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ZFS can do this. Just set copies=2 on a dataset, and it'll always keep 2 copies of everything written thenceforth (with ~twice the storage usage). And since i
by ssl-3 2y ago
ZFS can do this. Just set copies=2 on a dataset, and it'll always keep 2 copies of everything written thenceforth (with ~twice the storage usage).
And since it's a dataset setting instead of a pool setting, it can be applied selectively on a storage device.
"Oh, those photos are also backed up to Google Photos. It's maybe not ideal, but it's a lot of data and not worth keeping 2 copies those locally, so I'll leave those at the default of copies=1. But the this collection of code and short stories and I've written? That's pretty important to me, and it's actually kind of small -- I'll set that as copies=2. Actually, maybe copies=3 would be even better..."
The setting will stick with it between machines/sessions/whatevers without further user input. Things with copies=2 get mounted the same way as anything else is with ZFS in a given environment.
ZFS already detects bitrot very well even with copies=1, but it can't fix bitrot with chechsums alone. With copies=2, it has a non-zero chance at actually fixing it (or at least being completely readable so the data can be transitioned to the next storage device, completely intact).
https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19253-01/819-5461/gevpg/index.html https://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19253-01/819-5461/gevpg/index.ht...
- account42 2y agoIs there even that much value to keeping multiple copies on the same device? I fail to see what this adds over backups which can be done with any filesystem.
- HankB99 2y agoIf you have a pool consisting of a single device (such as a drive in a laptop) the second copy could protect from loss of a file that includes storage that can not be read. In a multiple device pool (with some redundancy) it would IMO be a extra and unneeded layer of protection.
- ssl-3 2y agoRAID is good (if one pays for it and makes it work). Backups are better (if they actually get done, and if they are actually usable for recovery). Backups + RAID is better yet. But OP asked for a particular set of things that do not have any direct relationship to the traditional concepts of either backups or RAID, and ZFS can provide that set of things using copies=2. It isn't for us to decide the value of this for them.