# Partitioning through Fixit



## atwinix (Dec 12, 2010)

Hello All,

I am installing FreeBSD 8.1 x64 through the Fixit Shell and I need to set it up to run on ZFS.  I am currently experimenting in a virtual environment before I build the actual system. (See attached File)

I have ad4, ad6 and ad8 to be striped and then mirrored to ad10, ad12 and ad14.

I need to gstripe each partition to the corresponding one on the other drive (ad4p1 to ad6p1 to ad8p1, and ad4p2 to ad6p2 to ad8p2 and so on).

I learned how to use gstripe and did the following:

```
gstripe label -v -s 131072 boot /dev/ad4p1 /dev/ad6p1 /dev/ad8p1
gstripe label -v -s 131072 swap /dev/ad4p2 /dev/ad6p2 /dev/ad8p2
gstripe label -v -s 131072 zfs /dev/ad4p3 /dev/ad6p3 /dev/ad8p3
```

Should I do the same for the ad10 - ad14 drives before I gmirror?  

And should I mount the partitions before I start installing?  What should I configure while installing/after installing?

Thanking you all for your time and help,

atwinix


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## SirDice (Dec 13, 2010)

Why are you gstriping ZFS? Use the functionality of ZFS.

And you really don't want to stripe your swap. When one of the drives fail the entire swap will fail.


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## phoenix (Dec 13, 2010)

atwinix said:
			
		

> I am installing FreeBSD 8.1 x64 through the Fixit Shell and I need to set it up to run on ZFS.  I am currently experimenting in a virtual environment before I build the actual system. (See attached File)
> 
> I have ad4, ad6 and ad8 to be striped and then mirrored to ad10, ad12 and ad14.



No, no, no, and no!

First, you want mirrors (RAID1) striped together (RAID0) to get RAID1+0 aka RAID10.  You do *not* want stripes (RAID0) mirrored together (RAID1) to get RAID0+1.  Bad things will happen.

Second, ZFS will do all of that for you.  It automatically stripes together any vdevs you create.  Thus, just create ZFS mirror vdevs, add them all to the same pool, and be done with it:
`# zpool create mypool mirror ad4 ad4 mirror ad8 ad10 mirror ad12 ad14`

Or, if you want to do it in multiple commands:
`# zpool create mypool mirror ad4 ad6`
`# zpool add mypool mirror ad8 ad10`
`# zpool add mypool mirror ad12 ad14`

Third, make your life easy.  Download the PC-BSD 8.1 ISO, and use that to configure a basic mirror pool using 2 drives (ad4, ad6), use it to install FreeBSD, then boot into it.  Finally, add the other two mirror vdevs, and you're done.


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## atwinix (Dec 14, 2010)

Well, thanks for the tips guys. I shall definitely revise my method.


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