feat(paperless): provision RBD volume to move data off CephFS (phase 1) #533

Merged
k.renner merged 1 commits from feat-paperless-data-block into master 2026-08-20 05:38:45 +00:00
2 changed files with 136 additions and 0 deletions
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# paperless-data: CephFS → RBD
## Why
`paperless-data` is `ReadWriteMany` on `ceph-filesystem`, but **only the paperless
Deployment mounts it**. Verified 2026-08-20:
```
$ pods mounting paperless-data
paperless-68cb8b8744-7hjb8 <- one, and only one
paperless-data ReadWriteMany ceph-filesystem
paperless-media ReadWriteMany ceph-filesystem <- genuinely shared (ftp-scanner)
paperless-consume ReadWriteMany ceph-filesystem <- genuinely shared (ftp-scanner)
```
Its contents are single-writer state — the 50 MB Whoosh index,
`classification_model.pickle`, `celerybeat-schedule.db`, `log/`,
`migration_lock`, `protonmail.pem`. 75 files. Nothing else reads or writes them.
It is on CephFS by default, not by requirement.
## What it costs
Every access goes through the MDS. Measured with **zero CI pipelines running**:
```
paperless-data client request_load_avg 22 (all other sessions 0-1)
MDS over 180s 4,052 client requests = 22.5/s
2,718 journal events = 15/s
2 dir commits <- almost none: not file writes
```
So it is cap/inode churn from repeated access, not data being written. That is
most of the constant **7-8 GB/day** written to `cephfs-metadata`, and since that
pool is `size: 3`, roughly **21-24 GB/day** reaches the drives.
`cephfs-metadata` deliberately stays at size 3. Losing it destroys the entire
filesystem rather than the objects on one OSD, and the 275 GiB in `cephfs-data0`
depends on it. Cutting the writes at source is correct; cutting the replication
is not.
## Sequence
Staged deliberately: the PVC lands first and empty, so merging it changes
nothing. The copy and the repoint are separate.
### Phase 1 — provision (this PR)
`paperless-data-block` (RWO, `ceph-block`, 10Gi) is created and mounted by
nothing. Inert.
Verify: `kubectl -n paperless get pvc paperless-data-block` → Bound.
### Phase 2 — copy
The Whoosh index must come across intact. Paperless *can* rebuild it
(`document_index reindex`), but that reprocesses every document, so copying is
both faster and less disruptive.
1. Scale paperless to 0. The source must be quiescent — `celerybeat-schedule.db`
and the Whoosh index are both live-written, and copying them under an active
writer gives a torn read.
2. Run a one-off pod that mounts BOTH PVCs and copies:
```
cp -a /src/. /dst/
```
The RWO target pins the pod to one node; the RWX source will follow.
3. Verify file count and index size match:
```
find /src -type f | wc -l == find /dst -type f | wc -l
du -sh /src/index == du -sh /dst/index
```
### Phase 3 — repoint
Change the Deployment's `data` volume to `claimName: paperless-data-block`,
merge, let it roll.
Verify afterwards:
- paperless starts, search returns results (proves the Whoosh index survived)
- `ceph tell mds.cephfs-b session ls` no longer shows a busy `paperless-data`
client
- `rate(ceph_pool_wr_bytes{pool_id="3"})` drops from its 7-8 GB/day baseline
**Do not delete `paperless-data` until search has been confirmed working.** It is
the rollback, and it is `prune: disabled` so Flux will not remove it.
## Expected effect
~7-8 GB/day off `cephfs-metadata`, so ~21-24 GB/day off the drives once
replication is counted. Against ~432 GB/day cluster-wide that is roughly 5% —
worth doing, but it is a correctness fix (a single-writer volume does not belong
on a shared filesystem) more than a large win.
It also removes 22 req/sec of MDS load, which benefits the workloads that
genuinely need CephFS — Woodpecker CI workspaces share the same MDS.
+39
View File
@@ -18,6 +18,45 @@ spec:
requests:
storage: 10Gi
---
# Replacement for paperless-data, on RBD instead of CephFS.
#
# WHY: paperless-data is declared ReadWriteMany on ceph-filesystem, but only ONE
# pod ever mounts it — the paperless Deployment itself. Its contents are all
# single-writer state: the 50 MB Whoosh index, classification_model.pickle,
# celerybeat-schedule.db, logs, migration_lock. Nothing shares it. Only `consume`
# and `media` genuinely need RWX, because the FTP scanner writes to those from a
# different node.
#
# COST OF LEAVING IT: every access goes through the MDS. Measured 2026-08-20 with
# zero CI running, this volume's client was doing 22 MDS requests/sec sustained,
# and the MDS logged ~15 journal events/sec against only 2 directory commits per
# 180s — i.e. cap and inode churn from repeated access, not file writes. That is
# most of the constant 7-8 GB/day written to cephfs-metadata, which is a size 3
# pool, so ~21-24 GB/day actually hits the drives.
#
# cephfs-metadata deliberately STAYS at size 3 (see storageclass.yaml): losing
# the metadata pool destroys the whole filesystem, not just the objects on one
# OSD, so the 275 GiB in cephfs-data0 rides on it. Reducing the writes at source
# is the right fix; reducing the replication is not.
#
# MIGRATION: this PVC is created EMPTY and nothing mounts it yet. The data copy
# and the deployment repoint are a separate, staged step — see
# MIGRATION-data-to-block.md. Merging this alone is inert.
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
name: paperless-data-block
namespace: paperless
annotations:
kustomize.toolkit.fluxcd.io/prune: disabled
spec:
accessModes:
- ReadWriteOnce
storageClassName: ceph-block
resources:
requests:
storage: 10Gi
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata: