# Evaluating DRBD Performance with NVMe & ZFS-Based RAID10 – Seeking Advice

**URL:** <https://forums.linbit.com/t/evaluating-drbd-performance-with-nvme-zfs-based-raid10-seeking-advice/634>\
**Category:** General\
**Tags:** drbd, linstor\
**Created:** [February 17, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://forums.linbit.com/t/evaluating-drbd-performance-with-nvme-zfs-based-raid10-seeking-advice/634 "2025-02-17T14:42:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![fever\_wits](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex003/user_avatar/forums.linbit.com/fever_wits/32/173_2.png) [@fever\_wits](https://forums.linbit.com/u/fever_wits)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2025, 2:42pm UTC](https://forums.linbit.com/t/evaluating-drbd-performance-with-nvme-zfs-based-raid10-seeking-advice/634/1 "2025-02-17T14:42:48Z")

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Hello,

I have **three Proxmox servers** currently running **GlusterFS in a 3-way replica setup**. I’m considering switching to **DRBD** , but I have a few questions before making the move.

#### **Hardware Configuration:**

- **Each server has:**
  - **10 x 2TB HDDs** in **RAID10 (managed by ZFS)**
  - **1 x NVMe SSD (1.92TB, Samsung)**.
  - **2 x 10G NICs in bond (LACP) with 9000 MTU (Jumbo Frames enabled)**

#### **My Plan:**

##### **1. For NVMe disks:**

- **DRBD directly on the NVMe disks** , with **XFS on top**.

##### **2. For the HDD array:**

- **ZFS Zvol → DRBD → XFS**
- The reason for using **ZFS for RAID10** instead of hardware RAID is the **flexibility to upgrade disks** —for example, **replacing 2TB drives with 4TB ones** without having to destroy and rebuild the array.
- With **hardware RAID** , this would require wiping and reinitializing the entire RAID group.

#### **Questions:**

1. **NVMe performance impact** – Does anyone have experience running **DRBD directly on NVMe disks**? How much performance loss should I expect in terms of **IOPS, latency, and bandwidth**?
2. **ZFS Zvol → DRBD → XFS** – Does this approach seem **too unconventional** , or is it viable?
3. **What are the recommended DRBD settings** for optimal performance in this setup?

If any additional details are needed, I’d be happy to provide them.

Best regards,  
Alex