A few questions about moving from SDRAM to SSD on Pi5

Installation
1

Greetings.

In the mail today, I received my SSD card and powered USB hub.
The SSD now has HAOS imaged on it. Well it did, until I did the data-disk thing below. And that’s one of the questions.

To begin with, if the majority of users including the devs are recommending that an SSD be used rather than an SDRAM, then why - pray tell - does the main installation instructions still reference the SDRAM method?

I would presume due to simplicity, but if the downstream issues are as bad as some say, would it not be at least worthwhile to mention or link to the SSD mode?

Anyway. That gets me to the real question: Can one simply move the OS and working files (i.e., the datadisk) to the SSD, and continue to boot from the SDRAM as this guide mentions?

Does that adequately address the concerns about SDcard read/write and memory issues?

If it does adequately address those issues - then I believe I’m done. The system is back up and running with the datadisk on the SSD.

If not - then I see lots of posts about Pi4 issues - I have a Pi5. Is there a guide for doing this (booting from SSD) with Pi5? Or is this one reasonably accurate for Pi5 too?

Many thanks - J

2

I guess they want to gloss over any issues, and if you can’t make it work, you can always buy a ready made box from them.

Otherwise, the fact the Pi .qcow images are unbootable by default, makes no sense.

3

I used an Rpi5 8Gb, X1001 2280 M.2 NVMe Shield and a 250Gb NVMe SSD.
Wrote HAOs to SSD. He connected the power and that was it. HAOs have been running steadily for several months now.
No SD card. No terminal commands.
Just what I mentioned.

4

I have a feeling you’ll be very popular here with that attitude.

Welcome and congrats on your 2 day anniversary!

5

Apologies if that first question was a bit controversial, but that was as an aside.

I am still looking for an answer to my main question: Does the SSD datadisk solution address the issues with SDRAM cards failing so much?

6

No i do not believe it does.

I do not believe it moves the HA database (data is a bit ambiguous here) which is the real problem.

(the problem is that SD cards are not intended for long term databasd workloads so you need the dB to move)

The EASIEST way by far to do this…

Make sure you have a FULL backup of current. Then pull the disks.

Make the box boot with the new SSD

Restore your backup.

1 Like
7

No mate, my earlier comment wasn’t directed at you. I was replying to the other poster.

Your question was a genuine concern, and Nathan’s reply pretty much sums it up.

Regarding why the docs still mention SD card installation, it’s simply because it’s the path of least resistance. Chances are people starting out have an SD card with their pi, but not an SSD.

The lower barrier to entry makes it easier for them to dip their toes in HA and see if they like it. After all, it’s not like the card will wear out within a month or 2. Plus, if something goes wrong, there’s 1 less variable to troubleshoot.

Yes, an SSD install should absolutely be recommended, but it’s something which can be done after users are more familiar with the system. As long as they have a backup, they can start from scratch with an SSD install at any point they like.

PS: Docs are editable. You can click the edit button on that page and submit a pr with your proposed wording

1 Like
8

As a newby to HA I agree with this comment. I started with a Khadas Vim1s with a SD card. It was a good introduction but I was a bit nervous about the level of support for the Khadas unit and could see that the card would not have a long life so I switched over to a Pi5/8gb with a Sata 250gb USB drive. The Khadas was running Supervised and I switched to HAOS at the same time. I am quite happy with the level of options and the stability of the system.

1 Like