Best method to move data and database settings to new hardware?

[Terry Wilson]

I am currently running 9.10.2-U2 on a box with 6 drives (z2) per vdev (single vdev) in a single zpool. I have built a new "monster" of a machine with the zpool consisting of 6 drives per vdev, 4 vdevs in a single zpool that we use to backup multiple customers. The old server is still actively receiving data from customers (they FTP files up to this box) and I can't stop this process for more than an hour or so. Yes, I am sure people will offer advice on the single zpool, ZFS choice, vdev's etc.. and thats welcome but not what I am asking about....

In this case since I can't quiet the old server could I use something like snapshots to move data from one zpool to another knowing that have different pool names, sizes, vdev's , etc.. and after all this copies over, quite the old server and run one more manual snapshot, backup the old server then power it off. Next power up the new server, restore the snapshot, then restore the backup (I think its called the freenas database located under System/General?)

Ideally I will want to backup the old config (users, UPS settings, FTP info,RSYNC Modules, etc...) and restore to the new machine as well so I don't have to setup all the users again, as well as the other settings that have been created over time.

Thanks in advance.....

Terry

 

[vvuk]

I came here to ask almost exactly this. I read elsewhere that it's not possible to restore a saved FreeNAS 9 config in Corral -- the only thing that works right now is an online upgrade from 9 -> Corral. Can someone confirm this?

Edit: I found the answer in the FAQ (fancy that!). https://wiki.freenas.org/index.php/FAQs:FreeNAS_Corral -- you cannot restore a FreeNAS 9.10 config in Corral. Only an upgrade. So apparently the thing to do is do an online upgrade, save the config, then go back to 9.10 while you set up Corral (using the new backup) on another machine.

 

[dlavigne]

Confirmed. See FAQ #5: http://www.freenas.org/faq/.

 

[wblock]

The question is about 9.10, but was posted to the Corral forums. @Terry Wilson, please clarify which operating system is being used on the new server.

If it is 9.10, you are in luck. Snapshots can be replicated to different pools with different physical layouts. Please see http://doc.freenas.org/9.10/storage.html#replication-tasks.

 

[Terry Wilson]

Sorry, I see now in my haste I posted this in the wrong forum. Both OS will be the same 9.10 Can you move the post?