MOVING A RAID5 FROM 2000 TO 2003 (new Computer)

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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?
 
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 ?
 
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.
 
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
 
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