Order of operations for multiple drive changes


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As part of a new server build, I need to do a number of drive changes along the journey and was hoping someone could double check my thinking. I've looked at the wiki guides and formulated a plan but it's a little more in-depth.

 

I'm moving from:

  • Machine 1: which has a number of 4TB and smaller drives (4TB parity) and 2x SATA SSD's as Cache,

to;

  • Machine 2: with 4x 10TB drives (one as parity, 3 as data) and 2x M.2 SSD's as cache.

 

As I have 3 spare slots on Machine 1, my thought is to add the 10TB drives in there, move the data off the old drives, decommission the old drives, and then move the new drives across.

 

Basic worklist:

  1. Stop the array
  2. Add 3 new 10TB drives
  3. Remove the parity drive (yes I realise this leaves the array unprotected but my thought is more for speed - open to thoughts on this)
  4. Start the array
  5. rsync data between disk (specifically disk, not user) mounts to the new drives so it's all on the 10TB's
  6. Stop the array
  7. New Config: remove the old drives, and add the new 10TB parity drive
  8. Rebuild parity
  9. Update all shares to be "cache: yes"
  10. Disable docker and vm's
  11. Run mover and confirm cache is empty
  12. Record all details of drives/serial/position
  13. Stop the array and disable auto-start
  14. Shutdown Machine 1
  15. Move the array drives to the new machine and the USB
  16. Boot Machine 2
  17. New Config: Setup with Parity drive in the right place and other data drives attached
  18. Setup new cache drives
  19. Start the array
  20. Parity check (possibly not needed as no array disk changes but for paranoia I'm thinking better more than less?)
  21. Set appropriate shares back to "cache: prefer"
  22. Run mover
  23. Re-enable docker & vm's
  24. Job done?

 

As part of the prep I'm thinking of spinning the new drives up in the new machine with a trial unraid and running pre-clear on them that way as running them on the old box might actually make it melt, and take days (and validates unraid will play okay with the build)....

 

Can anyone comment on the approach I'm looking at and if it seems like a good way to get everything moved safely (with the exception of the time parity is disabled of course)?

 

Also, one question on "New Config"; how does this differ from just changing drive assignments when the array is stopped, and when is it required. For example it appears I could just assign new drives to the array from the drives screen but is there something more that New Config is managing here?

 

Thanks in advance and sorry for the many-step list. Happy to post diagnostics of Machine 1 if it helps, I'm just not near that machine atm so can do this evening. In the meantime they should be largely unchanged from the ones I attached to a previous post:

 

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7 hours ago, hoppers99 said:
  • Add 3 new 10TB drives
  • Remove the parity drive

If you're removing parity do it before adding the new drives, or they will be cleared before they can be used.

 

7 hours ago, hoppers99 said:
  • Start the array
  • Parity check (possibly

Before starting the array check "parity is already valid" or it will be resynced, you can still run a check after to confirm all is well.

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Thanks for that @JorgeB

 

13 hours ago, JorgeB said:

If you're removing parity do it before adding the new drives, or they will be cleared before they can be used.

In my head that was just changing the assignments in the dropdown and both would be applied in one go. Do I need to apply the two independently?

 

 

13 hours ago, JorgeB said:

check "parity is already valid"

Perfect thanks, that would probably have caught me out.

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