StableBit DrivePool
StableBit DrivePool is an add-in for:
- Windows Home Server 2011
- Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials
- Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials
Current BETA stage: M3 (Milestone 3)
Build: 4114
Visit the StableBit DrivePool discussion forum
Screenshots
Features
- Combine your hard drives into one big storage pool.
- Create regular or duplicated folders on the pool. Duplicated folders protect your files against single drive failure.
- Backup your client computers to the drive pool.
- Add and remove any drive at any time, even with existing non-pooled data. Existing data is not modified.
- All your data is stored in standard NTFS files. You can always get at your files even if you don't have access to the DrivePool software.
Windows Home Server Integration
- Deeply integrated with the Windows Home Server.
- DrivePool folders are managed from the Windows Home Server Dashboard.
- Support for remote web access and media streaming.
- Support for putting the special Client Computer Backups folder on the pool, giving you unlimited storage space to backup all your computers.
- Windows Home Server folder permissions.
- Easily move your existing Windows Home Server folders onto the pool.
- Support for the Windows Home Server installer means that you can install the add-in from any connected computer by simply running it.
Data Integrity
- The pool is self-contained.
- If your computer crashes, connect your pooled drives to another computer and access your pool instantly.
- Instantly access your pool after an operating system re-install.
- Duplicated files remain readable and writable, even in the face of bad sectors or a broken hard drive.
Performance
- With Direct File I/O DrivePool communicates with the NTFS file system driver in the kernel directly, for the fastest speeds possible.
- Utilizing Read Striping, files placed in duplicated folders are read from 2 disks at the same time, providing an extra performance boost. This feature adjusts the reading algorithm only and does not change the way your files are actually stored on the disk.
- When a duplicated file is being written to two separate disks, every write happens in parallel in order to minimize the impact on performance.
- Directories are listed by directly querying all the disks in parallel.
- Fast algorithm capable of handling many tens of thousands of files in a single directory without slowing down.
- Results are buffered into a master list, and as the master list is being built the results are returned to the application.
How it works
(Credit: Shane)
Blog posts
Disclaimer
StableBit DrivePool is a BETA and has the potential for bugs. Because of the nature of this add-in there is potential for data loss. Only serious testers should consider downloading and installing the current BETA builds.
Your data integrity can be compromised with this BETA build. Use at your own risk, and only with non-essential data.
Download / Install
Download the latest BETA M3: StableBit.DrivePool_1.0.0.4114_BETA.wssx
SHA1: eb831151e6f5408be4f7e56def596591768745a4
Do not run the installer from a pooled share
Change log: View changes.txt
Upgrading
Upgrading to a newer build is simple.
- Install the new version.
- Reboot the Server if told to.
Your pooled data is not altered by the upgrade.
If you are running an application on the server that is using the pool directly, you must exit it while performing the upgrade.
Do not run the wssx setup file from a folder on the pool.
Troubleshooting and reporting bugs
Send us a message: http://stablebit.com/contact
StableBit DrivePool come with a large set of diagnostic tools built in in order to make troubleshooting and resolving problems easier. If you encounter a problem using DrivePool, depending on the nature of the problem you may want to employ a particular troubleshooting method.
We encourage everyone to participate in the BETA and report issues that they encounter by following the instructions outlined below.
Here are the various ways to troubleshoot StableBit DrivePool and report problems:
Sanity Check
If you're not sure if DrivePool is running, follow these instructions.
When to use
If it just doesn't seem to be working at all, take a look at this.
This will teach you how to perform a basic sanity check to make sure that DrivePool is functioning.
Error Reports / Event logs
If DrivePool refuses to start or the Dashboard does not list any drives and folders, follow these instructions on how to collect error reports and submit them to StableBit support for assistance.
When to use
You're sure that StableBit DrivePool is not running, now you want to submit an error report.
Error reports are written when DrivePool encounters exceptional conditions that prevent it from functioning properly. If such a condition occurs then DrivePool writes out an error report file and issues a windows event log entry.
I/O Errors (errors reading or writing)
If you're having trouble copying files, opening files or using a particular application with the pool, follow these instructions to collect detailed I/O logs and submit them to StableBit support for examination.
When to use
StableBit DrivePool is running, but you're having trouble putting data onto the pool, or reading data from the pool. Or perhaps some program refuses to work with DrivePool.
DrivePool uses the high performance Event Tracing for Windows logger in the kernel driver to collect detailed trace data on every I/O operation leading up to your error. This will show you how to properly collect this data.
System Crash
If your system has a blue screen and it's possible that DrivePool is the cause, then please submit a memory dump file for examination.
When to use
StableBit DrivePool is installed and you experience a blue screen.
Windows can be configured to collect a full kernel memory dump in case of a blue screen. These dumps should be sent to StableBit support for analysis. We look at every single dump sent.
Windows Server Solutions Troubleshooter
Download: Wss.Troubleshoot_1.0.0.55.exe
SHA1: a8c8c246699b8ab53430aa88a63dba036ec197ee
This is a wizard that automates fixes to the WSS system.
The wizard supports the following tasks:
Media Streaming Repair
Use this when you are having trouble seeing audio / video that is set to stream from the server. You should also run this when you see duplicate media files.
In order to run this fix, the troubleshooter must be placed in C:\Program Files\Windows Server\Bin on the server.
Advanced Troubleshooting Steps / Tweaks
- StableBit DrivePool Clean Re-install - Use this procedure to completely uninstall DrivePool and install a fresh new copy.
- StableBit DrivePool Advanced Settings - Tweak the advanced settings of DrivePool to resolve errors and change its behavior.
Media Streaming
- Windows Media Streaming with DrivePool - All about streaming media using the built-in Windows media streaming server.