Keep Pool: Reinstall whs 2011 CAN I ??

kcjack

My SQL database is jacked and I need to reinstall. All of my server folders are in the pool except for client computer backups that are on a seperate non-pooled hard drive and of course the operating sys is on a seperate C: backed up drive.  Running  M4 5805.

Can I do this or am I out of luck?

dvdluvver

I know this can be done easily, as I recall reading it in the forums somewhere.   Could someone post here a bit of a step by step as to how to reincorporate the pooled folders into a new install (including the "prefab" folders such as Videos, Pictures, etc).   I'm about ready to reinstall WHS on an SSD, but I don't want to until I know exactly how to do this (I've got over 7TB of data - duplicated!).

Thanks!

(sorry to post with a "me too"!)  

Shane

DrivePool can automatically detect an existing pool. My routine for a fresh WHS+DP install is to:

* only have the system disk plugged in

* begin WHS install

* on first reboot, power down, add the other disks, power up

   (with client backup disk connected such that no extra drivers required)

* finish WHS install

* install all hardware drivers then manually activate WHS if needed

* open Windows Update, force check for updates, install, reboot if asked

* repeat above step until no updates remain

* install DrivePool

* reboot, let DrivePool find everything (including moved default folders!)

* install the rest of my software

kcjack

Shane,

Thanks for the enlightened feedback. I know you are not part of Stablebit and are just helping out. I will start this today. 

KCJACK  

:-D

dvdluvver

Thanks, Shane!  

I was most worried about the "default" folders, so I'm so happy to see that this all just works.

I'll be doing this as my 64GB SSD arrives today!

R

DrTone

Thanks, Shane!  

I was most worried about the "default" folders, so I'm so happy to see that this all just works.

I'll be doing this as my 64GB SSD arrives today!

R

64GB doesn't meet the minimum size requirements for WHS.

daveyboy37

Thanks, Shane!  

I was most worried about the "default" folders, so I'm so happy to see that this all just works.

I'll be doing this as my 64GB SSD arrives today!

R

64GB doesn't meet the minimum size requirements for WHS.

Im guessing he will use the workaround :-)

dvdluvver

Yes, I use the workaround.   :-)     Makes no sense to me to require a 120 (or is it 160?) drive, only to chop off all but 60GB for really no use (I don't want data on the same physical drive as my OS).   So, I trick WHS into letting me do it my way!

kcjack

So here is the followup to my original post on this thread. I found out my motherboard had died after a year 1 1/2 years. I had to replace the MB and processor as the socket type 1156 is now hard to find. I replaced with an ASUS P8Z68-V Pro GEN3 MB and i3 2100 processor 1155 socket. (It was no fun getting ASUS MB to play nice with WHS 2011.)

Tasks completed so far:

* WHS 2011 installed

* all disks connected and running as Specified

* all hardware and drivers installed and running

* All updates for whs 2011 complete

* WHS 2011 activated

Now I am scared to install Drivepool. My boot drive is a 320k drive and prior to the failure I had deleted the volume not used on this drive and increased boot drive for WHS from 60K to 320K. System had tagged this volume drive prior to deletion and Drivepool had reused this letter for the pooled drive letter after I installed Drivepool originally.

Should I delete this volume again and extend my boot drive to 320k or will this mess up my existing pool when I go to load Drivepool again.

Any comments are welcome even if it is (Are you Crazy???)  (THANKS for the original help Shane!!!)

KCJACK

Shane

(I'm guessing you mean G's rather than k's)

Long story short, while WHS itself may break if you mess with the drive letters, a new DrivePool installation does not care what the drive letters were on an old DrivePool installation, it just needs the PoolPart folders intact.

P.S. Just curious, any particular reason you want to kick off the system disk?

kcjack

Just seems like wasted space. I did not want to add any data to the boot drive, so I made the c: boot partition bigger. The size of the boot drive 320G.

I did mean G not K.

When You say PoolPart folders intact, what do you mean? Do nothing to the pooled drives except to install drivepool or do I need to do something with the the shared folders prior to reinstalling drivepool on the pooled drives. As you can tell I'm a little lost.

Shane

When DrivePool is installed, it checks to see if there are any PoolPart folders already on your attached disks from a past installation of DrivePool. If there are, it adds them to the pool and sets up their sharing automatically, although it may ask you to verify their health.

So by intact, I just mean that you haven't deleted them or mucked around with the permissions on them or stuff like that.

kcjack

Thanks for all the help Shane. This software DE is excellent. I will install.

kcjack

I have installed again and now drivepool is on my dashboard. Installed 5870. 

My shared folders are not in the pool so I can see no data from my previous pool. If I select to add them to the pool, drivepool tells me the folder already exists. Should I use the whs 2011 move function instead or if I wait will drivepool discover the folders from the previous pool? Not only do I have the default shares but more that I had created. 

Any Help available?

KCJACK

Shane

Hrm. Your old pool folders should have shown up. I'm presuming you've rebooted the server when drivepool finished installing?

kcjack

Yes, 

Rebooted and again for good measure when I did not see folders. All other pool info is there. disks, space used, space duplicated, space left in pool, pool condition, same overall pool sizes from before MB crash.. Under folders it says no folders on the pool. 

Shane

Ok, sounds like something has not gone to plan. Could you contact Alex via http://stablebit.com/Contact and let him know, he can tell you what logs he'll need or it might be possible to set up a remote session to take a look.

kcjack

Thanks will do.