From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Fri Jul 11 20:42:03 2008
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C7F33106566C
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:42:03 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from steve@ibctech.ca)
Received: from ibctech.ca (v6.ibctech.ca [IPv6:2607:f118::b6])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with SMTP id 734868FC1D
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:42:03 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from steve@ibctech.ca)
Received: (qmail 98529 invoked by uid 89); 11 Jul 2008 20:44:53 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO ?IPv6:2607:f118::5?)
	(steve@ibctech.ca@2607:f118::5)
	by 2607:f118::b6 with ESMTPA; 11 Jul 2008 20:44:53 -0000
Message-ID: <4877C5A1.2030904@ibctech.ca>
Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:42:09 -0400
From: Steve Bertrand <steve@ibctech.ca>
User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.14 (Windows/20080421)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
References: <487762FC.2090502@ibctech.ca>
In-Reply-To: <487762FC.2090502@ibctech.ca>
X-Enigmail-Version: 0.95.6
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Subject: Re: Disk configuration recommendations
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:42:03 -0000

Steve Bertrand wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> 
> Do you have any recommendations on how I should proceed? Hardware RAID, 
> ZFS or GEOM?

To answer my own post...

After a day of research, I decided upon ZFS.

I configured a raidz pool using all four entire disks.

I've put /boot on a USB thumb stick which I boot from, which allows me 
to mount / and the rest of the system directly from the ZFS pool.

This prevents me from having to have a UFS slice on one of the disks, or 
install another hard drive just to run the system from.

The idea was essentially copied from how I run my GELI systems. Boot 
from USB stick that contains the encryption key. Once the system is 
booted, I take the USB stick with me, which prevents access to the data 
if the machine is shut down.

Steve