Storage, SMART & scrub

Disk errors, SMART tests, pool capacity, scrubs, and keeping RAIDZ1 healthy on Saxon's NAS.

40 entries — IDs STG-001 through STG-040.

STG-001: SMART warning on one disk

Symptoms: Disk page shows SMART status FAILED or warning. Likely cause: Drive developing bad sectors or high temperature. Fix: 1. Note serial and slot. 2. Run SMART extended test on that disk. 3. Do not ignore — plan replacement. 4. If pool still HEALTHY, order same-size 16 TB drive. Still broken? Server Read Smart Disk Errors

STG-002: Disk temperature above 50°C

Symptoms: SMART or dashboard shows hot drives. Likely cause: Poor airflow, failed fan, or stacked drives. Fix: 1. Check DXP 8800 Plus fans and vents. 2. Ensure room airflow. 3. Clean dust filters. 4. Sustained high temp kills drives faster. Still broken? Basics Physical Equipment Map

STG-003: Scrub taking days

Symptoms: Monthly scrub still running after 48+ hours. Likely cause: Large RAIDZ1 pool — normal on 100+ TB raw. Fix: 1. Let scrub finish — do not stop mid-scrub. 2. Schedule next scrub off-peak. 3. Expect slower performance during scrub. Still broken? Server Run Pool Scrub

STG-004: Scrub found checksum errors

Symptoms: Scrub report lists corrected or uncorrectable errors. Likely cause: Bit rot or failing drive. Fix: 1. Note which disk/vdev. 2. Run SMART long on suspect drives. 3. Replace drive if errors repeat. 4. Run second scrub after fix. Still broken? Server Read Smart Disk Errors

STG-005: Cannot start manual scrub

Symptoms: Scrub button greyed out. Likely cause: Scrub already running or pool not ONLINE. Fix: 1. Check scrub in progress. 2. Wait for resilver to finish first. 3. Fix degraded pool before scrub. Still broken? Server Run Pool Scrub

STG-006: Pool 100% full — writes fail

Symptoms: Cannot save files; apps error on write. Likely cause: Media and downloads consumed all space. Fix: 1. Stop new downloads immediately. 2. Delete safe items: completed torrents, temp files. 3. Check snapshots consuming space. 4. Target below 80% for stability. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-007: Snapshots using unexpected space

Symptoms: Free space dropped but no new files obvious. Likely cause: Many snapshots retain old blocks. Fix: 1. Storage → Snapshots — review count and size. 2. Delete old snapshots per retention policy. 3. Do not delete newest snapshot before verifying backups. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-008: Reallocated sectors increasing

Symptoms: SMART shows reallocated sector count rising. Likely cause: Drive failure imminent. Fix: 1. Replace drive soon while pool HEALTHY. 2. Copy critical data off if second copy exists. 3. Follow degraded guide if pool enters DEGRADED. Still broken? Server Read Smart Disk Errors

STG-009: Pending sectors not zero

Symptoms: SMART pending sector count > 0. Likely cause: Drive cannot read some sectors — may spread. Fix: 1. Run SMART short then long test. 2. Replace drive if pending count grows. 3. Monitor pool for checksum errors. Still broken? Server Read Smart Disk Errors

STG-010: SMART test never finishes

Symptoms: Long test stuck for 24+ hours. Likely cause: Drive failing badly or backplane issue. Fix: 1. Cancel test if UI allows. 2. Treat drive as suspect. 3. Replace rather than wait indefinitely. Still broken? Server Read Smart Disk Errors

STG-011: New drive shows wrong size

Symptoms: Replacement 16 TB shows as 14 TB. Likely cause: Drive model uses decimal TB marketing vs TiB. Fix: 1. Confirm actual capacity in UI matches spec. 2. Must be >= failed drive size for RAIDZ replace. 3. Return wrong SKU if truly smaller. Still broken? Server When Pool Degraded

STG-012: Drive serial doesn't match label

Symptoms: Physical label differs from TrueNAS serial. Likely cause: Vendor reshell or swapped sled. Fix: 1. Use TrueNAS UI serial as source of truth. 2. Photo bay number when replacing. 3. Never replace by guess. Still broken? Server When Pool Degraded

STG-013: Windows says A: drive full but NAS shows space

Symptoms: Mismatch between Windows and TrueNAS free space. Likely cause: Quota, different share, or cache. Fix: 1. Refresh Windows disk stats. 2. Check dataset quota in TrueNAS. 3. Confirm mapped to correct share. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-014: Duplicate files eating space

Symptoms: Same movies in multiple folders. Likely cause: Manual copies and arr imports. Fix: 1. Use storage analysis carefully. 2. Delete duplicates only when sure which copy arr uses. 3. Prefer arr-managed paths. Still broken?* Server Check Disk Space

STG-015: Old torrents filling download folder

Symptoms: qBittorrent completed folder huge. Likely cause: Seeding or not auto-removing completed. Fix: 1. Review qBittorrent retention settings with care. 2. Do not delete files arr still importing. 3. See qBittorrent guide before bulk delete. Still broken?* Using Qbittorrent Dont Touch

STG-016: Photos library growing fast

Symptoms: Photos dataset larger each month. Likely cause: Normal — phone backups and RAW. Fix: 1. Review Photos app retention. 2. Archive old years to cold storage if planned. 3. Ensure snapshots not unlimited. Still broken? Using Photos Basics

STG-017: Media folder has wrong permissions size

Symptoms: Cannot delete large folder from Windows. Likely cause: ACL or file in use. Fix: 1. Close Jellyfin scans and qBittorrent. 2. Delete from TrueNAS shell/dataset browser if needed. 3. Fix ACL after cleanup. Still broken? Home Windows Pc Basics

STG-018: Fragmentation not the issue on ZFS

Symptoms: Someone suggested defrag on NAS. Likely cause: ZFS does not need Windows-style defrag. Fix: 1. Do not run defrag tools on network share. 2. Focus on free space and drive health instead. Still broken? Basics What Is Truenas

STG-019: ARC memory using all RAM

Symptoms: TrueNAS shows most RAM as used. Likely cause: ZFS ARC caches disk — normal. Fix: 1. Do not panic — RAM frees under pressure. 2. Only add RAM if apps OOM, not because ARC is high. Still broken? Home Truenas Basics

STG-020: L2ARC not present — is that bad?

Symptoms: No SSD cache in storage UI. Likely cause: Saxon setup uses spinning RAIDZ1 only — fine. Fix: 1. Cache optional for media streaming. 2. Do not add cache without research. 3. Focus on RAM and network for Jellyfin. Still broken? Basics What Is Truenas

STG-021: Special vdev not used

Symptoms: Confusion about metadata vdev. Likely cause: Not configured on this pool — OK. Fix: 1. Ignore special vdev docs unless expanding. 2. Standard RAIDZ1 is the whole pool. Still broken? Basics What Is Truenas

STG-022: Drive click of death audible

Symptoms: Clicking from NAS drive bay. Likely cause: Mechanical failure. Fix: 1. Identify bay by sound or SMART. 2. Replace ASAP — pool may degrade soon. 3. Back up critical data if second copy exists. Still broken? Server When Pool Degraded

STG-023: All drives spin down then lag

Symptoms: First access after idle is very slow. Likely cause: Spin-down power saving enabled. Fix: 1. Disable disk spin-down for NAS use. 2. Homelab needs drives ready 24/7. 3. Adjust in Storage → Disks power management. Still broken? Home Truenas Basics

STG-024: USB backup drive not recognized

Symptoms: Plugged USB for manual backup — nothing. Likely cause: Unsupported filesystem or insufficient power. Fix: 1. Try different USB port. 2. Format as ext4/ZFS backup target if documented. 3. Use powered USB hub for large drives. Still broken? Server Export Photos Safely

STG-025: rsync to external slow

Symptoms: Backup to USB takes days. Likely cause: USB 2.0 cable or drive bottleneck. Fix: 1. Use USB 3+ port and cable. 2. Run overnight. 3. Expect slower than pool-internal copies. Still broken? Server Export Photos Safely

STG-026: Dataset reservation blocks space

Symptoms: Free space exists but cannot allocate. Likely cause: Reservation set on child dataset. Fix: 1. Review reservation settings. 2. Lower reservation if too aggressive. 3. Understand difference from quota. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-027: Compression not saving expected space

Symptoms: lz4 enabled but size barely changed. Likely cause: Media already compressed (MKV, MP4). Fix: 1. Compression helps text/DB more than video. 2. Leave on — little downside. 3. Do not expect huge savings on Movies folder. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-028: Recordsize mismatch slow small files

Symptoms: App with tiny config files slow. Likely cause: Large recordsize on wrong dataset. Fix: 1. App config datasets use default recordsize. 2. Do not change media dataset recordsize casually. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-029: Monthly scrub missed schedule

Symptoms: Last scrub months ago. Likely cause: Schedule disabled or NAS was off. Fix: 1. Run manual scrub now. 2. Re-enable monthly schedule. 3. Fix NTP/time if schedule misfires. Still broken? Server Run Pool Scrub

STG-030: SMART short test schedule failing

Symptoms: Automated SMART tasks error. Likely cause: Drive busy or failing. Fix: 1. Run manual test on one disk. 2. Replace failing disk. 3. Stagger tests so not all disks at once. Still broken? Server Read Smart Disk Errors

STG-031: Pool capacity math confusing

Symptoms: 7×16 TB but less usable shown. Likely cause: RAIDZ1 parity + binary vs decimal TB. Fix: 1. Trust TrueNAS dashboard number. 2. Plan upgrades before 80% full. 3. 8th drive expansion adds capacity — see pool FAQ. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-032: Deleting file doesn't free space immediately

Symptoms: Space unchanged after big delete. Likely cause: File still open or in snapshot. Fix: 1. Close apps using file. 2. Wait for snapshot to release or remove old snapshot. 3. Check recycle bin on Windows. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-033: Windows Recycle Bin on network drive

Symptoms: Deleted from A: but space not freed. Likely cause: Delete stored in $Recycle.Bin on share. Fix: 1. Empty Recycle Bin on A:. 2. Shift+Delete bypasses recycle for permanent delete. 3. Teach family about network drive deletes. Still broken? Home Windows Pc Basics

STG-034: Two disks same age — replace proactively?

Symptoms: All drives bought together years ago. Likely cause: Batch failure risk after first death. Fix: 1. After first failure, watch siblings closely. 2. Keep spare 16 TB if budget allows. 3. Replace SMART-waning drives before cascade. Still broken? Server Read Smart Disk Errors

STG-035: Drive LED amber on bay

Symptoms: Physical LED warning on drive slot. Likely cause: Vendor LED for fault or activity — check UI. Fix: 1. Match LED bay to TrueNAS disk list. 2. Compare with SMART status. 3. Replace if UI also warns. Still broken? Server When Pool Degraded

STG-036: Pool scan vs scrub difference

Symptoms: Confusion between quick scan and scrub. Likely cause: Scrub is full checksum verify — use that. Fix: 1. Run scrub monthly. 2. Ignore unverified quick tools. 3. Track scrub results in Alerts. Still broken? Server Run Pool Scrub

STG-037: High write amplification during copy

Symptoms: Copying to NAS slows everything. Likely cause: Normal during large sequential writes. Fix: 1. Copy overnight. 2. Pause other IO-heavy tasks. 3. Use wired network. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-038: Dataset nearly full warning email

Symptoms: Alert: dataset over threshold. Likely cause: Specific folder full though pool OK. Fix: 1. Identify dataset in alert. 2. Clean or expand that dataset. 3. Adjust alert threshold if too noisy. Still broken? Server Check Disk Space

STG-039: Ryan — how to check disk health weekly

Symptoms: Inherited NAS maintenance routine. Likely cause: Need simple health checklist. Fix: 1. Open dsm.saxobroko.com → Storage → pool HEALTHY. 2. Glance Disks for SMART warnings. 3. Confirm last scrub date. 4. Check pool below 80% full. Still broken? Handover Who Gets What

STG-040: Should I run badblocks on new drive?

Symptoms: New spare drive before install. Likely cause: ZFS scrub after install is sufficient for this setup. Fix: 1. Do not run destructive badblocks on in-use pool disks. 2. For spare, quick SMART extended is enough. 3. Install and let resilver verify. Still broken? Server When Pool Degraded