Swap hard disks from 2*18.2GB to 2*36.4GB?

[ADB100]

I have a Compaq Proliant DL360 with the integrated RAID controller and two 18.2GB hot-plug SCSI drives in a RAID-1 configuration. It was built using Compaq SmartStart and is running Windows Server 2003 R2.
I want to swap the hard disks from the two 18.2GB ones to two new 36.4GB ones I have recently aquired without going through the whole re-build of the system. On other systems I have used a Windows XP PE Boot CD and Drive Snapshot (or another Ghost type application) to achieve this following this procedure:

1. boot from the Windows PE CD
2. connect a network drive
3. take an image of the system and put it on the network drive
4. shutdown system
5. install new hard drive
6. boot from CD and connect network drive
7. restore image to new hard drive
8. reboot

I was hoping to do the same with the DL360 but the PE CD doesn't have drivers for the DL360 RAID controller so can't see the drive. I would rather not rebuild this system from scratch but may end up doing this if I can't find a way of doing it.

Any ideas?

Andy

 

[LWComputingMVP]

So you're running a RAID 1 (Mirror) right? Why not just swap one drive, let the RAID rebuild, then swap the other and let it rebuild. Then you'll have both drives installed. You'll need to create a new partition... or use 3rd party software (not something I'd recommend) to extend the C: drive).

 

[technome]

Do as Lwcomputing suggests about swapping the drives. One a at a times, just verify the drives complete the rebuild.

Once both drives are in, and rebuilding is complete, there are a number of third party partition managers which can expand the original volume to use the "new space", if you have the resources to buy them, cheap for wks OSs, expensive for server versions

Acronis Disk Director, used it a number of times, no issues
Partition Manager, used it once, no issues
Volume Manager

Steer clear of small software companies for partition manipulating software.


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[ADB100]

I didn't realise I could do this with different sized disks? I'll have a look. Are there any free disk partitioning tools?

 

[TheLad]

Your procedure would work perfectly and is one I have performed using Ghost with several small servers. Part of the reimage using Ghost will allow you to specify the partition sizes so you can resize the partition when you reimage back onto the new disks.

The only addition to your procedure would be inbetween points 5 and 6 and that would be to run SmartStart once you have installed the new drives. You can include the SmartStart partition when you are Ghosting but I would just ghost the OS partition(s) and run SmartStart on the new disks when they are installed.

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[ADB100]

Your procedure would work perfectly and is one I have performed using Ghost with several small servers. Part of the reimage using Ghost will allow you to specify the partition sizes so you can resize the partition when you reimage back onto the new disks.

The problem with this is the Windows XP PE CD can't 'see' the OS partition because it doesn't have the relevent drivers for the RAID card. I couldn't see any way of installing drivers whilst running XP PE, is there a way?

Andy

 

[TheLad]

You don't need drivers for the RAID card. On the Dell, HP (Compaq) and IBM servers I have performed this procedure on, you boot off a DOS disk as normal, run Ghost as normal, and you will be able to see the partition information ready for Ghosting.

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