUS" | tee -a "$LOGDIR/batch-$(date +%Y%m%d).log"
  fi
done

echo "[$(date)] Batch complete. Results in $LOGDIR"
```

### Current Drive Availability (2026-04-18 update)
- **2×4TB hot** (SATA power available): WDC WD40EFRX (sdb), MDD4000GSA (sde)
- **4×4TB cold** (no power connectors available yet) — swap in batches for testing
- **3×3TB, 8TB, 10TB** — also cold, same power limitation

### Drive Batch Schedule
| Batch | Drives | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2×4TB (sdb, sde) | **Ready to test** |
| 2 | 2×4TB | Cold swap |
| 3 | 2×4TB | Cold swap |
| 4 | 1×3TB + 8TB + 10TB | Cold swap |

### Pass/Fail Criteria
- **PASS:** SMART `Reallocated Sectors Count = 0`, `Current Pending Sectors = 0`, `Uncorrectable Errors = 0`, badblocks finds 0 bad sectors
- **CONDITIONAL:** Any reallocated/pending sectors — demote to non-critical vdev (3×3TB raidz1)
- **FAIL:** Any uncorrectable errors, badblocks bad sectors, or SMART health = FAILED — retire drive

### Next Steps
- [ ] Get drive inventory (exact models, ages, health)
- [ ] Finalize new rig hardware (cross-ref AI thread)
- [ ] Decide backup drive format (ZFS vs NTFS)
- [ ] Plan CasaOS migration steps when new rig is ready
- [ ] Set up SMART monitoring on all drives before pool creation
- [ ] Source cold spare 4TB drive (to keep on shelf for old-drive replacement)
- [ ] Run pre-pool drive tests (batches 1-3)
````

## Notes
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## Related
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