Tools
The software we actually use to plan, build, and verify TrueNAS storage — with an honest take on each. Free unless noted.
Our Calculators
ZFS Pool Capacity & Redundancy Calculator
Build a pool vdev-by-vdev and get real usable capacity — RAIDZ parity, ashift padding overhead, the ZFS slop reserve and the 80% fill ceiling — plus fault tolerance and design warnings.
Our take
We built this because every other calculator uses the naive (n-p)*size formula and overstates usable space. Run it before you buy disks — pool geometry is the one TrueNAS decision you can't cheaply undo.
Platform & Storage
TrueNAS SCALE
The Linux-based TrueNAS edition with native apps and virtualization, built on OpenZFS.
Our take
Our recommended default for new home builds. Apps and VM support remove the main historical reason to run a separate box alongside the NAS.
OpenZFS
The filesystem under TrueNAS — pooled storage, checksumming, snapshots, and compression.
Our take
Worth understanding directly. Most TrueNAS 'problems' are ZFS pool-design decisions, and those are far cheaper to get right before you create the pool than to fix after.
Planning & Capacity
ZFS Capacity Calculator (WintelGuy)
Estimates usable capacity and overhead for RAIDZ and mirror vdev layouts before you buy disks.
Our take
Run this before purchasing. The usable-space difference between RAIDZ2 and mirrors at a given disk count surprises most first-time builders.
TrueNAS Hardware Guide (official)
iXsystems' hardware recommendations covering RAM, HBAs, and ECC.
Our take
The baseline we anchor hardware advice to. We diverge from it only where we explain why for a home (not enterprise) context.
Verification & Monitoring
smartmontools (smartctl)
Reads SMART data and runs drive self-tests — essential for vetting used disks before trusting a pool to them.
Our take
Always run a long SMART test on every drive before pool creation. Catching a bad disk now is far cheaper than a resilver-time double failure later.
TrueNAS scrub & alert tasks (built-in)
Scheduled scrubs, SMART tests, and email alerts configured from the TrueNAS UI.
Our take
Set scrubs and SMART schedules on day one. An unscrubbed pool can hide bit rot until the data you need is the corrupt block.
iperf3
Measures raw network throughput between TrueNAS and a client to separate network limits from disk limits.
Our take
When SMB feels slow, test the network first with iperf3. It's usually the link or client, not ZFS.