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SoftRAID Volumes
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Topic starter
Hi Everyone,
I am deploying SoftRAID for a client alongside a hard drive upgrade and I need some advice as to what the proper steps are. Any advice would be extremely grateful.
We have a Mac Mini server that currently has a 1TB drive and we are wanting to upgrade it to a new 1TB SSD that we purchased. We also have a spare Mac Mini that we want to make a warm spare via Thunderbolt by using SoftRAID. The old 1TB platter drive that is in the Mac Mini Server will be moved to the old Mac Mini for the warm spare.
Ideally I was planning on converting current volumes to SoftRAID volumes, but it looks like that feature is not available anymore on Yosemite/El Cap, so everything must be done from scratch.
With that said, below are the major steps I am envisioning in my mind:
1. Clone current hard drive data to the new 1TB SSD
2. Install cloned SSD into current Mac Mini Server
3. Take old 1TB platter drive from current Mac Mini and install it in the old Mac Mini
4. Old Mac Mini will operate in Target Disk Mode via Thunderbolt, connected to the current Mac Mini. Both new and old Mac Mini will operate in SoftRAID via RAID1. In the event the main/new Mac Mini bites the dust, we can flip on the old Mac Mini and be up and running with a few minor tweaks.
Since conversion of existing drives isn't available in Yosemite/El Cap, what is the order of process with respect to SoftRAID that I can accomplish this. I believe I have all the tools I need, including additional spare drives to clone to and from and USB>SATA adapters for quick access to bare drives.
Posted : 22/01/2016 5:03 pm
Simplest way is this:
backup the Mini Server using CCC, SuperDuper, Chronosync or Disk Utility image.
Swap out the disks as planned
Initialize both disks with SoftRAID and create a mirror volume.
restore the backup image
Run SoftRAID and "rebuild boot cache" on your new volume.
Set startup and restart.
Note: you can also add a third secondary disk. Keep it off site and sync it up weekly/monthly for an off site archive.
Posted : 22/01/2016 5:11 pm
Topic starter
Thanks for the quick reply, that is very helpful.
Just to clarify, after I've backed up with CCC, I will need to initialize and create the mirror volumes from a separate computer with SoftRAID? Once data is restored back to the main machine, which also has SoftRAID installed, will it pick up the RAID tasks and alleviate my personal machine from SoftRAID duties?
Posted : 22/01/2016 5:29 pm
Just need a separate boot volume, not a separate computer.
You can move SoftRAID disks around with no problem. They are never tied to any specific machine.
Posted : 22/01/2016 5:52 pm
