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Changing SATA Controller the right way?


MrGlasspoole

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Hi,

 

after 2-3 years DriveBender i'm now testing DrivePool. I didn't had real problems with DriveBender until i did build my new server two weeks ago.

The file structure/management looks/is much simpler in DrivePool if you move HDDs around.

After reading around i saw you just need to move the files in the hidden folder that DrivePool creates and that worked.

 

Today i got a 8-Port SATA Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 card and want to replace my old 4-Port Promise FastTrak card.

So before something goes wrong i ask what the proper procedure is.

 

1. Install the Supermicro card

2. Remove the HDDs from the pool

3. Connect the HDDs from the Promise to the Supermicro

4. Add the HDDs to the pool again

 

is there more to do? Or is there no need to remove the HDDs from the pool and just connect them to another SATA port?

 

Another question is: can i rename the drives without problems in Windows Disk Management and what about changing drive letters?

 

 

 

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Yeah, seeding a new pool is dead simple. There are some other bits to make sure everything works fine and doesn't run into issues.

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q4142489

 

 

As for moving the disks to the new controllyer... it depends on the controllers in question.

If you pass through the disks, it should allow you to access the contents of the disks without messing around with stuff. 
However, it's worth testing with a single, unimportant disk first, as some RAID controller cards are .... finicky about that.

 

If the drives and their contents are seen just fine, then you shouldn't need to move data around.

 

In fact, we do have a user made guide on how to migrate from DriveBender to Stablebit DrivePool:

http://community.covecube.com/index.php?/topic/511-migrate-from-drive-bender-to-drive-pool/

It is worth checking out. This would mean, you'd just have to uninstall Drive Bender, and then install StableBit Drivepool.

 

 

As for the drives... we allow a LOT of control over them. You can change the drive letters, mount to a folder path, or completely remove any mount points. 

Specifically, the virtual drive for the pool uses the "Volume ID" for the disks, which means they're always accessible, no matter what you do to them.

 

Mounting disks to folder paths:

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q4822624

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Ok, i'm a little bit lost about the removing procedure.

I thought i can just remove a drive from the pool and the data is not touched - for example if i just want to connect the HDD to another computer.

 

But there is:

1. Force damaged...

2. Duplicate files later...

 

The documentation is not really clear.

Oh and i don't use any kind of folder/file duplication...

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No, removing a disk removes the data from it, and puts it onto other disks in the pool. 

This is by design, as the assumption is that you want to keep all the data in the pool still.

 

However, the Duplicate files later skips removing the duplicated files and removes the disk. Once it's removed, it will run a duplication pass and re-duplicate files as necessary.

 

 

However, if you want to move the disks (and Pool) to another system, you don't need to remove the disks from the pool. If you have StableBit DrivePool installed on the other system, it will recognize the pooled disks and immediately recreate the pool.

 

 

Aside from that, you can manually remove the contents of the hidden "PoolPart.xxxx" folder to the root of the drive, and then remove the "empty" disk from the pool. 

However, if you've been using the pool for a while, then only some of the contents may be on a single specific disk.

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