MOVING A RAID5 FROM 2000 TO 2003 (new Computer)

[Guest]

I got a Windows 2000 Server SP4 working as a DHCP, File and AD server.
Suddenly stop working last Saturday (Oct/22/2005). I have a raid 5 (just 3
17GB hard drives with some databases and files).
I found a hardware problem (the server was kind of old and we cannot have
the same parts to replace it)
We are trying to move the Raid 5 to one of our 2003 servers.... everything
looks ok! but when I click the import foreign disks option in the MMC it
appears a window telling me that the data is incomplete.
The 2003 server only have one basic partition (boot/System partition)
I move all 3 HD at the same time (in accordance to Microsoft guidelines)
Microsoft said that I will lose data if I click yes to import those foreign
disks (multidisk)
What can I do?

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Opo" <[email protected]>

| I got a Windows 2000 Server SP4 working as a DHCP, File and AD server.
| Suddenly stop working last Saturday (Oct/22/2005). I have a raid 5 (just 3
| 17GB hard drives with some databases and files).
| I found a hardware problem (the server was kind of old and we cannot have
| the same parts to replace it)
| We are trying to move the Raid 5 to one of our 2003 servers.... everything
| looks ok! but when I click the import foreign disks option in the MMC it
| appears a window telling me that the data is incomplete.
| The 2003 server only have one basic partition (boot/System partition)
| I move all 3 HD at the same time (in accordance to Microsoft guidelines)
| Microsoft said that I will lose data if I click yes to import those foreign
| disks (multidisk)
| What can I do?
|

RAID performed by the OS or was it performed by a RAID controller ?

 

[Guest]

By Windows 2000 server! thanks

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Opo" <[email protected]>

| By Windows 2000 server! thanks
|

That could be your problem. It is best to use a hardware RAID controller. This is becuase
the controller hands off one large virtual drive to the OS and it can be ported from server
to server w/o problems.

You *may* have to recreate the RAID array and restore all data from a backup. I ran into
this situation when I updated a NT4 server to Win2003 Server. The OS created RAID had to be
re-created from scratch and data restored while the RAID array performed with a RAID
controller had NO problem when the server was upgraded. This has taught be the klesson to
*never* use the OS created RAID and only use RAID controllers in the future. It took me all
weekend to restore the data from AIT2 tapes.

 

[Guest]

Thanks David, you are absolutely right about the OS Raid. But in the mean
time I fixed the problem doing the following:

a- If you got the imcomplete data message but you got all your group disks
Microsoft says that there is a 99.9% chance to regenerate the Dynamic disks
(They said, "that message is generic").
b- just to be sure yse the following command to backup your hard disk table:
First:
* download the dmpss.exe tool.
* Dmpss dumpconfig <source disk no> <target file>
Eg: Dmpssdumpconfig 1 c: \ldmdb.dsk
Second:
* Do the steps to import foreing disk, be sure that you have all disks that
contain the raid.
* the raid 5 is going to regenate the data, if you only see the regenerating
data and not the percentage (%) next to the message, don't worry it's doing
it. (but wait at least 1 hour and check the drive after the hour to see if
you got your files)
* if the previous thing happens, you can restart the computer and he will do
the regenaration again, but this time i will show you the % and then later
the Healthy Status.

I works for me!! (after 14 hours of research)

Opo Herrera
MCP, MCDST, MCSA, MCT