Unraid Setup

Docker Config

• create custom network

Bash

docker network create omninet

• change docker installation to docker directory instead of btrfs vDisk docker.img to avoid SSD wear

• some apps (e.g. Dropbox) constantly write to log file

• this triggers the expected write amplification from BRTFS copy-on-write
• details

Advanced Disk Settings

• Query/Disable/Enable Write Caching (Reference)

[!note] SATA drives

Bash

hdparm -W  /dev/sdb # Query 
hdparm -W1 /dev/sdb # Enable
hdparm -W0 /dev/sdb # Disable

[!note] SAS drives

Bash

sdparm -g WCE    /dev/sdd # Query 
sdparm --set=WCE /dev/sdd # Enable
sdparm -c WCE    /dev/sdd # Disable

• Workarounds
  • WD Drives
  • Seagate IronWolf Drives

• Turn on Turbo Write/Reconstruct Write

• https://wiki.unraid.net/Tips_and_Tweaks#Turn_on_Reconstruct_Write

VM Config

Host Config Tweaks

• disable Copy-on-write on share storing VM vdisk image files (default is domains)

• configure CPU Isolation for Unraid Host and CPU Pinning for VM

• Unraid only needs one or two physical core for peak performance

• enable performance cpu governor bc the boost trigger from within a vm doesn't consistently work

[!note] Enable performance cpu governor

Bash

#!/bin/bash
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor
for file in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor; do echo "performance" > $file; done
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor

[!note] Restore on-demand cpu governor

Bash

#!/bin/bash
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor
for file in /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor; do echo "ondemand" > $file; done
cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor

• ensure clock source=tsc

Bash

cat /sys/devices/system/clocksource/clocksource0/current_clocksource

• install Win11 without networking

Batchfile

Shift-F10
OOBE\BYPASSNRO 

• use network model = virtio instead of default virtio-net

• technical details

• tweaks for Hyper-V Enlightenments: see details at

• Optimizing Windows VM

• Remote Gaming on Unraid
• Performance Optimizations for Gaming on with KVM/QEMU and PCI passthrough

• use direct disk path for cache only shares instead of the user share mount path e.g.

• Default VM Storage Path: /mnt/user/domains/ => /mnt/cache_nvme/domains/

Windows VM Guest Tweaks

• install the VirtIO drivers

• install the QEMU Guest Agent

• disable Hiberfil.sys: powercfg -h off

• set power plan to maximum performance

• disable index and/or cortana search

• Nvidia control panel: 3D settings -> Manage 3D settings -> Global settings

• set Power Management mode = Prefer maximum performance

• set Low Latency Mode = On

• references

• https://resplendence.com/latencymon

• https://forums.unraid.net/topic/135867-is-there-a-current-guide-for-setting-up-a-windows-11-vm/

SMB

• SMB hardening
  
  Text Only

  #disable SMB1 for security reasons
  [global]
    server min protocol     = SMB3_02
    client ipc min protocol = SMB3_02
    restrict anonymous      = 2
    # client signing        = mandatory
    # server signing        = mandatory
    # client ipc signing    = mandatory
    # client NTLMv2 auth    = yes
    # smb encrypt           = required
    # null passwords        = no
    # raw NTLMv2 auth       = no