Initial Setup & Data transfer best practices?

[theGrok]

I will be setting up an Unraid server for the first time. I plan to use Docker Apps, mainly for Plex Media Server. I have tried to read as much as I can but I still have some questions:

 

Is there a process I must follow in a certain order to get my data on my array? I have about 5TB of data (mainly media files) to transfer to the array

 

1) Since I will have a 256GB SSD cache drive, Do I wait to enable the cache disk until after I have transferred all of my data? (It is my understanding that otherwise, I will have to wait for MOVER and will have to transfer data in smaller chunks)

 

2)I have read something about pre-clearing drives. Is this something I need to do?

 

3) Is it better to wait to enable parity until after I transfer the data? I am will be to be patient for the transfer. I will also be keeping data on my original PC for a while until everything is running smoothly.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[kizer]

Honestly its all up to you, but............

 

1) I'd disable the mover since it will quickly fill up that SSD or not even assign your SSD until you need it.

 

2) Preclearing is very recommended to insure the reliabilty of your drives

 

3) I enabled my Parity drive, but if you have a backup copy else where it will make your transfers much faster by disabling not enabling until your done.

[theGrok]

Thanks for the help. Do I have to preclear the drives 1 at time or can I do them concurrently?

 

Do I also preclear an SSD cache drive?

[trevisthomas]

Personally, i preclear everything before unraid is allowed to use it.  Over the years it has helped to catch problems before i put my precious bits at risk.

 

kizer,  I've never heard of disabling parity... how do you do that? Do you literally stop the array and unassign it and then re-add parity later?  I'm in a rebuild state and will be transferring 13tb from an old unraid system to a new one.

 

[Medwynd]

I preclear all my drives.

 

On my initial setup I moved the data and then enabled parity.  I did this so that the transfer would go faster.  I had about 6TB+ to move to the array.

[Medwynd]

kizer,  I've never heard of disabling parity... how do you do that? Do you literally stop the array and unassign it and then re-add parity later?  I'm in a rebuild state and will be transferring 13tb from an old unraid system to a new one.

 

I just never added my parity drive to the array until I had moved my data, although it was physically added to the server.  Added drive when done then did a parity check.

[kizer]

Personally, i preclear everything before unraid is allowed to use it.  Over the years it has helped to catch problems before i put my precious bits at risk.

 

kizer,  I've never heard of disabling parity... how do you do that? Do you literally stop the array and unassign it and then re-add parity later?  I'm in a rebuild state and will be transferring 13tb from an old unraid system to a new one.

 

 

Sorry fixed my post. Not enabling it until your done.

[trevisthomas]

Kizer, I have a question.  Here's my situation.  I have a 1tb parity, and two 1tb data drives that I was using for a test bed.  I'm ready to grow that system and transfer data from my old unraid hardware onto it.  I have a 5tb drive and two 4tb drives that I intend to use.  If I want to do my copies without parity can I just remove the 1tb parity drive and add the two 4tb data drives and start my copy without priory protection?

 

That thought had not occurred to me until reading this thread.  I had figured hat I would have to add the 5tb parity first and then grow it.  I never considered copying to it without parity.

[kizer]

trevisthomas

 

Are you intending on keeping any data on the (2) 1TB drives or are you just using them for experimentation purposes?

 

This is what makes sense to me, but please read because I don't want to be responsible for loosing your data

 

Lots of good info here to help you out.

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=39338.0

 

To me it seems like your starting over so I would just stop the array, click Tools > New config and then power down your machine and swap drives and leave slot 0 "not assigned" so you can assign your parity later and assign slot 1 and 2 with your new data disks. 

 

Do your data copying and then when your done filling up 1 and 2, stop the array and select parity for slot one with allow corrections, start and let it build parity.

[trurl]

trevisthomas

 

Are you intending on keeping any data on the (2) 1TB drives or are you just using them for experimentation purposes?

 

This is what makes sense to me, but please read because I don't want to be responsible for loosing your data

 

Lots of good info here to help you out.

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=39338.0

 

To me it seems like your starting over so I would just stop the array, click Tools > New config and then power down your machine and swap drives and leave slot one 1 "not assigned" so you can assign your parity later and assign slot 2 and 3 with your new data disks. 

 

Do you data copying and then when your done filling up 2 and 3, stop the array and select parity for slot one with allow corrections, start and let it build parity.

I think it is better to refer to parity as slot zero instead of slot 1 then disk1 becomes slot 1, etc. Much less confusing that way. A lot of things make more sense with computers when you start counting from zero.

[kizer]

Like usual trurl is spot on.

 

Made corrections to my up above statement.

 

Been a while since I've stared at my on Config. I just know the top slot has always been my Parity and Never Never Never assign a Data disk to Parity. 

[trevisthomas]

Thanks for the replies.  I've probably made things more difficult for myself than necessary.  My intent was/is to keep the data that is on the two 1tb data drives from the test period.  What started as a pure exploratory test ballooned into the underpinnings of my new system because of how well the VM stuff went.  I'd rather not re-install the two windows VM's and the apps within them so instead of just restarting the build from scratch with the big drives, i'm going to migrate and maybe replace the two 1tb's last. (or just leave them, i haven't decided yet.  The case will have plenty of hotswap slots)

 

What i did was, i turned the system off put in the 3 precleared drives (5TB and 2x4TB).  I removed the assignment of the 1TB parity and started the array.  Then i stopped the array and added the two 4tb drives as data drives (along with the two 1tb data drives that are already in there).  In a few minutes they were formatted, so i stopped the array again and now i'm building parity. 

 

I may stop it and remove the parity disk this weekend when i'm ready to do the big data move but i'd rather let it go ahead and be active for now. 

 

Thanks for the tips! And Sorry for totally hijacking this thread.