FreeNAS expansion question: losing data?

[Dravinian]

If I pull drives out of my FreeNAS that have data on them, will the data be retained, will I be able to gather the data off of them at any time in the future? Would it require me to remove all drives and then place them back, should I need the data again in the future, to the same FreeNAS with the same pool set up?  Or could I plug them into any FreeNAS at any time and retrieve the data?

 

Is that even possible? Or is the data on these drives just a write off if I want to remove them from FreeNAS?

 

It is not hte end of the world, I have copied the data anyway, I just wondered whether I would be able to keep these as a backup, of the backup I have on FreeNAS.

[Electronics Wizardy]

there formatted as zfs, so as long as you have enough drives in the pool, and the system can read zfs formatted drives, it will eaisly move between systems.

[Dravinian]

19 minutes ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

there formatted as zfs, so as long as you have enough drives in the pool, and the system can read zfs formatted drives, it will eaisly move between systems.

My concern with that is that when you create a pool you format your drives.

 

So, I was thinking, if I left the pool intact, but took out the drives (no doubt causing an error or two in the software) then I could replace them later and the machine would go, oh I can see the drives again.

 

You seem to be saying, I can simply put them in another machine capable of reading ZFS, so a different FreeNAS entirely.

 

I am just wondering, how am I going to get the FreeNAS to recognise that there are drives without putting them in a pool, and thus formatting them?

[Electronics Wizardy]

Just now, Dravinian said:

I am just wondering, how am I going to get the FreeNAS to recognise that there are drives without putting them in a pool, and thus formatting them?

you can tell freenas to import a pool and it will import any zfs pool the system. Don't make a new pool, import a existing pool

[Dravinian]

Ahh thank you kind sir.

[Dravinian]

1 hour ago, Electronics Wizardy said:

you can tell freenas to import a pool and it will import any zfs pool the system. Don't make a new pool, import a existing pool

Sorry didn't quote you when I thanked you, because i am a dumbass sometimes.