Newbie... Question about about RAID 1, ZFS and migrating data

[Monki77]

Sorry for what seems like a stupid question, but i just want to make sure.
A google says this is possible, but i wanted to double check in a bit more detail..

I have an R220 running Hyper V:
120GB SSD for the windows host OS running veeam for backups.
500GB SSD running the VM OS's
2x 8TB drives in RAID 1 (perc H310, no IT mode) holding the bulk of data for the VMs and general file sharing etc < This is the data I'm most concerned about.


I want to migrate to proxmox. Fortunately a I have a couple of other servers laying round (R210 ii and DL320e) to aid in migrating.
What i don't have is the space to do a simple copy of my data from 1 host to another.
I want to use the R220 for proxmox.
The R210 has a H200 which i've switched to IT mode (This will go in the R220 for proxmox). Currently it's just running a 500GB SSD for proxmox.... not really relevant.
DL320e is crap, but has 2TB of storage in RAID 0, which I will use to hold some additional data which i'm not too bothered about losing during migration.

What i was thinking of doing, for minimal downtime is -
Take out 1x 8TB from my R220 H310 RAID 1 - (Drive A)
Take the H310 and RAID 1 with it's 1x remaining drive out of the R220 (Drive B) and put it to one side.
Put the H200 and Drive A in the R210 and setup a zfs raid 1 (?) on Drive A
Put the H200 and newly formatted zfs Drive B in the R220.
Put the H310 and Drive B in to the R210 so the raid config and files are still accessible.
Transfer everything from R210 Drive B over network to R220 Drive A.
Take Drive B out of R210, put it in R220.
Wipe Drive B.
Set Drive B up as a 2nd drive to mirror Drive A (which now has all original data transferred)
I now have the R220 with H200 running zfs with 2 drive mirroring, with no data lost.



Am i correct in thinking this should work?
I do have onsite backups and off site backups of data that I care about, just in case, but I liked the idea of doing it this way instead.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pifouney]

raid controller: CAUTION, don't use ZFS filesystem.

Maybe would you like more clear ? you r hardwares switchs are totally ununderstandable without yours hardware in hands.

Think logical.
It's seem you've 3 hosts. 2 which you want to restall/reimplement with proxmox.
Another host, with 2 tb free.

How did you have stored data on your 8tb RAID1? If they're in VM disk, pray that each of Virtual disk take less than 2tb.


I personnaly hate ms hyperv. I ve smallty tried it, and he doesn't have 10% of Proxmox fonctionnality.

1 - So, you need to found the wayy to convert your virtual hyperv drives to compatible Vdrives for proxmox.
2 - If i was in your case, i wanna use the 2tb host as SMB or NFS (if host os compatible)

3- Install, on a free disk of your future proxmox host, proxmox VE.
4- In the storage view(on the Datacenter section), add your SMB/NFS share.

5- Beginn safely. Convert a OS file disk and don't delete the source.
Transfer the converted new vdisk to your newly created share.

6 - On proxmox, create a VM, with no disk. (or with a small disk that you gonna destroy just after created your VM)

7 - Check really good this proxmox documentation. The procedure is approximatly equal:
https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Migrate_to_Proxmox_VE#Automatic_Import_of_Full_VM
8 - Check manual procedure of importing vm disk like this:
https://adminscriptbank.wordpress.com/tag/qm-importdisk/

9 - If running well, and your new proxmox vm boot, you've won.
Do the same for all yours VM disks, tests each converted imported disk, then after checked, destroy source on HyperV serv.
10 - When you've done all of you migrating session, feel free to do that you want of yoours old hyperV.
11 - AFter ended your VE host configurations, adapt your stoge for being exactly that you want. Free the nfs /SMB storage, delete it. And add your 2 tb too (if you want) in your VE host.

 

[Monki77]

I thought ZFS would be ok to use if the perc had been flashed to IT mode?

Thanks - That would have been a good way of doing it, but my file server vhd was over 5TB! I did a test conversion of a smaller vhdx and it worked really well, but i just don't have the extra space to accommodate the transfers for the main file server vhd.

The 2TB DL320e has also crapped itself. The windows server i I had on there fails to boot, it does this every time I'd tried using it, clean install after clean install.... No idea why at this point, but i don't care.

I've backed everything up to ext HDDs and a NAS using veeam. It's not perfect, but the data is there and accessible.
It's not going to be straight forward, but at this point the data is safe, so i can have a go at trying what I mentioned without worrying too much.

 

[Pifouney]

nice, you gonna enderstand that i cannot have a logical solution for you except buy a disk for your procedure ^^

For your Perc, i really don't know, i've just precised because ZFS is really a future filesystem. Check the net about zfs and specifically your kind of PERC, i cannot check for U ^^
If not, DON'T play. You gonna loose many data by corruption FS

 

[Monki77]

I've gone for it... ZFS.

My old raid 1 disk is now available on my old Dell R210 via the H310. Boots the old OS and the single 8TB is still accessible.... Nothing lost so far. So that's 1 original disk of data and a backup sitting on a NAS, just in case... I'm happy i'm in a safe place for now.

R220 is now running H200 (IT mode) with ZFS.... We'll see what happens when i start restoring data. I might leave it running a week before i move the 8TB in to join the ZFS.... just in case.