ZFS on Linux: High-Performance & Extreme Resiliency For Single Servers

Modern File System & Volume Manager
Open-Source, No Vendor Lock-in
Blazing Fast Single Client Speeds
Resiliency against Data Loss Perils

Blazing-Fast Speeds and Extreme Resiliency

When computing power was limited, hardware RAID paired with legacy file systems introduced drive redundancy and made file sharing easier. Legacy vendors built these into tightly integrated systems, offering a single point for purchasing and accountability. However, these systems relied on proprietary components and licensed software, limiting flexibility and resilience while introducing the risk of vendor lock-in.

As computing power increased, software-defined storage decoupled storage management from hardware. ZFS emerged as the leader among enterprises, combining software-defined RAID with a modern file system. It offered strong resiliency against data loss from drive failure, corruption, and deletion, while enabling extreme access and transfer speeds. However, like many open-source solutions, ZFS often lacks a single point of accountability for both hardware and software, turning deployment into a risky DIY project. ZFS's separation from hardware can also lead to management and operational inefficiencies, requiring multiple tools for monitoring, configuration, and troubleshooting.

45Drives provides the best of both worlds. We are a one-stop shop for single-server solutions and use non-proprietary hardware that is carefully selected and tested to be tightly integrated with ZFS. Hardware and software are managed through our Houston UI, simplifying operations. We provide a single point of accountability, combining the flexibility of open source with none of the DIY risks or vendor lock-in.

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Open Source

Free from vendor lock-in

Extreme High-Performance

Aggregate Disk Transfer Speeds and I/O

Resilient File System

Defense against data deletion, corruption, and more

Volume Management

Flexibility of Software-defined RAID

Simple To Backup

To separate private storage or Cloud

Tight Integration with 45Drives Hardware

Designed to optimize ZFS resiliency and performance

Houston User Interface

No Command Line experience needed

Architect, Training, Configuration, On-Going Support

24/7 Access North American team

Open-Source Freedom: No Vendor Lock-in

ZFS is an open-source file system and volume widely used in enterprise and government environments. Its open-source nature eliminates the contractual risks often tied to proprietary software, putting control back in your hands.

Blazing Fast Single Client Transfer Speeds: Saturating Networks

ZFS boosts throughput by striping data across all drives in a pool, allowing for high-speed parallel reads and writes. At 45Drives, we deliver ZFS on Linux across our full product lineup, including the HDD-based Storinator, the HDD and SSD Storinator Hybrid, and the all-SSD Stornado. For peak single server performance, the Stornado NVMe paired with ZFS achieves real-world single client transfer speeds of up to 28 GB per second.

Drive Failure Resilient: Software-Defined RAID

The limitations of traditional hardware RAID are a thing of the past. ZFS offers software-defined RAID, allowing flexible pool configurations regardless of the physical location of drives within the server. At 45Drives, we use our best-practice reference architecture to determine optimal pool layouts and redundancy levels. For simple planning of a storage pool, we offer an easy-to-use ZFS capacity calculator.

ZFS Calculator

Data Deletion Resilience: Copy-on-Write & Snapshotting

ZFS is a modern copy-on-write file system. Unlike legacy file systems that overwrite changes to a block, ZFS copies a block and then applies changes to the new block. Pointers are updated only when the write is completed. This protects integrity in the event a write is not completed. It also enables snapshots, a point-in-time version of files that can be rolled back and restored. This turns accidental or malicious deletion from a catastrophe to a minor inconvenience.

Data Corruption Resilience: Checksums & Self-Healing

ZFS automatically completes checksums when a file is read, comparing the file against its checksums and repairing any errors found. For archived storage, scrubs can be scheduled to help cold, unread data avoid corruption.

Performance Boosts: Efficient use of RAM & NVMe Devices

ZFS takes full advantage of memory through the Adaptive Replacement Cache (ARC). This read cache prioritizes the most recent and frequently accessed data to accelerate read performance. One or several small capacity NVMe drives can further enhance performance of HDD storage pools by serving as an additional read cache to ram, improve synchronous write speeds, or storing metadata to speed up file directory access and loading.

Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux Clients

ZFS works seamlessly with SMB and NFS protocols, offering flexibility in mixed environments where multiple operating systems need access to shared storage.

Private Webinar: Learn How ZFS Works Under the Hood

Join the 45Drives Enterprise team to learn how ZFS, the powerful open-source storage software, can enhance your organization's storage performance and resiliency. In this webinar, you will see how ZFS works under the hood to deliver all the features listed above. If you are interested in discovering if ZFS is the right solution for your organization, request your private webinar now.

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Defend Against Disasters: Backups made easy

45Drives ZFS solutions can easily be scheduled to back up to a second private storage, or to the cloud with a few clicks of a button - no command line experience needed.

ZFS includes a built-in send/receive feature for backing up to another ZFS server or Ceph Cluster without extra software or licensing, while open-source rclone enables backups to over 70 cloud providers.

Automatic scheduled backups to private or cloud storage
Built-in ZFS send/receive without extra licensing
Support for 70+ cloud providers through open source tools
Simple GUI configuration - no command line required

Common Use Cases of 45Drives ZFS Single Server Solutions

File Storage & Sharing

Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux clients. Works with SMB or NFS Protocols

Virtual Machine Storage

Zvol block level storage and iSCSI protocol. Tight integration with Proxmox VE.

Post Production Video Editing

Edit directly over the network. No need to move videos to/from clients

Research

Fast ingestion from scientific instruments

Live Streaming & Recording

Large Sequential Streams

Video Surveillance Footage

Fast resilient storage for NVRs and DVRs VMS Agnostic

Unsure how to spec out a 45Drives ZFS Storage Server?

We have a guided questionnaire on your use case and environment. Once submitted, a 45Drives expert will be in touch to discuss your project and provide a solution.

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45Drives Hardware: Tight Integration with ZFS Software

45Drives hardware is specifically designed and optimized for ZFS performance and reliability. Our enterprise-grade, non-proprietary components ensure maximum performance while eliminating vendor lock-in.

Enterprise-Grade & Non-Proprietary Components

Reliability and performance. No vendor lock-in.

Direct Wired Architecture

Each Drive has a direct connection from backplane to motherboard for full potential of performance.

Storinator XL60 shown. Holds sixty (60) 3.5" HDDs.

Dense Options with High-Quantity Drive Bays

Provides balance of performance, capacity, and resiliency.

Storinators accommodate up to 2TB of DDR5 Memory

DDR5 ECC Memory

High-Capacity and performance for ARC, providing lightning fast reads of most frequently and recently accessed files.

Storinator F8X drive bay shown. Holds thirty-six (36) 3.5" HDDs and twenty-four (24) 2.5 SSDs.

Integrated SSDs & NVMes

For higher performing SSD pools and/or workload acceleration of HDD pools. • L2ARC (Level 2 ARC) for increased read speeds • SLOG (Separate Logging Device) for increased synchronous write speeds • Special vdev for increased file directory loading speed

Stornado F16 with 15mm NVMes shown.

High Performing NVMe Servers

Unleash the full potential of ZFS performance with 7mm & 15mm NVMe Stornado Servers, and achieve transfer speeds up to 28GB/sec.

User Interface that integrates ZFS & Hardware

Houston UI has 45Drives hardware specific interfaces for administering ZFS volumes.

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The Industry's Best Support

45Drives is your single point of accountability for open-source solutions, proudly supported from both the United States and Canada. Our North American-based team provides end-to-end expertise in hardware, software, networking, and application interfaces. We offer a wide range of support packages—from basic hardware troubleshooting to fully managed, white-glove service with 24/7 emergency response. Whether you're in the planning phase, deep into deployment, or maintaining operations long term, our dual-country support presence ensures your success every step of the way.

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Principal Sponsors of Rocky Linux: Our Commitment to Open Source

45Drives ZFS is installed on Rocky Linux, an enterprise-grade OS that is 100% bug-for-bug compatible with RHEL. Since Rocky's launch, 45Drives has been a principal sponsor of the project through the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation.

45Drives ZFS Video Tech Tips

At 45Drives, we're committed to helping you get the most out of your storage infrastructure. That's why we offer free educational content on our YouTube channel, including a dedicated playlist on ZFS. Whether you're just getting started or scaling your environment, our videos are designed to guide you every step of the way.