Clone with Backup Exec System Recovery Server Edition

[alexveres]

I'm having problems after cloning the HD (RAID5) on server 2003:
after cloning, shutting down, unplugging the old HD, restarting the computer, and logging  on it cycles back to the log on screen right away .
i think it shows the window with "appling your settings...." for a fraction of a second before  it goes back to the log on screen.
any ideas?

[Chris_L1]

Could you please be more specific of what you are trying to achieve with BE System Recovery? From what you post, I can assume that you are just upgrading RAID 5 massif with new HDD and removing old one (bare in mind that RAID 5 needs to have at a minimum 3 hardrives, so if you decrease the number of your HDD you'll lost all info). Where BESR take place in your scenario? 

[alexveres]

This is exactly what I'm doing: upgrading the raid5.
the old raid was using ata , and the new one is sata, this is the only way it worked:
1. cloned ata RAID5 on 1 HD
2. removed raid card
3. installed new raid card
4. formated (build) the new RAID5 (about 50 hours)
5. cloned HD to new RAID5
 I did all this using BESR - copy disk function, it worked from the old raid to the HD, and it seems that it worked from the HD to the new RAID5, but does not let me log on, it keeps cycling back to log on right after logging in

[Chris_L1]

OK, that sounds more clear. But before restoring on to your new RAID 5 array, you need to add drivers to your image, so when you start up your system you'll have all drivers for the new RAID controller. Otherwise you'll get a BSOD or some anomalies while starting up your system (in your case - you cannot boot up completely). So here what you need to do before restoring on your new RAID array:

1. Load your image in to BESR System Recovery Disc
2. Load all hardware drivers that you may have for your RAID controller (they must me in .inf format).
3. Start restoring your image file.

That must help you, but if you get stuck, you can always call Symantec Support, they are very helpful.

[Andreas_Horlach]

Chris is correct - you do need the correct drivers or you will experience oddities. You are changing RAID controllers, and this is considered a major hardware change. Create an image file of the original system to another location. Then use the Symantec Restore Disk to restore that image file into the new RAID container you have set up. During the restore, choose the RESTORE ANYWHERE option, which will force BESR to make changes to the image when it is laid down so that it detects the new RAID controller, volume identifiers, SN#'s, etc. The DRIVE COPY feature does not have the ability to do this.

[alexveres]

of course i did that , otherwise i couldn't copy in thewindows environment  to the raid.
and i tried all kind of copy options with and without the switches (copy mbr, make bootable, etc)

[marcogsp]

Did you use any of the hidden Restore AnyWare options?   (CTRL + Shift while slecting Restore AnyWare)  Your restore my benefit from the -DED option to delete existing drivers.  The -PFD option is a bit more radical in that it will prompt for all the mass storage drives needed.  The options are better detailed in the following technotes, as well as containing other useful info on troubleshooting Restore AnyWare.

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/293847.htm

http://seer.entsupport.symantec.com/docs/294524.htm

The worst case scenario is that the existing hal.dll is not compatible with the new RAID controller.  Before this product came out, I used to clone my production systems in the lab using Ghost.  True, this is not a recommended practice, but then again, I wasn't putting these systems into production.  Often times it was necessary to rename the original hal.dll and do an "Install in Place" of  Windows Server to get the systems to work properly.  If you haven't done so already, please try the -DED option first before resorting to the worst case scenario.

[alexveres]

No i didn't restore, i just did  disk copy

[Chris_L1]

You didn't restore? So why you are saying that you were restoring? I'm lost here...

[marcogsp · Accepted solution]

I re-read alexveres' first response to Chis_L's request for more info, and now I think I understand what is happening here.  I must ask alexveres, do you understand the difference between capturing a BESR image and cloning a hard drive?  The two processes are world apart different.  The copy drive function should only be used in situations like copying the data from a non RAID drive to a newer and larger non RAID drive.  I think the situation can be salvaged, but I'll first outline how I would have approached it.

1. Capture a BESR image to either a network location or external hard drive and verify the image with Recovery image browser
2. Remove the old RAID controller and install the new RAID controller.
3. Initialize the new RAID configuration.
4 Boot the server with the System Recovery Disk and restore the system from the image previously captured.  Would definitely use the Restore AnyWare option, as well as options to restore the drive signature and MBR.

Hopefully the single drive the original RAID 5 array was cloned to is still intact.  I'm also assuming that you are working with at least BESR 8.5.  Otherwise, you will need to do an "Install in place" of the OS to salvage this.  Assuming the conditions previously outlined

1. Mount the single hard drive that contains the cloned data back into the server.
2' Boot the server with the version 8.5 SRD
3. Capture a BESR image of the single hard drive that contains the cloned data to a network location or another external drive.  If this drive contains multiple partitions, an image of each partition will have to be captured.
4. While still in the SRD session, restore the image(s) previously captured to the new RAID five array. Would definitely use the Restore AnyWare option, as well as options to restore the drive signature and MBR.
5. Shut down the server, remove the single drive and reboot.

I can't guarantee this will work, but from my chair, it seems like the best approach to get this server working again.  The previous attempt to transfer the data was a very different departure from how this product is normally used.  Hopefully this is not a production server and was just a practice server in a lab setup.

Best of Luck.

[alexveres]

thank you, it worked with the image.
I was under the impression, that copy drive would be the choice, but restoring from image worked on the first atempt.

[marcogsp]

Thanks for letting us know that it worked.  This makes it easier for folks in a similar bind to find an applicaple solution