Smart Array E200i on Proliant ML350 with Acronis

[TimRegester]

Hi our existing old and now nearly full HP Server is being replaced by a new HP ML350 with the Smart Array E200i/128 in a RAID 5 config with 250GB drives.

The plan is to use Acronis Trueimage to take a snapshot of the current MS SBS 2003 Server with 73GB SCSI Array (split into two volumes and restore onto the new server using Universal Restore so that the drives can be restored onto dissimilar hardware and volume sizes.

What are the risks associated with this procedure?

We have identified the main risk is that the bootdisk for the restore will not recognise the new storage controller, but since it appears to use BART PE and HP Provide drivers for Windows server 2k3 I should be able to install these drivers on this boot disk and ameliorate this risk.

Is there anything else to consider, has anyone successfully carried this procedure out?

Thankyou for your time, and as always I appreciate your advice.

 

[TheLad]

The bootdisk (your MS SBS 2003 Server) may also have other driver issues such as Chipset, Network, Graphics etc... and infact it may just blue screen when the image has been moved to the new server rather than boot at all. You would be far better building your new server with a fresh OS then transferring the data across using normal methods as the Image snapshot may cause more problems in the long term even if it does not blue screen on first bootup.

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"Insert funny comment in here!"
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[TimRegester]

You may find this surprising but I have less concern about issues with Chipsets, Network Cards and Graphics cards as the boot disk will simply boot the server from the CD/DVD, I have successfully solved driver issues before so that should be less of an issue, I successfully did that this year and not a single callback. Our main concern is that we can see the disk array to put the image onto in the first place.

If you think about it this may be 1 to 2 days work, whereas rebuilding from scratch will be a hell of a lot more work as well as building the server with all the new drivers, the SID of the server will change, thus every PC and laptop will need to be rejoined to the new domain and the added complications of having to back up every user profile, exchange profile, plus A/V and Backup exec, at least 4 days work assuming that some of the laptops are even in the country.

The pain of solving driver issues is as nothing to the pain of creating a new domain server and solving all the profile issues.

Thanks for your input anyway.

 

[wahnula]

The Best Practice is to use

http://www.sbsmigration.com

when moving one SBS install to new hardware. It will do exactly what you require and you will have excellent support while you're doing it.

Tony

Users helping Users...

 

[technome]

I should be able to install these drivers on this boot disk and ameliorate this risk."
Install all needed drivers just before you use Acronis, if not all, at least the raid driver. Since your imaging, if you have resident programs such as SQL, I would manually shut down all services related to them just before imaging, then open taskmanager, kill any unnecessary processes. Run chkdsk on your source array, before doing any of the above; cloning software often fails in the restore phase if disk errors were present on the source disk.
Interested how you make out if you go the Universal restore route, I use Acronis, but never needed to go to dissimilar hardware.



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http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm

 

[TimRegester]

This server upgrade has still not happened, we have a server issue with the original server which has still not been solved migrating a server with a server software issue makes no sense so it is delayed pending a fix.

Notwithstanding that all good advice and I will post an update when it happens.

Merry Christmas to you all.