Xfer data from old RAID setup to new RAID setup?

[holzmann]

I currently have an old PC running FreeNAS with a 3ware PCI RAID controller connected to two 500GB drives in RAID 1.

Now I want to upgrade to two 1.5TB drives, most likely the WD RE4 drives with TLER.

Is it possible/recommended that I upgrade by doing the following:

1) Remove one 500GB drive from the RAID array, add one 1.5TB drive to the same array.
2) Rebuild the array. (I assume the contents of the 500GB would then populate itself onto the 1.5TB drive?)
3) Remove second 500GB drive, add the second 1.5TB drive to the array.
4) Rebuild the array again and the second 1.5TB will mirror the first.
5) Boot into FreeNAS and keep on going.

I do have Windows Home Server 2008 but FreeNAS does what I need it to do. I don't think I will change the OS.

Edit: The rest of the hardware on the server is pretty old..
Pentium4 2.0Ghz Northwood
1.0GB DDR RAM (I think)
ASUS P4B266
Intel Gigabit NIC
Generic nVidia AGP card

 

[holzmann]

No advice on how to get the files from the old server to the new one?

 

[holzmann]

I should simply add that the end goal here is to have a central back-up location for data from other pcs on the home network. The most important of which are digital photos.

I want at least 1TB of storage with redundancy.

 

[holzmann]

Anyone?

 

[holzmann]

So if the method I describe is bollocks then what do you all recommend?

The 3ware card I have is the 3ware® 8006-2LP.

 

[drescherjm]

I would add the two 1.5 TB drives to the motherboard ports and create a new software raid array possibly with zfs and then copy all the data from the 500 GB drives to the 1.5 TB array using rsync.Then sell the 3ware controller.