How to Migrate Your Unraid Server to New Hardware: Step-by-Step Guide with Minimal Downtime

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Step 1: Treat the New Server as a Hardware Upgrade

  1. Prepare the Drives

    • Think of this upgrade like replacing major components (CPU, motherboard, power supply, and case) while keeping your existing storage setup intact.
    • Take all drives (including cache and pool drives) from your current server and install them into the new hardware.

  2. Update and Backup Settings on Old Server

    • Update Plugins: Ensure that all plugins on the old server are up to date.
    • Disable Auto Start: Go to Unraid settings and turn off “Start Array Automatically,” as well as disable VM and Docker services. This helps prevent any unexpected operations on startup.

  3. Move the Licensed Flash Drive

    • Boot the new server using your current licensed USB flash drive.
    • Check that Unraid recognizes all drives and that everything appears normal.

  4. Start the Array

    • Start the array to verify that Unraid recognizes the drive configuration. If everything is correct, Unraid should automatically assign the drives as they were on the old server.
    • Start Docker to confirm that applications run as expected, as your appdata location remains unchanged.

  5. Test Stability and Replace Drives

    • Once you’ve verified that everything is stable, start upgrading drives as needed:
      • Replace the Parity Drive: Swap in a new parity drive and allow parity to rebuild.
      • Replace Data Drives: Swap out data drives one at a time, allowing each to rebuild before proceeding to the next.
    • You can then move data from the old drives to the new ones, depending on your configuration (Unraid Docs provides further details if needed).

Benefits:

  • Minimal Downtime: The array will remain accessible due to disk emulation during rebuilds.
  • Configuration Integrity: Unraid maintains your previous setup, minimizing potential errors in drive naming and configurations.
  • Data Backup: Original server drives remain intact and serve as a backup throughout the migration process.

Step 2: Create a Trial USB for the New Server

  1. Assemble New Server Hardware

    • Configure the new server hardware with the intended final setup, including all drives.

  2. Create a Trial USB

    • Prepare a trial USB for Unraid on the new server and configure the necessary settings.
    • Transfer Data:
      • Use one of the following methods to migrate data:
        • LAN Transfer: Transfer files directly over your network from the old server to the new.
        • Unassigned Devices Plugin: If preferred, install the Unassigned Devices plugin, pull drives from the old server, and use a USB enclosure or connect internally to the new server to move data.

  3. Optimize for Speed

    • Enable Turbo Write to speed up transfer times or defer parity drive setup until after data transfer completes for better performance.

  4. Finalize with the Licensed USB

    • After migration, transfer configuration files from the trial USB to your licensed flash drive.
    • Save the License Key: Back up the .key file from the old USB’s config folder before copying the new configuration over.
    • Copy the backed-up license file back to the licensed USB.

Benefits:

  • Zero Downtime: LAN transfer allows the old server to remain active throughout migration.
  • Less Data Sync Assurance: While fast, LAN transfer can result in some desync if files on the old server are modified during migration, increasing the risk of incomplete backups.

With these methods, you can smoothly transition your Unraid server to new hardware with minimal downtime and risk. Choose the one that best fits your needs for downtime tolerance, configuration control, and data consistency.