>>>>>I have a Slackware 10.2 system (but this question really apples to any
>>>>>distribution).
>>>>>I picked up a used 3ware 7500-4LP RAID card and would like to use it
>>>>>with my current LINUX system which is currently configured on a 30GB
>>>>>drive.
>>>>>What is the proper way to migrate the system?
>>>>The easiest is to buy two identical disks for your RAID-1 array, create
>>>>the array using 3ware's configuration methods, and then copy your
>>>>existing stuff over to the array using 'cp -a' or 'tar' or 'rsync' or
>>>>whatever method you prefer. Then edit /etc/lilo.conf (or grub's
>>>>configuration file, if that's what you use) to point to the array and
>>>>re-run LILO. Shutdown, remove the old hard drive, and then boot from
>>>>the new array.
>>>Have you ever actually tried that? You do NOT use the file system to
>>>mirror a drive!
>>I didn't say to use the filesystem to mirror it. I said to "create the
>>array" and "then copy your existing stuff over" (instead of having to
>>re-install everything).
> 'cp -a', 'tar', 'rsync' all use the file system. They will all create
> nonidentical mirrors which will be destroyed the first time the
> raid s/w or h/w writes the same sectors from the nonidentical first
> drive.
Once again: I have suggested the OP create the array on two new disks
using the array manufacturers utilities and copy his existing stuff to
the *array* (not to one of the array component drives, but to the mirror
set), treating the (whole) array as any other hard drive.
Let's put it this way: his existing hard drive should be /dev/hda. He
would create an array using 3ware's configuration utilities that will
then be seen as /dev/sda. The individual component disks will *not* be
accesible behind a 3ware controller, /dev/sda is the pair of mirrored
disks in the RAID-1 array. I have simply suggested that he can copy
(partition by partition, filesystem by filesystem) the contents of
/dev/hda to /dev/sda where the 3ware controller will handle the
mirroring to the two component disks of the array at /dev/sda. After
that's done, I've told him to *remove the old hard drive* since it won't
be part of the array.
I don't understand where you get the impression that I'm saying that cp,
tar, or rsync will create the mirror. I have simply said they are the
way to copy an exsting drive to a RAID array. How would *you* propose
he copy his existing data and configuration files to the RAID array,
given the OP said he wants to avoid having to do a fresh install? The
*only* way is to copy filesystems from the old hard drive to the RAID set.
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