New desktop build, need some suggestions/help

[librewish]

don't worry about ssd write cycles modern ssd are not that bad

as for lvm I don't think it has any usefulness with btrfs as btrfs by itself has almost all features of lvm

[librewish]

as for how to add devices to btrfs I think this articles explains it

How to add a device on btrfs system

[shayaknyc]

@librewish

as for lvm I don’t think it has any usefulness with btrfs as btrfs by itself has almost all features of lvm

I’m really confused…how would I be able to utilize the 2 HDDs, unless I combine their respective storage capacities into one logical volume? Otherwise, I’d have to mount /home/user1 to one HDD and then /home/user2 to the other HDD - which really doesn’t make much sense since the two HDDs are of different storage capacities. Further, I’m not planning on having more than one user account on the system, so not quite sure how best to utilize all 3 HDDs?

[librewish]

@shayaknyc

confused…how would I be able to utilize the 2 HDDs, unless I combine their respective storage capacities into one logical volume?

use btrfs device add to combine three disks in one partition.

read about btrfs device add

[shayaknyc]

@librewish

use btrfs device add to combine three disks in one partition.

read about btrfs device add

Thanks for the tip, reading up on this now!

[shayaknyc]

Ok, I’ve been reading up on btrfs on arch, and I’m finding some conflicting info…some sources indicate that btrfs device add with different storage capacities limits to the lowest common storage capacity denominator, whereas others are showing that the full storage capacity will be used when rebalanced after the device is added. Can anyone confirm?

Additionally, when running the btrfs device add command, you have to specify both the /dev/sdX path and then a mount point like /mnt or whatever you define. For example:
btrfs device add /dev/sdb1 /mnt and then run the rebalance command. However, doesn’t this effectively silo the storage capacity to the/mnt path only? Or does it somehow expand the volume to include the original system storage device’s capacity and the new storage device capacity into one continuous volume, regardless of the mount point specified in the btrfs device add command?

Edit: Found this:

How to add a device to btrfs without balancing the file system?

In your case, you have drives with different performance characteristics. I wouldn't combine them at the btrfs level, I would combine them at the filesystem level. In other words, create a btrfs partition on the new drive completely separate from your other btrfs partition. Then create a subvolume for steam. Next add an entry in /etc/fstab to mount the steam subvolume to where you want it to live in your filesystem. That way your nvme drive and you sata ssd will be separate but still access…

I believe this is a similar use-case for me…in that I have 3 drives with very different performance characteristics. Is it possible to keep the ssd as the system btrfs, then combine the two hdds as one btrfs volume that I can mount in fstab?

@dalto would you happen to know if this would work? Primary btrfs on SSD on clean install, then somehow combine the 2 HDDs as another “single” btrfs volume? Not sure I’m asking the right question, but trying to conceptualize the idea of sdd as one volume, and the 2 hdds as another single volume (a la raid 0 or lvm) but with 2 btrfs volumes instead?

[dalto]

@shayaknyc

@dalto would you happen to know if this would work? Primary btrfs on SSD on clean install, then somehow combine the 2 HDDs as another “single” btrfs volume?

Yes, it is possible. If you don’t want redundancy but want the total space available you can just create a btrfs filesystem on one of the HHDs and then add the other drive to it.

@shayaknyc

However, doesn’t this effectively silo the storage capacity to the/mnt path only? Or does it somehow expand the volume to include the original system storage device’s capacity and the new storage device capacity into one continuous volume, regardless of the mount point specified in the btrfs device add command?

btrfs is a weird command in that it often needs a mount point to work. It doesn’t mean that the mountpoint is the only thing it impacts. It just needs a reference to a mounted subvolume to work.

In other words you can use the mountpoint from any subvolume, but the disk will be added to the full btrfs volume, not just that subvolume.

[shayaknyc]

@dalto

Yes, it is possible. If you don’t want redundancy but want the total space available you can just create a btrfs filesystem on one of the HHDs and then add the other drive to it.

Cool! So, let me see if I understand the steps correctly…

1. Fresh install Garuda on new build using SSD as primary storage device, and use the entire disk.
2. After installation is complete, install 2 HDDs via sata and boot the machine.
3. Format both HDDs as their own btrfs partitions.
4. Mount hdd1 to /mnt/hdd1 (for example)
5. Them mount hdd2 to /mnt/hdd1/hdd2 ?
6. Then rebalance only hdd1+hdd2 together? (Not really sure that’s how you do it - so very new to btrfs, i’m just guessing here).

I think I’m getting lost on the actual steps I need to take of keeping the ssd as it’s own btrfs partition, and then somehow /etc/fstab mount the btrfs volume of HDD1+HDD2 into it’s own mountpoint off the root dir…Sorry if I’m being dense.

@dalto

btrfs is a weird command in that it often needs a mount point to work. It doesn’t mean that the mountpoint is the only thing it impacts. It just needs a reference to a mounted subvolume to work.

In other words you can use the mountpoint from any subvolume, but the disk will be added to the full btrfs volume, not just that subvolume.

Gottit, that kind of makes sense…

[dalto]

@shayaknyc

Format both HDDs as their own btrfs partitions.

It has been a while since I have done this but I think you only format the first one. With the second one you just need the partition type set correctly then you add it to the first.

@shayaknyc

Them mount hdd2 to /mnt/hdd1/hdd2 ?

Not exactly… You don’t mount 1 into 2. You just add 2 to 1. In other words if you mount the volume with a single disk at /mnt/monkey, you use sudo btrfs device add <2nd device path> /mnt/monkey

@shayaknyc

somehow /etc/fstab mount the btrfs volume of HDD1+HDD2 into it’s own mountpoint off the root dir

Use the UUID of the btrfs volume. You can get that from sudo btrfs filesystem show /mnt/monkey

With btrfs it is often easier to actually do things than it is to try to conceptualize them in advance.

[shayaknyc]

LOL Ok, I think I get it now:

1. Format HDD1 as btrfs, and just make the proper partition on HDD2.
2. Add the new HDD1 btrfs volume using UUID to /etc/fstab, for example /mnt/data
3. btrfs add device HDD2 onto /mnt/data

But now how to rebalance only the two HDD drives in /mnt/data as a single volume?

[dalto]

@shayaknyc

But now how to rebalance only the two HDD drives in /mnt/data as a single volume?

As soon as you add them they will be a single volume.

To rebalance it you do:

sudo btrfs balance start /mnt/monkey

[shayaknyc]

Awesome! Thank you!

[Bro]

@dalto

With btrfs it is often easier to actually do things than it is to try to conceptualize them in advance.

Brother, you said a mouthful.

I’ve never heard it put better. The more I investigated btrfs, the more I decided it’s not meant to be grokked by this 70-year old’s remaining braincells. The stuff is very fluid. And that’s very unsettling. Best to just do as you say.

[shayaknyc]

@Bro

Brother, you said a mouthful.

The more I keep falling down this rabbit hole, the truer these words become…fun to learn tho!

[regularCoder]

I though it was a desktop layout which i could steal