Clone cache drive to SSD

[savestheday]

Hi all,

I want to move my 750GB cache drive to a 256GB SSD (cleaned up a lot of crap!).  I'd like to move over all my cache data (Dropbox, SAB, Plex, etc.).  What's the best way to accomplish this?  I know I can copy the data down to another machine, install the cache, and copy it back but that doesn't seem like it's the best way to handle it.  Has anyone else done this?  I'm guessing I could add the SSD as an out of array drive, mount it, then rsync it over.  Also, does preclear need to be run on SSD's?  Thanks!!!

[dikkiedirk]

What SSD did you pick? Thinking about it too. No need to preclear it.

 

 

[savestheday]

Samsung 830 256GB.  I have it in another machine currently but I've got a Samsung 830 128GB drive I'll put in there and take the 256GB for unRAID.  These drives are super fast and super reliable.

[darbronnoco]

Anyone have an answer for the best way to migrate.  I have a smallish Kingston ssd I would like to replace my current small spinner cache drive with. 

[DoeBoye]

When I went from a spinner to an SSD Cache drive, I didn't do anything fancy. I copied the entire contents to my pc (After having run Mover), powered down the array, swapped in the SSD, powered up, assigned SSD as cache, transferred files back, rebooted. No problems.

 

I did not preclear my SSD, and, though I'm too lazy to search, I'm fairly sure it is not recommended, due to the way SSDs manage space. I believe a preclear would shorten the life of the drive...

 

HTH!

 

NOTE: For the record, I'm not saying this is the 'recommended' way to go! This just happens to be the way I did it, and I experienced no issues...

[nickcardwell]

Yes your correct, dont preclear a ssd cache drive it shortens the life of the drive.

 

It has a certain amount of writes available.  In theory when it goes , you can "read" but not write.

also to add, a lot of the branded (Samsung,Intel) to name a few, actually have extra storage (some up to 20% more)

 

This is kept away from the OS , it uses it internally , if a cell dies, it can "report it " as faulty and use one of the spare cells.

 

 

[ijuarez]

So the simple answer is,

turn off raid

pull old drive

copy old to new, say using tera copy or your favorite utility

install replacement

boot up

designate the new cache drive and off to the races?

[trurl]

So the simple answer is,

turn off raid

pull old drive

copy old to new, say using tera copy or your favorite utility

install replacement

boot up

designate the new cache drive and off to the races?

I don't think so. The cache drive is formatted by unRAID to reiserFS, so your favorite utility is unlikely to work.

Also don't know if you can get unRAID to assign a drive as cache without it formatting it.

 

What you might try is:

For each plugin that uses cache, go to the settings page and disable the plugin so it doesn't start when you reboot.

Copy the cache drive somewhere on the array.

Unassign the cache drive.

Replace the old cache drive with the new one.

Assign the new cache drive and let unRAID format it.

Copy the saved cache data from the array to the new cache drive.

For each plugin that uses cache, go to the settings page and enable the plugin.

 

I haven't tried this but it seems like it should work. Let us know.

[TheDragon]

So the simple answer is,

turn off raid

pull old drive

copy old to new, say using tera copy or your favorite utility

install replacement

boot up

designate the new cache drive and off to the races?

I don't think so. The cache drive is formatted by unRAID to reiserFS, so your favorite utility is unlikely to work.

Also don't know if you can get unRAID to assign a drive as cache without it formatting it.

 

What you might try is:

For each plugin that uses cache, go to the settings page and disable the plugin so it doesn't start when you reboot.

Copy the cache drive somewhere on the array.

Unassign the cache drive.

Replace the old cache drive with the new one.

Assign the new cache drive and let unRAID format it.

Copy the saved cache data from the array to the new cache drive.

For each plugin that uses cache, go to the settings page and enable the plugin.

 

I haven't tried this but it seems like it should work. Let us know.

 

This should work. You could also use rsync to preserve any special permissions you may have set for Apps

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

 

[ijuarez]

even better,

 

Im not so hot on rsync so i will Google the dummy to copy from drive to drive, as i have a vm running on it and don't want the permissions to get hosed.

[trurl]

Also, before changing the cache drive, it would probably be better if you manually run mover so cached share data is moved off the cache drive before you start. Might not cause any problems if you don't, but you will have less stuff on the cache drive to back up.

[ijuarez]

I've disabled mover can it I be invoked manually?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ijuarez]

I've disabled mover can it I be invoked manually?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trurl]

under share settings, probably the same place you disabled it

[ijuarez]

It's running, it going to take a bit to copy 48gb. Any once the new cache drive is in how do you copy back?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BobPhoenix]

When I switched cache drives I did the following: I mounted the new drive using unMENU then used MC (Midnight Commander) to copy the drive data.  Then unmounted the drive in unMenu and replaced the old drive with the new drive in unRAID GUI.  Then I booted the system and watched VirtualBox plugin and VMs boot off new cache drive.

[ijuarez]

 

When I switched cache drives I did the following: I mounted the new drive using unMENU then used MC (Midnight Commander) to copy the drive data.  Then unmounted the drive in unMenu and replaced the old drive with the new drive in unRAID GUI.  Then I booted the system and watched VirtualBox plugin and VMs boot off new cache drive.

 

This is a really cool way to do it. However I'm my case I have run out of sata ports so I have plug the new drive and copy from the array.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[trurl]

Why did you disable mover? Sounds like you might have done this to keep your apps from being moved, and now you are moving them.

 

I assumed that you would have your apps in a cache-only share, or possibly a hidden folder, so mover would skip them. That is the way you are supposed to do it. This would allow mover to skip your apps but still have other shares that are cached and then moved to the array.

 

If you are now moving the stuff you wanted to restore to your cache drive then you will have to figure out where they were moved to and move them back when you have installed the new cache drive.

[ijuarez]

Why did you disable mover? Sounds like you might have done this to keep your apps from being moved, and now you are moving them.

 

I assumed that you would have your apps in a cache-only share, or possibly a hidden folder, so mover would skip them. That is the way you are supposed to do it. This would allow mover to skip your apps but still have other shares that are cached and then moved to the array.

 

If you are now moving the stuff you wanted to restore to your cache drive then you will have to figure out where they were moved to and move them back when you have installed the new cache drive.

 

Yeah you're correct, i got a bigger problem now. I will start a new thread, however you guys help was awesome.

[trurl]

Not necessarily a big problem. They will just be moved to /mnt/user and you can move them back. But you do need to setup a cache-only share to put them in.