Preinstall Drivers For Smooth Image Copies?

[orty]

OK, here's what I'm trying to pull off. I have an older Compaq Proliant 800 server that is running Windows 2000. I've got a server with much better and faster hardware waiting to take over the operations of this machine. Since I'd really like to avoid doing a full reinstall and setup (as the server's running Citrix Metaframe with a pile of tweaks), I'd just like to copy the data between the systems, moving hard drives around.

Here's how I'd like to attack it:
-Install the new hard drives and RAID controller into the older Compaq server, image the old drive on to the new ones.
-Install the new hard drives and RAID controller in to the new system, boot, rock, and roll.

But I know it isn't going to be that simple 🙂 I know when I've tried this in the past that major hardware changes will cause an OS to not boot properly (I'm running Windows 2000 Server).

Is there a way to pre-install drivers on a system so the thing will boot off the new hardware without too much trouble? I'm just trying to avoid reinstalling the OS and such from scratch, as, thanks to a predecessor here, the config is really funky.

On a related note, I'm using Ghost 2003 for imaging, but I've heard that it sometimes doesn't work well with RAID arrays (they're both simple RAID 1). Has anybody had any trouble with it?

Thanks!
-Jake

 

[orty]

Is there no way to do this? Anybody?

 

[mikecel79]

Ghost won't support RAIDed volumes. I can almost gaurantee it won't work with RAID volumes on a Compaq/HP SmartArray controller.

You can try this but I don't know if it will work. First you would need to sysprep your image and specify, at the minimum, the new mass-storage drives in the sysprep.inf file. Then you would shut the machine down, move the drives to the new array controller. Pop it into the new machine and boot it up. This all depends that the new RAID controller can read the config from the old drives. If your moving between to SmartArray controller it should work.

While in theory this may work I would want to do it on a test system first before doing it to a live system. I've done this with workstations before but never with a server. Pretty much as long as sysprep can find the new mass-storage drivers you should not see any BSODs on bootup. Also I don't know how Citrix will respond to this. I can bet that this is not a support operation by Microsoft or Citrix.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: mikecel79
Ghost won't support RAIDed volumes. I can almost gaurantee it won't work with RAID volumes on a Compaq/HP SmartArray controller.

If they have BIOS-level support it works just fine. The SA controller will present the RAIDed volumes as a single, simple volume to DOS/Ghost, and Ghost will go on its' merry way ghosting the single presented volume. No problem here.

Originally posted by: mikecel79You can try this but I don't know if it will work. First you would need to sysprep your image and specify, at the minimum, the new mass-storage drives in the sysprep.inf file.

Sounds like a lot of work. Why not just pre-install the Compaq SA drivers in the initial image, confirm the device is set to START=0 (boot), then ghost it?

[/quote]Then you would shut the machine down, move the drives to the new array controller. Pop it into the new machine and boot it up. This all depends that the new RAID controller can read the config from the old drives. If your moving between to SmartArray controller it should work.

While in theory this may work I would want to do it on a test system first before doing it to a live system. I've done this with workstations before but never with a server. Pretty much as long as sysprep can find the new mass-storage drivers you should not see any BSODs on bootup. Also I don't know how Citrix will respond to this. I can bet that this is not a support operation by Microsoft or Citrix.[/quote]

Citrix gets nasty when you sysprep it sometimes - something about that N: drive. Anyway, give it a shot.

 

[orty]

I've never had a problem with Ghosting RAIDed drives if they're good RAID controllers -- meaning they report a single volume to Ghost.

Unfortunately, the server I'm moving to doesn't have a Compaq Smart Array -- it has a high-end Promise SATA RAID card. Ideally, I would've just used another SA controller and SCSI drives. I'm using more off the shelf parts on this server because I live/work in the middle of rural central oregon, and since the boss doesn't want to invest in industrial-grade stuff and have spare parts in the supply closet (his choice, not mine, and since he pays my paycheck, I'm done arguing with them) I built it with parts that I can easily replace with parts I can get from dealers locally so if something were to blow up, I could have a part replaced in an house versus overnight (if I was lucky).

Thanks for your suggestions, and it has given me a few ideas to attempt this. Anybody else tried this?

-Jake

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: orty
I've never had a problem with Ghosting RAIDed drives if they're good RAID controllers -- meaning they report a single volume to Ghost.

Unfortunately, the server I'm moving to doesn't have a Compaq Smart Array -- it has a high-end Promise SATA RAID card.

Then it isn't a server. 🙂

Anyway, SCSI favoritism aside, that doesn't change anything. Put the SATA RAID card into the Compaq box, use Promise's BIOS utils to make a RAIDed volume, and then ghost from the SCSI RAID volume to the Promise RAID volume. The only issue is Stop 7Bs at bootup on the Promise card on the new 'server' - work around that by preinstalling the Promise card on the Compaq server (ie plug it in, install the drivers, etc. while running on the Compaq box. You're all set.

Ideally, I would've just used another SA controller and SCSI drives. I'm using more off the shelf parts on this server because I live/work in the middle of rural central oregon, and since the boss doesn't want to invest in industrial-grade stuff and have spare parts in the supply closet (his choice, not mine, and since he pays my paycheck, I'm done arguing with them) I built it with parts that I can easily replace with parts I can get from dealers locally so if something were to blow up, I could have a part replaced in an house versus overnight (if I was lucky).
Thanks for your suggestions, and it has given me a few ideas to attempt this. Anybody else tried this?
-Jake

I still don't see the problem. Make a RAID volume set with the Promise card, ghost to that, and bingo, you're all set. Was there another qualification or requirement that I've missed?

 

[orty]

Then it isn't a server. 🙂

Trust me, if I could've had it my way, and parts were easily available locally in case something blew up, I'd be running SCSI 🙂

I still don't see the problem. Make a RAID volume set with the Promise card, ghost to that, and bingo, you're all set. Was there another qualification or requirement that I've missed?

Nope, that should probably do it 🙂

Thanks!