Sharing The Love…

Posted on by dk

So, the ZFS datasets have been created, and we now have to start creating the shares…

<rant>No thanks to Micro$oft, NFS support on is now only available on Enterprise versions of Windows 10, and therefore I will cannot use (the more efficient) NFS in my largely Windows environment network.</rant>

Goals

My goal was to:

  1. set up several different shares, mapping directly to the ZFS datasets
    1. this meant setting up SAMBA in a “WORKGROUP” environment
  2. allow different users to map this share on Windows, and be able to view only, or modify any objects within (add/delete/edit) according to their permissions per share

What follows is the steps required to:

  • create the SAMBA share(s) and securing it (or at least setting the correct permissions)
  • set-up the SAMBA user(s)

Note: There is a difference between Linux uid/user and gid/group and SAMBA SID/user and GID/group; within this context, I attempt to refer to the latter as “SMB User” and “SMB group” for disambiguation.

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RAIDZ2… Finally

Posted on by dk

Finally, we start installing the ZFS packages and start the RAIDZ2 set-up (no screenshot):

apt-get zfsutils-linux

For several reasons, I chose to use:

  • vdevs created “by-id”:
    • as per advice from multiple places online, using the “easier” /dev/sdx identifier may break things should the order be changed (e.g. you swapped cable ends or drive cages, etc.)
  • lz4 compression
    • as per statistics from some places, the “cost” of LZ4 is relatively low/negligible

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Reading Up On ZFS…

Posted on by dk

Attempting to implement ZFS and the decisions that go into it is enough to make any newbie give up (and/or get terribly confused)…

Unfortunately, Google does not help, what with old information (e.g. installation instructions: old vs. new; possibly outdated information) and different “package variations” of ZFS (e.g. Ubuntu-native ZFS packages vs. ZFS-native), and the endless arguments on the “correct number of disks” for RAIDZ/2 (mirrored vdevs only? RAIDZ? RAIDZ2? mirrored RAIDZ/2? block size?)…

I read through all those articles linked above, including some other helpful(?) ones:

Some other “associated” links/articles/comments/posts that I came across:

My decision?

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Network-less Ubuntu Server Install…

Posted on by dk

So, I tried to install Ubuntu Server 16.04.1 LTS while the machine was not plugged into the network, and also did not bother to connect to the WiFi network during the installation from the CD either…

Rusty from last Linux use (circa 2008), I was totally stuck thereafter – no network and no way to add anything else (through the network, because, you know, no network)… Fortunately, SSHd was selected during the installation – so all I had to do was to get the network up, then I could try and do every other thing remotely (well, that is the theory)…

2016-10-18_23-32-16

Just in case you really do not have an Internet connection (say, the Ubuntu distribution does not have your NIC drivers), you can then try any of the “offline” methods described here.

Documented, as follows, is my journey to “get unstuck” and continue the set-up…

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Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro – Hits and Misses

Posted on by dk

As of today, I have, on hand, three Xiaomi Mi 5 Pros (two in white, one in black).

Edited Mi 5 Pro Phones (redacted)

Just a word of warning:

  • my first unit (white) first appeared to have serious battery drain issues
    • a simple work-around was found (and this supposed software issue is still not fixed as of writing this!)
  • my second unit (white) first appeared to have issues with GPS
    • flashing from scratch with China Stable/Developer, Global Stable/Developer ROMs did not help
    • finally did a one-for-one exchange with seller after one month
  • my third unit (black) first appeared to have no issues (tested GPS, WiFi, display, touchscreen, speaker, etc.)…
    • but… when I finally attempted to put SIM1 in, there was no network signal; finally did a one-for-one exchange with seller after two weeks of trying to fix it

In short: buying from an overseas seller has its risk (shipping back and forth and getting charged import taxes is no small issue), so try to buy one from a local reseller!

Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro – Global Stable ROM

Posted on by dk

For those looking for my review of the MIUI 7 Global Stable 7.3.5.0 ROM, I do not have the time just yet to try and muck around with this…

Just a quick reference on the expected differences between the China Stable and Global Stable:

One thing I definitely need to test is if the Global Stable ROM includes the Netcom 3.0 “feature”/software, which is supposedly the “secret sauce” in enabling simultaneous LTE/4G/3G connectivity on both SIMs (which appears to be targeted at the Chinese market and is probably the “thing” that enables me to use both SIM slots in some countries/operators with no 2G networks, and is the only real reason I bought multiple Mi 5 Pros over other choices in the first place).

2016/06/05 Update: Tested and confirmed that simultaneous 4G/LTE and 3G is working!

2016/07/31 Update: Latest ROM at this moment is Global Stable 7.5.2.0; all notes from my experience here has been updated while using Global Stable 7.5.1.0.

Xiaomi Mi 5 Pro in Full, Original, Chinese Glory…

Posted on by dk

From the prelude to the current predicament: I have, on one hand, a powerful device with notable capabilities, but, on the other hand, appears to be plagued by Chinese dictatorship and possible unwarranted data gathering…

Putting aside personal political views and paranoia, does the Mi 5 Pro, in full unadulterated “China Stable ROM” glory, work?

2016/06/05 Update: The Global Stable version 7.3.5.0 of the ROM was launched, although it should be noted that if your device is on the China Stable ROM, then you will still need to unlock your boot loader, literally reformat the /data partition (i.e. losing all your information because the stupid China Stable 7.3.4.0 ROM does not give you the option to decrypt the partition) before installing the Global ROM. Depending on what time and inclination I have, I may try to install it and review this Global version (maybe in comparison to China Stable and EU ROM).

2016/07/31 Update: Other numerous Global ROM updates have since been released (the latest being “Global Stable 7.5.2.0“), and although my experience grows with multiple handsets being used as “daily drivers” (one with ROM version “Global Stable 7.3.10.0”, the other “Global Stable 7.5.1.0”), the below points have been updated and all other points are still relevant up to “Global Stable 7.5.1.0”.

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