FreeNAS 11.1 release adds OpenZFS performance improvements

Dec 16, 2017 10:46 GMT  ·  By

The developers of the FreeNAS open-source storage operating system based on the latest FreeBSD and BSD technologies have released the FreeNAS 11.1 update with various enhancements.

Coming six months after the release of the FreeNAS 11 stable series, the FreeNAS 11.1 update is based on FreeBSD 11.1 and introduces cloud integration, support for AMD Ryzen and Intel Xeon Scalable family of processors, OpenZFS performance improvements, as well as preliminary support for Docker application container engine through a virtual machine built from RancherOS.

"FreeNAS 11.1 adds a cloud sync (data import/export to the cloud) feature," reads the announcement. "This new feature lets you sync (similar to backup), move (erase from source), or copy (only changed data) data to and from public cloud providers that include Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Services), Backblaze B2 Cloud, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure."

The new Docker support integrated into FreeNAS 11.1 provides a mechanism that automates application deployment inside containers, as well as a graphical tool that lets users manage Docker containers. Users are urged to test drive Docker support in FreeNAS and report any issues they might encounter.

Resilver Priority, GUI improvements

The new Angular-based administrator GUI (Graphical User Interface) introduced in the FreeNAS 11 series as a beta preview version has been updated as well in FreeNAS 11.1 with support for selecting display themes. Those who want to test drive the new GUI will need to click the "BETA" link on the login screen.

There's also a new Resilver Priority option added to the Storage screen of the graphical user interface, designed to allow users to set a higher priority for resilvering during specific periods. According to the FreeNAS developers, this will mitigate any risks or challenges associated with storage array rebuilds on large capacity drives.

In addition, FreeNAS's integrated OpenZFS functionality now supports handling of large files and multiple snapshots. FreeNAS 11.1 is available for download right now through our software portal for new deployments. However, existing FreeNAS 11.0 users will be able to upgrade to version 11.1 using the built-in package management system.