I built my first unRAID server almost exactly one year ago (see here).  However, it has filled up sooner than I could have possibly imagined and I'm in need of something bigger and badder.

 

I'm building a new beast using the Norco 4224.  Eventually, I'd like to move data from my old server onto my new server (not initially ... but eventually).  Once I've built my new server, at some time in the future, can I simply pull a drive from my old server, put it into my new server, mount it outside of the array, and copy the data to a drive in the array?  I'm pretty sure the answer is "yes", but just wanted to double check.  I know unRAID uses ReiserFS, but wanted to make sure it could mount a ReiserFS drive outside of the array.

 

thanks

 

 

 

Yes you can mount it outside the array and see the data.

 

You should also be able to add it to the array and see the data.

 

I would run one last parity check before you start cannibalizing the old server.

Yes you can mount it outside the array and see the data.

 

You should also be able to add it to the array and see the data.

 

I would run one last parity check before you start cannibalizing the old server.

 

Thanks for the response and tips.  I'm definitely planning to run a parity check before I take down OldBlue ... but I'll probably leave him up and running for a while yet.

 

If I add the old drive to the new array, then I assume I can just recompute parity from there to ensure my parity drive has the correct parity info.

 

 

 

Correct

Correct

Just be VERY aware of what the web-management page is saying when you add a drive with data to an existing parity protected array.

 

 

if you simply stop the array, assign the drive to a spare slot, and start it again, unRAID will clear the drive.  (erasing the data on it)

If you stop the array, assign the disk to the array, SET A NEW DISK CONFIGURATION, and then start it again, unRAID will not clear the drive, but will instead parity will be completely re-calculated on the new disk configuration.

 

If you do not see all blue indicators on the screen before you go to re-start the array, and if the wording on it talks about clearing drives... STOP... you'll be erasing your data on the drive you are adding to the array.  (You forgot the step to set a new disk configuration)

Correct

Just be VERY aware of what the web-management page is saying when you add a drive with data to an existing parity protected array.

 

 

if you simply stop the array, assign the drive to a spare slot, and start it again, unRAID will clear the drive.  (erasing the data on it)

If you stop the array, assign the disk to the array, SET A NEW DISK CONFIGURATION, and then start it again, unRAID will not clear the drive, but will instead parity will be completely re-calculated on the new disk configuration.

 

If you do not see all blue indicators on the screen before you go to re-start the array, and if the wording on it talks about clearing drives... STOP... you'll be erasing your data on the drive you are adding to the array.  (You forgot the step to set a new disk configuration)

 

 

WHOA BABY ... thanks for the info Joe ... that sounds like a VERY important thing to note.  And this is why I asked my original question.  I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but so many new and great tidbits come out of even the simplest of questions.

 

 

Thanks for that correction, I completely forgot about that.

 

Every time i moved over "used unraid drives", i was building a new box with "no config".