Need HELP - Moving to new File Server

NightOps

NightOps

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Aug 13, 2004
Messages
1,168
-- Everything works great, thanks for all the input! --

ORIGINAL POST:
Hey guys, I'm finally consolidating my aging P4 PowerEdge server and another P4 custom-built file server over to a sweet little SC1420 with dual Xeons. I already picked up a nice Icy Dock 3 in 2 SATA hot-swap enclosure...since in my current FS, they're just screwed in.

My dilemma: My current FS has a 3Ware Escalade 9000 series 4-port RAID card, and 3x 500GB drives in a RAID 5. Now, I want to move that to my new server. Is it as easy as just moving the hardware and installing the card's software? Or am I going to bust up my array by removing the card from the system? I'll eventually be moving to 1TB drives (maybe sooner than later...depending on the outcome of this), but right now I have 520GB of the 930GB in the array filled, and I don't have enough drives (atm) the copy that over to as a backup.

Suggestions? Yes, I know getting the 1TB drive would alleviate some of this...but I need to find out if it's *necessary*. Thanks in advance for the input!
 
I have not owned a 3ware card, but..

In my experience with LSI, Areca, and Promise RAID cards, I have always been able to simply move the entire array (cards + drives) to a new platform without any additional work. As long as the card sees the drives and the driver is loaded, the array contents are present.

I don't think you'll have any problems, but if the data is not backed-up somewhere else, I would probably do so before you move it...
 
Is your OS installed on that raid array?

If not, you can just move the controller and the drives over to the new system and install the drivers. Should be no issue doing this. I do it all the time to transfer from array to array within a server.
 
This is definitely encouraging. No, the OS is *not* on the array/drives that I will be moving. It's simply an archive of all progz/games/movies/music/documents that I would REALLY like to not lose (it really sux to think of loosing 500GB of data anyway, right? Especially when most are from DL's that probably aren't seeded very commonly anymore). I don't have it backed up (that's why I have it in RAID 5 ;-) .. it IS the backup). I may get the 1TB drive and copy all data to it, just to be safe. However, I'm trying to stall off the purchase until after my b-day on the 18th. Then I'll just pick up 2 and migrate them to RAID 1 and do away with the 500GB drives (which, of course, will be for sale here on the [H]. They are all WD5000AAKS drives, OEM, with full 5-year warranty).

If anyone else wants to chime in, please. The more, the merrier ;-) Thanks, as always!
 
Yep, then you should have no problems.

A lot of people with raid arrays will unplug their controller, reformat their system and reinstall... when they are done, they just plug the controller back in. That is what's nice about having a hardware raid solution, because you can transfer your physical array independently without the main operating system.
 
One thing to keep in mind is that 3ware controllers tend to write their name on the array members. With your volume of data is is definitely safer to pickup one 1TB drive and 2-step swing migrate over to the new array.
 
Noted ;-) With the deal @ PCConnection.com, I may just play it safe. The nice part is...if it doesn't work, I should be able to just throw the drives/card back into my old FS and boot it up...right?
 
Well, thanks guys! Everything went by without a hitch. New server is running DNS/DHCP/DC/IIS/File Server roles without any problems. Forgot to setup DNS Forwarders initially, so my responses were EXTREMELY slow going to certain sites. Got that fixed. Thanks for all the input!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top