Referencing: https://lemmy.world/post/17588348
I want to make a NAS with a 500GB boot drive and 2x16TB HDDs. Based on my previous post, btrfs is a good option. It also looks easy to get started. My plan for the NAS would be to purchase several 16TB drives, and only use 2 of them.
My first question is about different drives. Could I purchase two different brand drives and use them with btrfs? (I assume yes)
2nd question: how does the replacement process go? Like if drive A died, so I remove it, and put a brand new replacement in. What do I have to do with btrfs to get the raid 1 back going? Any links or guides would be amazing.
Is btrfs RAID stable yet? This article is three years old, so maybe things have improved, but it contains some pretty strong warnings about the dangers of btrfs RAID:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/09/examining-btrfs-linuxs-perpetually-half-finished-filesystem/
To summarize, the article argues that btrfs is great for single-disk usage but its RAID implementations are idiosyncratic and unreliable.
(I use btrfs daily on several single-disk computers and it has been great, but I have never tried its RAID.)
Mirror (raid1) btrfs raids are fine and are more convenient anyways.
Been using it for over a year on two 8tb SSDs in strip and 14tb as mirror. This is on Debian and its flawless and wonderful. I run btrkbk hourly for snapshots, backups to remote locations and house keeping with 6 months of hourly snaps. Life is great.