Why Linus Sebastian didn't use FreeNAS

[Programmer Frank]

I watched many LTT videos, i want to ask, why linus didn't use freenas?

 

freenas supported so many types of RAID,

and it supported RAID Cache originally.(I mean Linus using Windows Server 2016 and wanted to build a editing server and Windows server doesn't support to change column in GUI,It always say some st***d error messages,you guys maybe know this episode of LTT)

 

I know Windows Server is good. But why linus using Windows Server on his main editing server? Why didn't he using FreeNAS or UNRAID?

[AbsoluteFool]

1 minute ago, Orwtmc Incorporation. said:

I watched many LTT videos, i want to ask, why linus didn't use freenas?

 

freenas supported so many types of RAID,

and it supported RAID Cache originally.(I mean Linus using Windows Server 2016 and wanted to build a editing server and Windows server doesn't support to change column in GUI,It always say some st***d error messages,you guys maybe know this episode of LTT)

 

I know Windows Server is good. But why linus using Windows Server on his main editing server? Why didn't he using FreeNAS or UNRAID?

This question is better asked to Linus himself. He probably have a good reason for this.

[Programmer Frank]

2 minutes ago, AbsoluteFool said:

This question is better asked to Linus himself. He probably have a good reason for this.

Good idea, but how can i contact to him LOL.

[AbsoluteFool]

Just now, Orwtmc Incorporation. said:

Good idea, but how can i contact to him LOL.

That's probably not as easy. Remember he is running a company and have a family to spend time with. Your question would be like having an annoying bee summing above his head. Instead i would just accept that he chosed what he did and move on.

[Programmer Frank]

1 minute ago, AbsoluteFool said:

That's probably not as easy. Remember he is running a company and have a family to spend time with. Your question would be like having an annoying bee summing above his head. Instead i would just accept that he chosed what he did and move on.

Umm, ok, i am sorry

[Windows7ge]

I think it's a combination of preference, knowledge base, and software support. They mentioned a few years ago that they needed to run Windows Server because the software they needed didn't run on Linux.

[AbsoluteFool]

Just now, Orwtmc Incorporation. said:

Umm, ok, i am sorry

I'm sorry aswell. My point was just that if you had 10 million people all wanting to ask you questions. It would eventually become a problem for you. 

[Programmer Frank]

5 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

I think it's a combination of preference, knowledge base, and software support. They mentioned a few years ago that they needed to run Windows Server because the software they needed didn't run on Linux.

Make sense.

[Windows7ge]

6 minutes ago, Programmer Frank said:

Make sense.

Admittedly I do believe that was only for 1 or 2 servers. They now have several and only 2 or 3 run some distro of Linux. Personally I would only put Windows on the ones that need it. Beyond that I'd only install Windows within a hypervisor like on Proxmox.

[Mihle]

17 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

Admittedly I do believe that was only for 1 or 2 servers. They now have several and only 2 or 3 run some distro of Linux. Personally I would only put Windows on the ones that need it. Beyond that I'd only install Windows within a hypervisor like on Proxmox.

If I remember right, it was the video converter server that had software than did only run on windows.

[Programmer Frank]

1 minute ago, Mihle said:

If I remember right, it was the video converter server that had software than did only run on windows.

Maybe.

[leadeater]

Linus was running some software to copy changes to files over to an offsite server for recovery purposes. It was also about already being familiar with Windows so it made it easy to use.

 

Performance wise FreeNAS or specifically SAMBA is not as good as Windows is, just the way it is. It's fine but for an all SSD server the per client performance can be limited by this. Personally I don't think it would matter but as with most things not every product is the best fit for every situation.

[LinusTech]

I also just have a hell of a time getting basic stuff working every time I run freenas. 

 

Have made my way to Sr engineers every time I've used it

 

"that should be working"

 

"and yet it isn't"

[David007]

Yah, exhibit a:

https://www.reddit.com/r/freenas/comments/djn4xz/just_setup_freenas_112u6_so_many_problems/

I ended up just installing Ansible nas with ZFS on linux. Works really well and is very stable. Running lots of stuff on docker from Minecraft server to nextcloud to zoneminder with mysql etc..

FreeNAS just didn't work and docker is just so useful which FreeNAS doesn't support anyway.

[leadeater]

23 minutes ago, LinusTech said:

I also just have a hell of a time getting basic stuff working every time I run freenas. 

 

Have made my way to Sr engineers every time I've used it

 

"that should be working"

 

"and yet it isn't"

Still amazes me how you manage to find topics like this and have to time to answer them.

[Windows7ge]

7 hours ago, LinusTech said:

I also just have a hell of a time getting basic stuff working every time I run freenas. 

 

Have made my way to Sr engineers every time I've used it

 

"that should be working"

 

"and yet it isn't"

Eh, I've shifted the Debian+zfsutils-linux route. Much more flexibility, range of functionality. FreeNAS is pretty limiting in the number of functions it lets you do like install a better hypervisor.

 

...I hate you Bhyve...I hate you...

[Jarsky]

13 hours ago, Programmer Frank said:

Why didn't he using FreeNAS or UNRAID?

While Linus has already partly answered your question. I'll just point out that he has used UnRAID multiple times, and he knows very well the restriction of it is to a single drives speed, and there is no read cache. High speed read is pretty fundamental to how his editors work off network storage so he already knew that aint gonna work. 

 

I also echo Linus' response around FreeNAS. Its a fantastic system, but back in FreeNAS 9 I used to have a hell of a time with it. FreeBSD drivers have been pretty limited as well so you've had to use specific hardware thats supported. Many vendors only create Linux drivers and not FreeBSD. Support packages and tools have also been far more ubiquitous in Linux as well, which is why I personally prefer ZFSonLinux