New SageTV WHS Server Hard Disk choices

[TorontoSage]

I am just about to order the parts for my first SageTV WHS server. I'd like some advice about the hard disks. I've tried to educate myself about WHS, but am not entirely sure I understand how to configure it given the hard drives I have. As much as I've read, I still find it all confusing.

I plan on using a number of 1 TB (or 1.5 or 2) hard drives for storage of recordings. Currently I also have a 120GB 5.25" and a 160GB 3.5" which I plan to put in the system. And I am initially buying a new 1TB hard drive. I also have a Apricorn 1TB DVR Xpander that I am currently using with my SA8300HD which happens to have a Caviar Green 1TB inside of it. I plan on taking this drive out of it and using it the WHS Server also, but cannot initially as I need to record some programs off it onto the new 1TB before I erase it.

My questions is as follows: I think this is the case, but would like confirmation that either of the 120GB and 160GB hard drives can be used to hold the OS (the specs say that WHS only needs 20GB, but everyone on here seems to be using much larger disks to hold the OS). If so, should I use one for the OS and one for the OS backup? Is there an advantage to having the OS on a separate disk performance wise or is it mainly so that in case the drive fails all you have to replace is a disk with the OS on it and not recordings. Or should I use one for the OS and relegate the other to a share on the server which I can use to record programs or keep it for my photo storage and in that case backup the OS onto one of the shares. I definitely want a way to restore the system quickly if something should happen to the OS so I was thinking that it was best to have a separate backup disk for the OS but maybe this isn't the case.

Also, can recordings be put on the same disk as the OS or is one supposed to only have the OS on it?

So if anyone can help me with my initial configuration that would be great.

[davefred99]

Toronto Sage,

I recently migrated my SageTv form Xp to WHS and here is how I did it. You will probably here others like SME chime in too.
First I used a 120 gig drive as my main os/system drive. I performed the normal WHS OS install and let it just do its thing and it partitioned the drive into a C: 20gig partition and the remaining to a D: drive. Some will tell you that it might be a good time to expand the Cartition to something bigger than 20Gigs but I find that to be unnecessary a for me, after all I am only installing the OS and its drivers plus the Sage WHS on there anyways so 20 gigs is plenty. Once the install was completed I then installed another 250gig drive as a non pooled drive for now. Then I copied all files and folders including the hidden ones off of the D: drive to a temp folder on the non pooled drive. Then I quick reformatted the D: partition to 64k clusters. Once that was done I copied all the folders back to the D: partition that I had transferred to the non pooled Temp folder. This is a destructive method of doing this and if you can find a free conversion program for formatting to 64k clusters it would be better but it worked for me. After doing that I then reformatted the non pooled drive to 64 k clusters also and the added another and so on.

Some things that I might do different in retrospect are 1 I don't see much sense in formatting the original D: partition on the system drive to 64k because that space is not used anymore for data unless you run out of space on the pooled drives and or unless you only have 2 drives in the system and use folder duplication. If you have 3 or more drives in your system I have not seen any recordings placed on the system disk at all. I also see little sense in using a bigger system drive than is necessary to make it work and would install my biggest drives as pooled space. This used to be different for the earlier versions of WHS because they used to put the files on the System/D: as a landing zone and then move them later to the pooled drives.

I am not saying that my way of doing things is the best just that it has worked out so far for me and thought I would share my experience. Over all I am becoming a big fan of WHS/Sagetv combo and would recommend it.
Dave F.

[sic0048]

There are several good WHS threads on the forum. You might want to take a look at a few of them.

Tutorial: SageTV on WHS with 64K clusters in the drive pool...

Drive Balancing Tool for WHS

[TorontoSage]

Originally Posted by sic0048

There are several good WHS threads on the forum. You might want to take a look at a few of them.

Tutorial: SageTV on WHS with 64K clusters in the drive pool...

Drive Balancing Tool for WHS

Thanks. I did take a look at them. But that still resulted in me needing to post my initial questions. I always google a lot and do searches on here and read threads before I post questions so as not to waste anyone's time answering questions if it is unnecessary. But, after all that I still couldn't answer the questions. Sorry!

[TorontoSage]

Thanks for that useful information. But, if the OS is only 20GB and it goes on C, then what files and folders are going on D? I thought the whole OS goes on C. What am I missing?

Also, why not just format C and D into 64K clusters in rhe first place rather than doing it after? Also, do you back up your OS somewhere?

Originally Posted by davefred99

You will probably here others like SME chime in too.

[davefred99]

Originally Posted by TorontoSage

Thanks for that useful information. But, if the OS is only 20GB and it goes on C, then what files and folders are going on D? I thought the whole OS goes on C. What am I missing?

Also, why not just format C and D into 64K clusters in rhe first place rather than doing it after? Also, do you back up your OS somewhere?



Hopefully, but SME won't as he blocked me unfortunately just because I proved him wrong about something. So much for free exchange of ideas...

With WHS, The main system drive automatically gets formatted upon installation into 2 partitions. The C: partition (20g) is for the operating system and assorted windows files and folders that are required for the base operating system. Sage will also get installed there and any drivers that are required. The D: partition is for all the Data files folders and tombstones. All additional pooled drives are extensions of the D: partition and appear as one but are really separate. When you tranfer/laod files to the D: partition the actual files end up on the pooled drives and the only data on the system portion or original D: partion is tombsones or pointers to the actual files on the pooled drives. This assuming you have more than just one pooled drive. If you only have one pooled drive and you use file duplication then the space on the original/sytem D: will be used for that purpose.
As to 64k clusters for the C: partition its just plain a waist in my opinion since it is only used for operating system files and not large video files. The Sytem/D; partion my benifit from 64k clusters if your other drives becoame to full or you use file duplication on a 2 drive setup.
Hope that helps.
Dave

[TorontoSage]

Thanks. That is very clear now.

So, both WHS and SageTV will fit on the 20GB partition? The specs say you need 20GB for WHS alone.

Also, how are you backing up WHS or are you not? Or does one only need to back up the files that WHS puts on D?

[davefred99]

Originally Posted by TorontoSage

Thanks. That is very clear now.

So, both WHS and SageTV will fit on the 20GB partition? The specs say you need 20GB for WHS alone.

Also, how are you backing up WHS or are you not? Or does one only need to back up the files that WHS puts on D?

Yes Sage and WHS will fit no problem on the C: partition with plenty to spare.

I currently do not back up the C: partition. I do back up the Sage directory on the c: partition but I do it manually about once a week. I don't think that backing up the C: partition is of much good anyways because you almost always would have to do a re-install to get it back up anyways and the pooled data is preserved as long as you do a reinstall and not a full new install.

[TorontoSage]

I thought I read something about a someone on here who had their OS drive hot swappable in case it went down. I thought that meant you could just install a new disk with an OS already on it and be up and running right away.

[davefred99]

Originally Posted by TorontoSage

I thought I read something about a someone on here who had their OS drive hot swappable in case it went down. I thought that meant you could just install a new disk with an OS already on it and be up and running right away.

I cant answer that, Maybe you could use some mirroring so that the C: drive could be swapped as long as all the files are exactly the same.
I will l leave that to some smarter than me,I know I have read that simply backing up the C: drive was not good enough.
Dave

[TorontoSage]

Thanks. I just did some searching and found out that it was peter_h who has an OS on a hot-swappable drive just in case his OS dies (but am not sure if he uses WHS). I just posted a message on the thread where he mentioned it so we'll see how he does it.

[Peter_h]

Originally Posted by TorontoSage

Thanks. That is very clear now.

So, both WHS and SageTV will fit on the 20GB partition? The specs say you need 20GB for WHS alone.

Also, how are you backing up WHS or are you not? Or does one only need to back up the files that WHS puts on D?

WHS creates a primary C: Partition to install the OS that is 20gb. However, the install is not 20 gb. There is still room for other programs but not much.

WHS is designed to be headless so you shouldn't be installing too much on it anyway.

Like I mentioned in the other post, you should really take a look at the microsoft white papers on the drive extender technology. You might also want to download the trial of WHS before you dive into this.

It is a very different animal than other OS's that you might be used to.