TrueNAS reboot loop, VM load, and the NVMe that would not stay seated
Overview
This is the build-and-break log for bringing a previously unstable TrueNAS/FreeBSD box back to a usable state after months of ugly crash behavior under VM load.
The short version:
- Salvaged hardware repurposed as a NAS
- A Fedora VM running Plex-related work could trigger a reboot loop
- Early on, the machine was already rebooting itself in a loop — even before the NVMe path failure showed up clearly in logs
- Hard evidence eventually pointed at one NVMe path (
nvme2/nda2) timing out and detaching under load - Reseating the suspect SN770 and replacing its heatsink brought the mirror back online
- Current best hypothesis: physical seating, thermal contact, or mechanical instability — not a software bug
