ZFS scrub schedule for a small VPS pool
A scrub reads every allocated block and verifies it. On a single device VPS pool it finds damage it cannot repair, so here is how often to run one.
#storage
Filtering by topic #storage · clear
Docker Compose volumes: bind vs named
Bind mounts and named volumes in Docker Compose: which to use for config and for data, the file permission traps, and how to inspect, back up and migrate.
Ollama pull vs run, and where models live
ollama pull downloads a model and stops. ollama run downloads chat models, then opens a chat. Where files land, why they fill a VPS root disk, how to move them.
Fix a degraded ZFS pool and replace the disk
DEGRADED means a vdev is impaired but still serving data. Use zpool online for a loose cable or zpool replace for a dead disk, then verify with a scrub.
ZFS settings you can't change later
Which ZFS settings you can't change later on a VPS: ashift, vdev layout and creation only properties, how to read them back, and what a rebuild costs.
Where Nextcloud in Docker Stores Files
Find the Nextcloud data directory inside the container, the host path behind the volume, and everything else a restorable backup needs beyond user files.
Self-hosted Dropbox alternatives, compared
Nextcloud, Seafile, Syncthing and object storage compared: sync topology, what each really costs on a small VPS, and why sync is not backup.
Self-hosted file managers compared
FileBrowser, Filestash, SFTPGo and Cloud Commander compared on scoping, share links, storage backends and auth, plus how to run one without risking your files.
ZFS: cannot destroy snapshot, it has holds
Your zfs destroy fails with dataset is busy or dependent clones. Find the hold, release the tag, use deferred destroy, and promote a clone safely.
Remove a disk from an LVM volume group
Move data off an LVM physical volume with pvmove, then vgreduce and pvremove before you detach the disk, in the order that keeps a mounted filesystem alive.
GPT vs MBR partition tables on a server
Why servers use GPT, what the protective MBR in sector zero is for, how many partitions you get, and how to fix the backup header after a volume resize.
ZFS snapshots, clones, rollback and promote
Take, list and diff ZFS snapshots, roll back past newer ones, clone a snapshot, promote the clone so the origin can be destroyed, and read the space columns.
Why a 500GB disk shows 465GB in Linux
A 500GB VPS disk shows 465GB because plans count in powers of ten and Linux counts in powers of two. Check the arithmetic on your own server.
Verify your VPS disk is really NVMe on Linux
Your host says NVMe. Check it from inside the guest with lsblk, sysfs, nvme-cli and a bounded fio latency run, and learn why virtio hides the disk.
The real Nextcloud limitations on a VPS
What Nextcloud is genuinely bad at on a VPS: many small files, the sync client on large trees, unconfigured cron, and the memory floor for office.
Disk health monitoring on a VPS
On most VPS plans the disk is virtual and SMART never reaches the guest. Here is what you can really monitor, and how to alert before writes fail.
VPS snapshots vs backups vs clones
A snapshot lives on your provider's infrastructure, so it is not a backup. What each one restores, and what to fix on a cloned VPS before it runs.
Seafile vs Nextcloud for file sync
Seafile splits files into blocks for fast sync. Nextcloud keeps files on disk and runs apps. Compare sync speed, RAM, backups and encryption.
ZFS on FreeBSD and Linux: the RAM trade-off
ZFS gives a server checksummed data, free snapshots, send/receive replication and cheap compression. The ARC also takes your RAM. How to judge that on a VPS.
Where Immich in Docker stores your photos
Immich splits originals, thumbnails, transcodes and the Postgres database across two host paths. Learn which folders are the only copy and how to move them.
Local NVMe vs network storage on a VPS
Two offers, the same spec sheet: one gives you local NVMe, one a network volume. What changes for latency, snapshots, noisy neighbours and failure.
Cheap terabytes: storage VPS or object storage
Several terabytes for a few euros a month: what a storage VPS, a block volume and object storage really cost in the EU, and which one restores fast.
Agent memory types and what they cost
Semantic, episodic and procedural agent memory in one table, then the half nobody writes: what each type costs to store and to re-embed on a VPS.
RAID 10 explained for VPS storage
What RAID 1, 5, 6 and 10 survive, what a rebuild costs, and why VPS hosts pick RAID 10 for NVMe. Plus how to read /proc/mdstat, and why RAID is not a backup.
What is an SSD VPS? Flash storage explained
An SSD VPS is a virtual server backed by flash, not spinning disks. What that buys is IOPS and low latency, plus three questions to ask before you buy.
NVMe vs SSD VPS: does it matter?
NVMe beats SATA SSD on IOPS and latency, but on a VPS the hypervisor and your neighbours decide what you get. Measure your own with fio.