ZFS Scrub Explained: What It Does and How Often to Run It
What Is a ZFS Scrub and Why Does Your NAS Need It? If you run TrueNAS or any ZFS-based storage system, you’ve likely seen the word “scrub” in…
RAID vs JBOD for a Home NAS: Which Should You Actually Use?
If you are building a home NAS and wondering whether to use RAID or JBOD, the short answer is: use RAID unless you have a specific, well-understood reason…
How to Expand a RAID or ZFS Array: Adding Drives Without Data Loss
If you’re running out of space on your NAS and wondering whether you can simply add a new drive to your existing RAID array without wiping everything and…
RAID 0 vs RAID 1: Speed or Safety for Your NAS?
If you own a 2-bay NAS and are choosing between RAID 0 and RAID 1, the short answer is: pick RAID 1 for almost every home use case.…
RAID 10 vs RAID 5 for a NAS: Performance vs Storage Efficiency
Choosing between RAID 10 and RAID 5 for your NAS comes down to a straightforward trade-off: RAID 5 gives you more usable storage for your money, while RAID…
What to Do When a NAS Drive Fails: A Step-by-Step Recovery Guide
Your NAS drive just failed. You hear the alerts, see the degraded pool status, or notice a drive is missing from the array. Your first instinct might be…
ZFS Explained: A Practical Guide for NAS Builders
If you are building a NAS with TrueNAS, Proxmox, or Unraid and have heard “ZFS” mentioned as the gold standard for data integrity, you need to understand what…
RAIDZ1 vs RAIDZ2: Which ZFS Level Should You Use?
Choosing between RAIDZ1 and RAIDZ2 comes down to a single trade-off: usable capacity versus fault tolerance. RAIDZ1 (similar to RAID 5) gives you one drive of parity, so…
ZFS Snapshots Explained: A Homelab Guide to Instant Rollbacks
If you use TrueNAS or any ZFS-based system, you have access to one of the most powerful data protection features in the homelab world: instant, near-zero-cost snapshots. A…
RAID 5 vs RAID 6: Which Should You Use for Large-Capacity Drives?
Choosing between RAID 5 and RAID 6 is one of the most critical decisions you’ll make when building a NAS with large-capacity drives. The wrong choice can mean…
RAID 1 vs RAID 5: Which Gives You More Usable Storage?
Choosing between RAID 1 and RAID 5 is one of the first big storage decisions you’ll make when building a homelab or NAS. The short answer: RAID 5…