About two years ago I priced out a DIY vs IX Systems Truenas system, and decided to go with an XI Systmes TrueNAS mini. Due to shortages, I was upgraded to the “max-mini.” My VM storage runs on a separate 10 GbE storage network over iSCSI to my Supermicro “edge” hypervisor hosts.
I’ve been happily running a three HDD VM storage pool using Ironwolf drives.
My question is this: As these drives reach old age, should I be considering different storage?
Current VM storage: 12 TB, with 4.5 TB available. This hasn’t changed for years. I mainly build VMs to run them a long time and see what happens as things age. My always-on home network stuff runs in containers on an Intel NUC with backup to B2, making my homelab a literal lab.
Assumptions / Thoughts:
- I won’t see NVME PCI-E storage speeds, not that it really matters on a 10 GbE storage network with mostly long lived VMs.
- SSDs might be entering the “dustbin of history” stage, the enterprise SSD form factor M2 drives being the exception. Then again my local Microcenter still sells blank CDs and BluRay discs.
- SSDs and NVMes will generate some heat, but unless they are actively stressed, not as much as I think? So long as my NAS has sufficient airflow, I should be okay.
- SSD and NVMe lifetime has reached acceptable levels for storage that I can replace without much thought.
Are we approaching the HDD’s twilight years?
