Recent Posts

31

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Where to mount a big HDD that resides on an iSCSI target

« Last post by edform on September 16, 2025, 03:23:22 PM »

I have successfully attached an iSCSI target to my SME 10.1 server to supplement the storage space available on the small SSD in the server itself. I have mounted its storage unit at /home/e-smith/files, and I have added its details to /etc/fstab so that it remains available after reboots of the server. I have also written the text of a HowTo which I'll publish if it is thought useful.

Now I need advice on where to mount such a disk.

The suggestion to sit it at /home/e-smith/files came from Jean-Philippe Pialasse, and I can see his logic from the directory structure. The folder /home contains one subfolder: e-smith. Then /home/e-smith contains the subfolders: db, files, and Maildir, and some files: dkim_keys, ssl.crt, ssl.key, and ssl.pem. The folder /home/e-smith/files is where SME server puts its ibays, so having lots of space for that is important. What bothers me a bit, however, is that /home/e-smith/Maildir could also become big and space on the SSD is limited, so should I move the mount point of the big disk to /home/e-smith, or will that cause trouble because the iSCSI target object may not become available until after the system looks for things stored on it?

Ed Form

32

Koozali SME Server 11.x / yum update failing with appstream

« Last post by Knuddi on September 16, 2025, 12:41:45 PM »

Am I the only one where a "yum update" fails on the repository "appstream"?

If I exclude this with "--disablerepo=appstream" I get my updates just fine.

33

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Re: Getting iSCSI connection to survive a reboot

« Last post by edform on September 13, 2025, 08:23:44 AM »

OK, I solved it.

I had made a mistake in the entry in /etc/fstab because the Howto I followed made the same mistake.

I entered the line...

UUID=20d666f7-1332-4747-8476-87938d077de8  /home/e-smith/fles    xfs       defaults     0 0

But it should have been...

UUID=20d666f7-1332-4747-8476-87938d077de8  /home/e-smith/files    xfs       _netdev     0 0

I have restarted my server several times and the iSCSI target appears every time as /dev/sdb2 mounted in /home/e-smith/files and it's 5.9TB in size.

Ed Form

34

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Getting iSCSI connection to survive a reboot

« Last post by edform on September 12, 2025, 08:17:30 PM »

I put one of my 6TB HDDs into a QNAP desktop NAS - it's a single bay device - and successfully set it up as an iSCSI target.

Then I used a Windows workstation as an initiator and it successfully connected the disk over several reboots.

Then I broke the connection between the Windows machine and the QNAP and used the ISCSI utils in my SME 10.1 to connect to it. It was actually really easy - I followed the how to info at https://www.itzgeek.com/how-tos/linux/centos-how-tos/configure-iscsi-target-initiator-on-centos-7-rhel7.html

The big problem is that, having done everything in the instructions, including adding the UUID of the target into fstab, the connection does not persist across reboots.

I've spent some hours researching possible causes, and spotted some information on making the connection 'lazily,' which seems to mean launching the connection routine after the iSCSI service has started.

Can anyone point me down the right path to set this up? It was great to see 5.33TB of storage mounted in /home but having to do it by hand each time isn't going to be much use.

Ed Form

35

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Re: Disk partions for a server with an SSD and HDDs

« Last post by edform on September 10, 2025, 08:19:18 PM »

alternatively use the anaconda gui partitionning tool
set ssd as 3 partitions / /boot amd swap
set hdd as /home/e-smith/files
install
ready to go

Thanks for the reply, Jean-Philippe.

I successfully set up the server on the SSD only and can inspect the partitions myself, but I ran into a major issue which I had not expected. The hardware of the little silent server cannot see disks as big as I'm using. *%!?^%$ So I have to attach them a different way before I can follow any of the advice I've been given up till now.

Since the disks came out of my desktop NAS and it can be set up as an iSCSI target really easily, plus, I've spotted that SME 10.1 has the iSCSI utils available,  I should be able to mount them that way. There are several useful looking guides to creating an iSCSI initiator in the RedHat world, so I'll play with that for a while.

Thanks to all who replied.

Ed Form

36

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Re: Disk partions for a server with an SSD and HDDs

« Last post by Jean-Philippe Pialasse on September 10, 2025, 06:19:03 AM »

alternatively use the anaconda gui partitionning tool
set ssd as 3 partitions / /boot amd swap
set hdd as /home/e-smith/files
install
ready to go

37

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Re: Disk partions for a server with an SSD and HDDs

« Last post by edform on September 09, 2025, 08:36:26 AM »

Thanks Rod

As I said in a previous message, the last few bits arrive today and I'll assemble the server when I get them. Then I can work through the install and attaching the HDDs. I'll report the outcome when it's done.

Ed Form

38

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Re: Disk partions for a server with an SSD and HDDs

« Last post by sages on September 09, 2025, 02:32:22 AM »

My (rough) notes from sme 10 install.

Install new ssd as OS drive, install sme10 as single drive install.
Power down, install hd pair.
Power up and create raid 1 array with hd pair.
At this point you need to temporarily mount the new raid 1 array and copy /home/e-smith/files and sub folders to the new temp raid 1 mount. (alternatively you can use this https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/4426/access-to-original-contents-of-mount-point to allow access to the underlying ssd drive location for file copying.
Unmount the raid 1 array and then mount new raid 1 data drive in /home/e-smith/files and modify mdadm.conf and fstab so automounts.
Check after reboot that all working ok.
df -hT should show if mounted correctly.

Rod

39

Koozali SME Server 11.x / Well Worth sharing this blog writeup

« Last post by TerryF on September 08, 2025, 10:09:04 PM »

If anyone ever asks you what is Koozali SME Server, what does it do.

No better simple answer than point them to this blog post.

https://homelab.casaursus.net/koozali-sme-server-10-0-2/#miscellaneous

Has been sitting there since release of the Alpha, great work by them.

40

Koozali SME Server 10.x / Re: Disk partions for a server with an SSD and HDDs

« Last post by edform on September 08, 2025, 07:09:54 PM »

Thanks ReetP

I'm out of practice; it's about 15 years since I last ran an SME. The last couple of bits of hardware I need are due tomorrow and I'll begin installing.

I remember now that the system grabs all the disks you give it and turns them into a raid. I had hoped that the big differrence in disk size would persuade it not to do that and simply partition and format both, with the disk marked for boot in the BIOS getting the system parts and the other being set up as a storage facility. If it would not do that I thought it would be possible to steer the various partitions needed onto the right disks using partitioning options in the install routine. That's why I asked for a partition list and advice on size and location.

Ed Form