Napp-it - Missing Files

[Chellexelle]

I just started up my server and noticed folders missing. These folders contain a lot of data and I need to know what is going on. What can I do to find the missing files or even recover them if they were deleted?

 

[_Gea]

You need snapshots (you should always do snaps, I usually setup autosnap-jobs like
every 15 min - keep 4, every hour - keep 24, every day - keep 60) as a first action when a new system is up.

You can then go back in time over these snaps.
As these snaps are read only no virus (or a user without intention) can modify/delete these snapshots.
You can use Windows - Previous versions to browse snaps.

Also do backups - even with ZFS

 

[Chellexelle]

I will do that but for now, I am missing one folder that I know of with 60GB of data. Is there any way to find and recover it?

Also, how much space do these snapshots take up?

 

[staticlag]

snapshots only usually track changes, so if files stay the same they will be very small, as files change they take up more space.

This is your best bet: http://www.solarisinternals.com/wiki/index.php/ZFS_forensics_scrollback_script

Backups ftw

 

[Chellexelle]

Thanks staticlag for the tip but I wouldn't even know how to install that script or execute it.

This server that I spent thousands building is supposed to be the "backup" and it is frustrating to find entire directories disappearing for no reason and because I have so many files, I have no way of knowing just what is missing. I guess I trusted the wrong software to manage my files.

 

[_Gea]

I use ZFS for many years and all over the years there was not one report that ZFS may eat files
without a user (or virus) action. The truth is, there is no other filesystem that cares more about data security.
That does not help on any problems or failures and this is why you should use the snap feature and do backups.

What I would do
use the CLI command find and search for a filename (if you know a name of a lost file)
if you accidentally moved a Folder. (or a search function from Windows or OSX on a share)

about snaps
ZFS is a Copy on Write filesysem where every written datablock is written newly (no inplace update).
The two consequences are the always consistent filesystem as a write is successful or not done and
that a snap is not done by a copy action but of a freeze of the former data pointers.

So a snap does not require space and is done without delay. The space that it seems to require is the
amount of modified data after that snap.

You can create snaps within napp-it and the autosnap function.
See menu jobs >> snap >> create autosnap job

 

[omniscence]

I also never had files magically disappear from any modern filesystem without the system heavily complaining about disk or device errors.
Without exactly knowing what is going on in your case the most probable cause for the missing files is that you deleted or moved them by accident.
If they are really deleted and you do not have a snapshot of them, it will be almost impossible to get them back.
ZFS uses a really complicated on-disk structure, more complex than normal journaling filesystems. There is nothing like GetDataBack for ZFS.

It doesn't matter whether you spend hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands on hardware, if you can't use the software properly, the result will be the same.

I remember that people suggested to you in your original server build thread to still use backups.
That is the basic rule and even people who spend hundreds of thousands on storage systems do backups.