Switch from WHSv1 to Server 2008 w/ SyncToy

[rhouck]

Current setup: Windows Server 2008 R2 with WHS v1 as a VM

Issues:
- slow read/write in WHS
- perpetual fear of server drive failure in WHS
- Hyper-V bugs causing the occasional issue
- Inability to hotswap drives in WHS (must power down the VM to do add)

Overall, this system is 99.9% reliable and problem-free. However, my fear is that it is unnecessary levels of complexity that will make fixing a problem down the road more difficult.

PROPOSED PLAN: Just use basic drives in Server 2008 and use SyncToy to copy data daily as a backup (I currently use duplication in WHS for everything)

I would be giving up the convenience of the file type divisions (e.g., movies, tv show, etc.) but really 99% of my time is accessing it through XBMC where having to add a few additional file paths isn't a big deal. It will also be easier to log what is on each drive in the event of failure (i.e. if I lost a data drive and its duplicate and needed to re-rip DVDs, etc.). Plus, while WHSv1 drives *technically* can be tossed in any computer and read as NTFS, the random (read: moronic) way that files are divided across drives makes it very difficult to pull data unless you have space to pull ALL the data.

Any last thoughts or concerns re this setup before I dive into it? It is about 9TB of data I will have to start converting over.

 

[HammerSandwich]

WHSv1 does seem to copy slower than 2008R2, so I'd expect better performance from the upgrade.

While I use SyncToy a lot, I've experienced erratic results with huge datasets & very deep folder nesting. A couple hours setting up Roboform is worth the effort, especially for set-&-forget tasks such as you propose.

 

[rhouck]

WHSv1 does seem to copy slower than 2008R2, so I'd expect better performance from the upgrade.

While I use SyncToy a lot, I've experienced erratic results with huge datasets & very deep folder nesting. A couple hours setting up Roboform is worth the effort, especially for set-&-forget tasks such as you propose.

Hmm good to know about the potential issues. My hope was to have a once a day sync (sometime in the middle of the night). This would minimize interference with viewing, as well as give somewhat of a window to protect against accidental deletions.

I assume you mean Robocopy? I haven't used it but I'll check it out Thanks!

 

[iroc409]

After I had a WHS "glitch" I went almost exactly this route. I have a Win Server 2008 setup with a VM of WHS for backups only. I then also use a sync program to sync user data to the server, and back up all that--just using the WHS for convenience, basically.

It all works fine, but I would look into Robocopy or SyncBack Free, as you note Synctoy has its issues.

 

[rhouck]

Thanks for the advice; I'll look into both of those. I just threw in two new 2TB drives and experimenting with syncing tools. Once I get it setup the way I like, I'll begin the migration of all my data.

 

[HammerSandwich]

I assume you mean Robocopy? I haven't used it but I'll check it out Thanks!

I sure did. No idea how I could've scrambled the name after using Robocopy all weekend for a new 6TB backup...

Anyhow, this probably won't apply in your case, but Robocopy has 1 essential feature for copying from Windows to other OSes: lax timestamp checking. SyncToy frequently wants to recopy files that haven't changed, because it sees differences in the milliseconds. The preview shows 2 files with identical times, but that's only down to the second & the rest is hidden... Use Robocopy's /FFT & /DST options, and this problem disappears.