SSD config for new Dell T20 running VMs

Dell T20 turned up this morning...

My Initial config tonight

256GB Samsung Evo SSD for windows 10 (Host) and Daw etc...
3 x 4TB reds pooled using Stablebit drivepool For \\server\videos

(Decided against having the plex server as a VM..)

480 GB Sandisk Plus SSD for Download Box VM and download directory.

Create a drivepool mapped drive on the Download VM to the \\server\videos

Any reason not to do this?
 
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^^ all my download directories are shared folders on the host. This keeps the VM's dynamic VHDs from growing too large. You'll have wasted usage once your downloads have moved to \\server\videos as the VHD doesn't shrink back down.

For downloads where you have incomplete and complete folders I usually create folders on separate disks. In your setup I'd put a folder on the Samsung SSD and another on the Sandisk SSD. Should improve performance if you have several files downloading and extracting at the same time.
 
So if I move a video from the VM download folder and delete it doesn't delete from the VM? :confused:

I don't want any downloads going to my Pool straight away.

I want a separate place I can rename them once downloaded and then copy them to the pool...

This pool is then backed up to my Backup server...
 
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When you create the VHD you can choose a fixed size or dynamic (default) with a max size. The VHD will grow as data is added to it but not shrink. So if you have 200GBs of downloads sitting in the completed folder waiting to be renamed and moved the VHD won't shrink and free up the space on the SSD once the files have been moved to the pool. You can shrink the VHDs manually or setup an automated task but I've run in to problems trying to shrink a VHD several times.

If your 480GB SSD is only going to be used by the one VM then it's not an issue but later you might decide to add a few more VMs and need the space.

Your OS SSD has enough space to create some shared folders for downloads. And if you were to format your OS disk you probably wouldn't mind losing a few incomplete downloads.

And off topic a little but you want to use a downloader which renames and moves your extracted files to folders automatically while deleting the original files etc
 
I alread have a VHDX file ready..I created it from my download box windows 10 build using This

Could't I just delete that VM if it gets too big and reinstate the initial VDHX file again?

Thats the idea of me using a VM for my download box...I save a Microserver being on all the time and I can quickly just re-instate it if I get a virus or whatever...

I may now use the 480GB SSD for the host...

120 SSD for the Download VM

Create a share on Host for download VM to save download to...

Then just copy the download from the host ssd to the pool?

This way the downloads are separate from the VM...

This is getting confusing :p
 
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Use your existing VHD which you created for the OS (C:\) and add a new VHD to the VM to use for data (E:\). Then when the data VHD grows too big and it won't shrink you can delete and recreate it.
 
Got it all built last night...just waiting for the sata card and sata power adaptor to arrive so I can add another SSD and mess with VM :p
 
They'll be the same results as in the first test, copying to host is copying to a net share.

Disk2 is a SSD connected to the host. Once it's offlined it's technically not connected to the host anymore, just the VM.
 
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