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I can't believe i left out the important stuff. &nbsp;this server is a server 2003 enterprise server running exchange, DNS and DHCP and holds the users data shares. &nbsp;the RAID is on the SI 3114 and consists of 4 500 gig drives on a RAID 5 for just about 1.2 TB of storage. &nbsp;That 1.2 is partitioned into a C and a D in a 25/75 split.<br />
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from what I am reading, I think what I am going to do is to bring in a new server that already has an OS on it and move DNS, DHCP and the shares to it, install exchange on the new server and go w/ it. &nbsp;With 20 users, I think I can do that in a shorter period of time than all of the many good suggestions above. &nbsp;I just hope the existing server will stay up long enough to let me copy the shares off.<br />
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the problem I have w/ the existing box is I don't know exactly what the problem is. &nbsp;it could be the RAID controller. &nbsp;It could be the drives and it could be the MB or even the cables. &nbsp;I'm guessing by replacing one part at a time until i find it and this is a production server.<br />
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I'll keep everyone posted.<br />

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It sounds like a good plan. &nbsp;I would recommend against using onboard RAID for production systems, as they are very difficult to recover from if the controller fails, and in general have lower performance than dedicated cards.
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ok, i currently have a Silicon Image SATA RAID 3114 chip onboard an intel MB. &nbsp;There are four disks attached in a RAID 5.<br />
<br />
the onboard RAID is bad ( i think ) so I'm installing a PCI-X Promise RAID card tomorrow. &nbsp;<br />
<br />
I am having trouble wrapping my head around HOW to migrate the RAID array.<br />
<br />
First of all, the new card wont have drivers for it on the existing OS, so, i thought that since the server will come up in it's existing state, I'd install the new RAID card, bring up the server and install the drivers.<br />
<br />
then, after shutting down, I'll move the existing array over to the new card, and attempt to bring it online.<br />
<br />
Thoughts? &nbsp;Ideas? &nbsp;Suggestions? &nbsp;Pitfalls?<br />
<br />
mostly looking for feedback and a sounding board.<br />
<br />
Thanks<br />
<br />
Cliff
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ok, i currently have a Silicon Image SATA RAID 3114 chip onboard an intel MB.  There are four disks attached in a RAID 5.

the onboard RAID is bad ( i think ) so I'm installing a PCI-X Promise RAID card tomorrow.  

I am having trouble wrapping my head around HOW to migrate the RAID array.

First of all, the new card wont have drivers for it on the existing OS, so, i thought that since the server will come up in it's existing state, I'd install the new RAID card, bring up the server and install the drivers.

then, after shutting down, I'll move the existing array over to the new card, and attempt to bring it online.

Thoughts?  Ideas?  Suggestions?  Pitfalls?

mostly looking for feedback and a sounding board.

Thanks

Cliff

How to migrate a RAID array from onboard RAID to PCI RAID

Servers are computing devices that are similar to desktop computers in that they have the same basic components, but are significantly different in size, configuration and purpose. Servers are usually accessed over a network, and many run unattended, without a computer monitor, input device, audio hardware or USB interfaces. Many servers do not have a graphical user interface (GUI), and are configured and managed remotely. Servers typically include hardware redundancy such as dual power supplies, RAID disk systems, and ECC memory, along with extensive pre-boot memory testing and verification. Critical components might be hot swappable, and to guard against overheating, servers might have more powerful fans or use water cooling.

Server Hardware

Storage devices include any device used for storing and retrieving digital information. Hard disk drives (HDDs) use one or more rigid ("hard") rapidly rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. Data is accessed in a random-access manner, meaning that individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order and not only sequentially. The primary competing technology for secondary storage is flash memory in the form of solid-state drives (SSDs), but HDDs remain the dominant medium for secondary storage due to advantages in price per bit and per-device recording capacity. CD-RW (Compact Disc-ReWritable) is a digital optical disc storage format that allows information to be stored outside the mechanical HDD.

Storage Hardware

Disaster Recovery is the planning for and creation of policies and procedures related to the resumption or continuation of an organization's functions following a catastrophic event. The term is most frequently used in relation to failure of networks, but DR preparations also include other business systems and personnel considerations.

Disaster Recovery

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks.

RAID is data storage technology that allows multiple drives to be used together as a single virtual drive for reasons such as fault tolerance, reliability and performance. 

There are several different levels of RAID that determine how the data is stored and the level of redundancy achieved across the drives.