Hey all how are you guys..? My current Unraid server has been great for the last 6-7 years. It's a robust system for the year it was built but clearly not current by todays standards, It's a dual XEON huge box with 44G of Seagate Iron Wolf spinning drives (array) and a 2TB SSD where I keep the cache and such. I'm looking to move to a Asustor Flashstor FS6712X 12-Bay which will get me the array space I need but NO spinning drives. Ultimately the current tower and PLEX license will be only on the new hardware.

 

My question is to all you seasoned users out there, have you done this...? I have over 40GB of data I need to migrate over from the spinning drives in the old box to the new box with the NVMe M.2 drives. Feels like a daunting tasks, love to hear thoughts.

Review:

Migration Considerations

Data Transfer Strategy:

You'll need to move over 40TB of data from spinning drives to NVMe drives. This can be done over the network or by physically connecting the drives during the transition.

Configuration Migration:

Preserve your current Unraid settings, share configurations, dockers, and plugins so you don't have to rebuild everything from scratch.

Downtime:

Plan for downtime, especially if you run services like Plex, to avoid interruptions.

Backup:

Before starting, ensure your most critical data is backed up externally. Data loss during migration, while rare, is always a risk.

Steps to Migrate

1. Prepare the New Hardware

Asustor Flashstor FS6712X Setup:

Install and configure your NVMe M.2 drives in the new box.

Set up Unraid on a USB flash drive for the new hardware.

Connect the new system to your network.

Test the New Setup:

Before migrating data, test the new system with a small array configuration to ensure it's working correctly.

2. Backup the Current Configuration

On your current Unraid server:

Go to Main > Flash > Flash Backup and download a copy of your flash drive contents.

This will include your share configurations, dockers, plugins, and other settings.

Save the backup to an external location.

3. Transfer Data

Option 1: Network Transfer

Use tools like rsync or Unraid's file management tools to copy data over the network.

Pros: No physical intervention required.

Cons: Slower, dependent on your network speed.

Example command:

 

rsync -avh --progress /mnt/user/ShareName/ [NEW_SERVER_IP]:/mnt/user/ShareName/

Option 2: Direct Drive Transfer

Physically connect your old drives to the new server temporarily (via external USB enclosures or additional SATA slots).

Mount the drives in Unraid using the Unassigned Devices plugin.

Use mc (Midnight Commander) or rsync to transfer data directly between drives.

Pros: Faster than network transfer.

Cons: Requires additional hardware or drive connections.

4. Migrate Plex and Docker Containers

On the old server:

Go to Docker > Plex > Edit and note the configuration paths.

On the new server:

Copy the Plex configuration folder (/mnt/cache/appdata/plex) to the new server.

Reinstall Plex using the same Docker settings and point it to the transferred appdata folder.

5. Validate and Rebuild

Once all data is transferred, validate the integrity of your files (e.g., using checksums or Unraid's built-in parity checks).

Rebuild parity on the new system.

Additional Tips

Staging the Data:

If the transfer takes time, consider transferring critical shares (like media) first so Plex can resume quickly, followed by less critical data.

Network Optimization:

Ensure both servers are connected via Gigabit Ethernet or higher (10GbE if available) for faster transfers.

Old Server Repurposing:

Consider keeping the old server temporarily as a backup solution until the new system is fully operational and stable.

Testing Plex:

Test Plex thoroughly on the new hardware to ensure that paths, transcoding, and performance are as expected.

Potential Challenges

Disk Space:

Ensure the NVMe array has enough capacity for your data, considering parity if you use it.

Heat Management:

NVMe drives can run hotter than spinning drives. Ensure adequate cooling in your Flashstor setup.

This process will take time but can be smooth with careful planning.