Help on imaging SCSI RAID setup to larger drives using Norton Ghost
oook... i know how to use ghost... and how to create a boot disk. i can successfully image a laptop drive to an external drive (usb).
here's my problem ... i am not very familiar with RAID setups. i have an old server running Win2000 that has 2 RAID 1's over 4 drives. two of those 4 drives hold the OS/programs, and they have very little space remaining on them (so little, that no applications can launch). the server is useless until i get it imaged to larger drives. this server is a Dell 1500SC with PERC 3/SC
i went through Dell to get 2 larger scsi drives. have them on hand now.
** i need STEP BY STEP instructions for imaging with ghost, and getting the server up on the new, larger drives. (to be clear, the drives in bay 0 and 1 need to get replaced. the drives in bays 2 and 3 should stay).
i tried to ghost the drive awhile back, and discovered that the server was not recognizing the attached external usb drive (so i had nowhere to send the image to). my ghost boot disk works fine on my laptop...it can see the external usb. maybe i didn't have the external drive connected before i booted the server? i can't remember... any other ideas on why it would recognize the external drive on a laptop and not the server?
** in ghost, should i be ghosting Disk to Image? i am assuming i want to use this option...that it will create an image file that i store on the external drive, and then i'd replace the scsi drives, and then use the Disk From Image option ???
** also, when the ghost boot launches, it says something about marking a drive. what is that all about?
here is a view of the RAID setup : http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8109/raid9bi.png
here's my problem ... i am not very familiar with RAID setups. i have an old server running Win2000 that has 2 RAID 1's over 4 drives. two of those 4 drives hold the OS/programs, and they have very little space remaining on them (so little, that no applications can launch). the server is useless until i get it imaged to larger drives. this server is a Dell 1500SC with PERC 3/SC
i went through Dell to get 2 larger scsi drives. have them on hand now.
** i need STEP BY STEP instructions for imaging with ghost, and getting the server up on the new, larger drives. (to be clear, the drives in bay 0 and 1 need to get replaced. the drives in bays 2 and 3 should stay).
i tried to ghost the drive awhile back, and discovered that the server was not recognizing the attached external usb drive (so i had nowhere to send the image to). my ghost boot disk works fine on my laptop...it can see the external usb. maybe i didn't have the external drive connected before i booted the server? i can't remember... any other ideas on why it would recognize the external drive on a laptop and not the server?
** in ghost, should i be ghosting Disk to Image? i am assuming i want to use this option...that it will create an image file that i store on the external drive, and then i'd replace the scsi drives, and then use the Disk From Image option ???
** also, when the ghost boot launches, it says something about marking a drive. what is that all about?
here is a view of the RAID setup : http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8109/raid9bi.png
ASKER
ok. i was using ghost2003 to test on my laptop. i have ghost 10.0. i will test that on my laptop to verify it sees the external usb.
i can probably figure out the ghost side of stuff myself...
the part that i do not feel at all comfortable with is the RAID stuff. this is where i need step by step instructions... i'm assuming the basic outline of what i need to do is:
create a ghost image file (disk to image? the only other option is disk to disk... and that doesnt sound right)
replace the scsi RAID drives
image the new drives with the ghost file
i really wish i had a test box to try this on, but i don't. so i need to be sure of what i'm doing before i go for it.
i need to know how to safely take the current drives out of the RAID config (so that if i can't get the imaging right, i can just put everything back to how it was to begin with)
i need to know how to set the new drives up for RAID
am i supposed to ghost to 1 of the drives and then initiate the mirroring, or have the RAID all set up and then run ghost (and the mirroring will occur automatically)
i can probably figure out the ghost side of stuff myself...
the part that i do not feel at all comfortable with is the RAID stuff. this is where i need step by step instructions... i'm assuming the basic outline of what i need to do is:
create a ghost image file (disk to image? the only other option is disk to disk... and that doesnt sound right)
replace the scsi RAID drives
image the new drives with the ghost file
i really wish i had a test box to try this on, but i don't. so i need to be sure of what i'm doing before i go for it.
i need to know how to safely take the current drives out of the RAID config (so that if i can't get the imaging right, i can just put everything back to how it was to begin with)
i need to know how to set the new drives up for RAID
am i supposed to ghost to 1 of the drives and then initiate the mirroring, or have the RAID all set up and then run ghost (and the mirroring will occur automatically)
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ASKER
ok.
i already have a second array set up. not sure if it will handle a third. but i will give it all a shot. i guess #1 task is to verify that i can create an image with ghost.
i already have a second array set up. not sure if it will handle a third. but i will give it all a shot. i guess #1 task is to verify that i can create an image with ghost.
ASKER
it will be awhile before i have the chance to do this... what Callandor has said makes sense, so points are going to him.
The laptop has a different BIOS than your server, which may be why it works with the laptop. Given how old the server is, it probably doesn't have as good support. You are also probably running an old version Ghost - Ghost2003 had problems recognizing USB external drives, but Ghost 9 and later recognizes them and handles RAID arrays (I have an onboard nVidia RAID array that 2003 would not recognize). The RAID array is seen as a single physical drive, so treat it as such.
Upgrade to a later Ghost version (or upgrade the server BIOS, but that's riskier and I don't recommend it without a backup) and you should be able to do this just like your laptop.