How do I find out what write continuously on my pfSense SSD

[stephenw10]

@slu said in How do I find out what write continuously on my pfSense SSD:

but missing maybe some data (no config settings)?

I doesn't lose config. It will lose logs and RRD data since the last periodic write out. It loses cached stuff that will need to be re-downloaded at the next boot.

I run ram disks here on numerous machines and never see any significant issues. Even when deliberately trying!

[slu]

@stephenw10
this should added to the documentation (IMHO), if someone enable pfBlockerNG on a 1100
it will write "down" the storage.

Maybe an hint here:
https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/packages/pfblocker.html

I learned (again) many thinks of pfSense / FreeBSD.
Thanks @bmeeks @Gertjan @stephenw10

[NOCling]

This wasn't a big issue with UFS, but it has become a problem with the functionality of ZFS.
With a RAM disk this is no longer a problem, so it should be included in the documentation.

Keep an eye on the RAM disk values ​​when you trigger the pfBlocker reload, then you need space for all the tables.
That's why I use 256/2048MB.

[slu]

RAM disk works as expected, what a huge difference!

[slu]

Now more than four months later we had the same written data units like before in one week without the ram disk.

Available Spare:                    100%
Available Spare Threshold:          10%
Percentage Used:                    68%
Data Units Read:                    25,221 [12.9 GB]
Data Units Written:                 93,370,737 [47.8 TB]
Host Read Commands:                 4,428,272
Host Write Commands:                4,340,924,956
Controller Busy Time:               42,507
Power Cycles:                       25
Power On Hours:                     16,659

[michmoor]

@stephenw10 curious but do most customers run RAMDISK as part of their standard deployment or is it used mainly for systems with weaker storage drives?

[stephenw10]

No, RAM disks are pretty rare amongst the general customer base in my experience.

[slu]

@michmoor said in How do I find out what write continuously on my pfSense SSD:

weaker storage drives?

Define a weaker storage drive?
I my case it is a server SSD with 128 GB, but 47 TB in 1 1/2 year is to much for a router...

[stephenw10]

Generally, eMMC or CF/SD cards vs SSDs.

[Bob.Dig]

@NOCling said in How do I find out what write continuously on my pfSense SSD:

Keep an eye on the RAM disk values ​​when you trigger the pfBlocker reload, then you need space for all the tables.
That's why I use 256/2048MB.

Is there a way to monitor it easily? And are your values failsafe? I just noticed I had a much to low value for /tmp...

[stephenw10]

The size and usage are shown on the dashboard in the Disks widget.