Hi,

I preparing for the big move, just discovered Unraid.  I'm gonna move all my data from a WIn10 machine to an Unraid server. 

I will move a Emby server and all the Media associated with it.  All my personal stuff (photos,  docs, etc..).  Also I will host my small business data server.  Unraid is GREAT.  I was able to install everything in minutes.  all the shares and users with there own permissions. 

 

My questions is,  What is the best way to transfer all the data from my windows disk on my Unraid.  The hard drive will be reused in the server as I don't have the money to buy 50tb of hard drive.   So I could only transfer one disk at the time.  I have a 12Tb new drive that will be used in the end for Parity drive.  So I could use this drive for transferring the data. 

 

Any advice on the procedure, some do and don't? 

 

Thank's

J-P

4 minutes ago, jpmendes said:

hard drive will be reused in the server

Do you have another copy of anything important and irreplaceable?

 

Do you have backups of all the important data? Moving stuff around like this is one of the riskiest things you can do, it's all too easy to accidentally delete stuff.

 

If not, I recommend NOT removing any of the old drives, instead be patient and add drives to Unraid as you have the resources, and make copies instead of moving.

Hi,

I have copies of the important stuff.  Replaceable stuff I don't.   it sure would suck to loose my film directory but it's not replaceable....   That's why I prefer for this task to use an app in Unraid that as a Graphic GUI as it it's less prone to mistype something in a console. 

The drives in my Win10 machine are around 3-4 years old.  So If they had to fail they must more probably did by now...  

But yea I realize that it's a little risky.  Witch is exactly why I ask you guys some advises. 

 

One of the options that I looked, was to use some re-certified UltraStars WD drive from serverpartsdeals.com  But It just don't feels right in my head to buy a drive that as been used by big cloud company for who knows how long?  Even if they are WD re-certified...    Are they good for a few years???

 

J-P

Edited November 13, 20241 yr by jpmendes

I personally would be looking for a new 12TB drive in the upcoming 'Black Friday' sales.  That will give you a bit of room to empty data drives from the old computers.

 

You never did say how many dedicated data disks are in that Windows computer and their size.  Are they formatted NTFS?  If so, you could use the Unassigned Devices plugin and mount them on your Unraid server.  I personally would not be afraid to reuse those old data drives in your Unraid server if they aren't older than, say, six years.  (Double check the SMART reports first!)   I have heard inconsistent reports on recertified drives.  Some 'swear by' them and other 'swear at' them.   I would consider them only as a last resort.

Hi,

 

I have in my Win10 PC

1 WD red 4TB  6 years old

1 WD red 8TB  5 years old

2 WD red 10TB 4 -3 years old

All of them are 1/2 to 3/4 full.   All of them have a near perfect SMART report. 

 

Got one new 12TB  to ultimately be use as a parity drive, but will be use for transfer the data. 

Since the drive need to be reformat for the Unraid, I see no 100% safe solution.  Even if I buy a new drive,  I will need to transfer the data to that new drive on the Unraid array.

 

Maybe i'm missing something??

 

unraid ssh and filezila ftp file via sftp://unraid IP....

ftp protocol can help guarantee a file copy pause save start stop from your windows instance to the server.

You will most likely have to get 1 disk ready to move data untill you complete your disks and move all the data. The main isseus your fighting here is disk File system types.

Unraid is linux it wants xfs/btrfs/zfs with unsigned disk plugin. You could in theory mount the disk directly on the unraid system and slowly moved data off one disk to the other as you build your array.

Regardless you need a place to put the data as you clear disk to setup an array/pool.

A temp $80 refirb drive could help easy the transition:
https://www.serversupply.com/HARD DRIVES/SAS-12GBPS/8TB-7200RPM/SEAGATE/ST8000NM001A_385186.htm

Edited November 13, 20241 yr by bmartino1

27 minutes ago, jpmendes said:

Hi,

 

I have in my Win10 PC

1 WD red 4TB  6 years old

1 WD red 8TB  5 years old

2 WD red 10TB 4 -3 years old

All of them are 1/2 to 3/4 full.   All of them have a near perfect SMART report. 

 

Got one new 12TB  to ultimately be use as a parity drive, but will be use for transfer the data. 

Since the drive need to be reformat for the Unraid, I see no 100% safe solution.  Even if I buy a new drive,  I will need to transfer the data to that new drive on the Unraid array.

 

Maybe i'm missing something??

 

So my recommendation is use the 12 TB disk as D1 on the array
Format xfs and use as 12TB as D1....

Next add the 10 TB disk mount with unasign plugin of fielzilaa copy the data off the 10TB disk...
If mount in unraid directly, use mc/file copy the 10 TB to the D1 Array.
All 10 TB data is now in useable xfs unraid filesytem....

Next 
stop the array.
Tools > new conf

put the 10 TB as d1 and format the disk and use as disk 1
Then use unasinged to copy data back to 10 TB d1 on unraid.

...

Rinse and repeat for all disk so in the end D1 10 TB, d2 8TB parity 12 and 4TB cache

Regardless you need a disk that can hold the data to transfers and get them setup.
 

This would be how I would do it. 

 

First decide if you want to not have parity protection.  This is an option.  You don't have to have a parity drive in the array.  (Personally, I would get that second drive and use parity protection from day one.  But then I am a believe in Mr. Murphy's Laws and know that If I don't have Parity, I will have a unsolvable problem. If I do have parity, I will never have a unsolvable problem!)   

 

With that out of the way, Start the array, format the data disk and allow parity to build.  (~20-24 hours) 

 

I would use the Unassigned Devices plugin to mount the NTFS drives on my Unraid.  You can mount them in the case or use a USB housing.  (I just tested and Unassigned Devices will mount and read a NTFS drive.)  

 

1. So mount the first NTFS drive. (Start with the largest drive and work down in size.)  I would use   rsync   to copy the files from that to the array.  (rsync is virtually bullet-proof for copying files in any operation system.  Google for rsync instructions and you will find a ton of resources.)  
2. Once you have all of the data copied over.  Unmount that first Windows drive from unassigned devices.  Now assign it as the second array data disk, and, again, go through the process of adding it to the array.

 

When that is done then remove the second Windows data drive.  Repeat steps one and two until all the drive have been copied on your Unraid server.  (You may want to skip adding the old drives to the array at some point if you have enough space on the array.   

 

Be patient.  It is going to take time.  One way to speed things to change the way Unraid writes files to the protected array.  Got to   SETTINGS    >>>  Disk Settings   and set the following parameter as shown.  

 

 

 

Thank you everybody,

 

Great set of advises. 

I will shut down my Win10 PC next week and use it as the new home for my new Unraid server.  So, no network transfer.  I'll use rsync or krusador.  not sure yet?  I also found a 12TB loaner, for the transfer.  I will be able to use a parity drive from the beginning!!

 

Thank's again,

J-P