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67666
January 25th, 2016 10:00
How to move disks from one system/controller to another?
I have a client with a Dell Poweredge T610 using a Perc 6i integrated controller. Unfortunately there's a problem with the backplane so we've ordered a replacement server. The new server is a Poweredge T410 using a Perc H710 controller. In an old post by someone named PoweredgeTech I saw that he mentions the possibility of importing disks from one system / controller into another.
Does anyone happen to have instructions or can point me to a link that would explain how to (hopefully, "seamlessly") move the disks from the T610 (with the Perc 6i controller) to the new T410 (with the Perc H710 controller) when the server is delivered from Dell?
This same issue happened to me personally, I had a server crash internally. I use Acronis server backup on my own servers. I had a problem restoring to a new server because Dell's perc controller drivers are proprietary and I couldn't use the Acronis Linux based recovery CD to recover my old server image to the new server. When I created a WINPE recovery image the new Dell server wouldn't recognize USB ports - so mouse and keyboard actions weren't recognized in the WINPE environment. Kind of a catch-22 for me. I was forced to reinstall and rebuild my Active Directory environment because I didn't have a Windows backup image (system image) - always relying on my Acronis images.
Russ
rfoszcz
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January 25th, 2016 11:00
theFlash1932:
Appreciate your quick response - and very sorry - I completely mistyped! The new server is the T320 (not T410) using the H710 controller. OS on original server is Windows Server 2008 (no R2). Finally - could not replace server with same due model to budget constraints (client is non-profit with very limited budget).
Appreciate the comments about Acronis - but I spent hours on telephone, chat, and email with Dell technical support and we could not get the perc controller drivers to work with the WINPE restore image because the Dell wouldn't recognize USB ports in the restore image.
I've used Acronis for several years and it works wonderfully on dissimilar hardware when you have access to chipset drivers. Getting past the perc controller is another issue (unless I'm missing something obvious). If so - I'd love to have the solution you mention so I can use Acronis to restore the image of the T610 to the T320! The Acronis linux restore image did not recognize the controller because the Dell drivers are proprietary. And I could not get the WINPE image to recognize USB ports on my T430 so mouse and keyboard were inoperative.
theflash1932
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January 25th, 2016 11:00
Are you using the T410 or the T420? The T410 would be using an H700, which fully supports importing virtual disks created on the PERC 6. If using the T420, it would have an H710, which states support for importing from H700 controllers ... it stands to reason that it could also import from a PERC 6, but it does not say so specifically. The other problem would be whether or not the differing hardware will be a problem for your OS. You didn't say what OS you have, so it is hard to say for sure. If you were replacing the entire server for a bad backplane, why not replace it with the same model?
If it works, you would simply power down, move the disks to the [powered down] T410, power on, boot to CTRL-R utility, highlight the controller, F2, Foreign, Import. (If prompted earlier than this point to import, choose that.) Then you would have to sort out any driver differences (including the controller drivers).
This is the same problem as restoring with backup software that is not capable of restoring to different hardware. I happen to know that server versions of Acronis do support this.
theflash1932
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January 25th, 2016 12:00
The drivers are proprietary, but they are not secret. They are openly and freely available on Dell's support site. There should have been no issue getting it restored to a PERC. I'm no master with Acronis, but I have used it before in a similar situation. I'm surprised they could not get it working for you. Dell even has a CAB file of drivers specifically for WinPE environments. I wish I could help more with the restore. I think especially for non-profit, replacing the backplane (if that is indeed the issue) would have been the more prudent move, unless there was some other reason for upgrading the hardware anyway.