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LAN Party Forums => Support Group => Started by: Broken on November 26, 2010, 06:41:30 PM

Title: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on November 26, 2010, 06:41:30 PM
I am getting ready to swap everything over from my current OS drives to a new SSD. I wanted to check with you guys to see which program you would recommend for doing this with the windows 7 OS. I have never done it before and wanted to get some feedback on a good utility to use.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: zx2slow on November 26, 2010, 06:57:31 PM
Acronis is awesome, still haven found anything if you are using RAID.  I would take this opportunity to do a fresh install.

Grab the trial version:
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/index.html (http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/index.html)
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on November 26, 2010, 07:06:22 PM
I am currently running a raid 0

o.O
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: zx2slow on November 26, 2010, 07:18:22 PM
The restore disk boots a mini OS just for loading the image, the problem is that the mini OS rarely has the drivers for RAID controllers.

I dunno if it has the option to clone your root/OS drive while booted from it.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: _!Rathe!_ on November 28, 2010, 01:24:48 PM
When I need to clone a disk I usually run an Ubuntu Live CD and download a linux program to do the cloning.  That should solve the RAID problem as well.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: The Shoctor on November 29, 2010, 06:20:51 AM
...and download a linux program to do the cloning.
+5 informative
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: sully! on November 29, 2010, 08:26:28 AM
...and download a linux program to do the cloning.

+5 informative

QQFT LOL

Clonezilla perhaps? I can't remember if GParted does any cloning of drives or if it just does partitioning. But as Zx2Slow already mentioned, Acronis TrueImage works well and does in fact support your RAID setup. http://kb.acronis.com/content/11681 (http://kb.acronis.com/content/11681)
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Five Aces on November 29, 2010, 01:40:06 PM
Just ran into a project where Acronis didn't have the drivers to 'see' the raid*.  But it can't hurt to boot to the disk and see




*From Acronis Bootable Media most of the RAID controllers are supported.

Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on November 29, 2010, 01:43:32 PM
was it a panty raid or a raid 0?
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Five Aces on November 29, 2010, 01:47:49 PM
raid 5 on a Win server 08 with a version of Arconis Pro.  But I have had other good experiences with it.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: zx2slow on November 29, 2010, 05:49:45 PM
The link sully posted indicated that a hardware RAID controller was supported, this is dealing with onboard SW RAID.  It depends on the RAID chip set, everything will work with true hardware RAID as the controller will mask anything on the disk back end and present a virtual "drive" to the host.

I haven't found anything that will support the ICH10R controller yet, every writeup I see on any Linux distro the neckbeards refer to software RAID as "fake raid'.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: sully! on November 30, 2010, 11:12:37 AM
No one said anything about software vs. hardware RAID. Judging from what I know of BrokenShadow and his hardware lust, he is running a hardware RAID, amirite?
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on November 30, 2010, 12:21:48 PM
ran outa space... yes, in a Cosmos S, I ran out of space o.O
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: The Shoctor on November 30, 2010, 02:18:02 PM
ran outa space... yes, in a Cosmos S, I ran out of space o.O

You don't need to save the pr0n... Just stream it.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: zx2slow on November 30, 2010, 02:53:24 PM
If you are using the onboard RAID controller then it is not true hardware RAID, anything you need drivers to use isn't true hardware RAID.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on November 30, 2010, 09:17:31 PM
i never bothered putting a raid controller in. Very little space between my bottom vid card the open pcie slots and the power supply.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Five Aces on December 01, 2010, 12:40:59 PM
If you are using the onboard RAID controller then it is not true hardware RAID, anything you need drivers to use isn't true hardware RAID.


(http://abudira.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/ill_semantics_tom.jpg?w=290&h=290)

I see the Raid half full, if the OS isn't doing it then it ain't a true software RAID.

WHAT WHAT?
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: zx2slow on December 01, 2010, 01:24:00 PM
Sorry, I will try to be more clear.

True hardware RAID will calculate RAID parity on board the controller.  SW RAID requires that the host's CPU does the RAID parity/striping calculation, either completely (ZFS, MDADM, Windows disk Spanning) or by emulating the operation of a true hardware RAID controller (Intel ICH#R, nForce on board RAID controller, Silicon Image SIL chip sets, etc).

I hate the neckbeard term 'Fake RAID" as the results are still quite real, you just need drivers/software to complete the solution.  Many OS's and miniroot environments have some drivers built in but not all and finding one with ICH10R Raid controller drivers built in is what Broken and myself need to backup and restore to a RAID boot drive.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on December 01, 2010, 05:56:18 PM
Indeed. Remember ZX is the good twin. I am what happens when your mom does the devil.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: zx2slow on December 02, 2010, 07:18:03 PM
(http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/04/09/twins.jpg)
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on December 03, 2010, 09:02:16 PM
any recommendations on a raid controller?

Internal SATA connectors (at least 2 or 4)
PCIExpress

Something that is not a full width card in the slot due to liquid cooling connections.
Title: Re: Drive cloning software
Post by: Broken on December 05, 2010, 03:31:07 PM
Ended up just swapping out my raptors from the raid zero and setting up a new one using the onboard and software.

I backed up my OS with Acronis, did a fresh install if W7U and then used acronis to restore the drive. Everything seems to be gtg so far.

Thanks for the suggestion of Acronis ZX, and thanks to everyone else for their feedback. It all helped with the process.