Can I Swap a RAID5 Array from Gen8 to Gen9 Server

[scorzon]

Hi Folks, we have an old-ish Gen8 DL380 with a 3 disk RAID5 array. This hosts an ESXi OS and a handful of VMs.

The server has died, it is stuck in a circular initial POST cycle, gets to 100% and then reboots, no obvious errors (according to the engineers on site currently extracting it back to base). It may have been subject to higher than good for it ambient temperatures at the time of failure. I will try to work out what is wrong with it once I have it and see if it is fixable, but I need to plan mitigations.

Our spares are Gen9 DL380. I believe that they have a RAID controller capable of handling RAID5, but I will confirm when I get my hands on it.

The question here is, can I just remove the disks from the Gen8, stick them in the comparable slots on the Gen9 start it up and set those disks up in a RAID5. Would the Gen9 RAID controller need any prompting or would there be enough info on the disks for the controller to just do it?

The follow on question to that is, we are running very old ESXi 4.1 (I know, we bad, we are in the process of upgrading but still months away). How can I find out if this is compatible with the Gen 9 servers? Understood it would not be supported in any way, but technically can 4.1 run on Gen9 Proliants?

Many thanks for any help you can provide.

scorzon

[Cali]

Oh Man,

this is the Link for ESX Support:
VMware from HPE Certification and Support | Hewlett Packard Enterprise

It starts with 6.5!
I personally don't know any Customers, who have 4.1 running.
5.5, someone, but not 4.x

Regarding Controller, this is possible, but they need to be from the same Series.
Example:
G8 with P420i to Gen9 with P440ar should work
G8 with P420i to Gen9 with B140i no way
You should first delete/clear all Raid Configuration on the replacement Gen9 Server.
But nobody will give you a guarantee.
And hopefully, you have a Backup?
Cali

[scorzon]

Ah thanks for the reply Cali, and yes I realise just how old the 4.1 is

I did manage a short while ago to find a link to a compatibility list for older VMWare versions and I had come to the conclusion that 4.1 will not work on Gen9 servers. but thanks for confirming that.

We do have some backup VMs but they are quite old now and my concern is trying to reintroduce them into my Windows domain will prove problematic. It can be done but not easy.

So I really want to see if I can recover the VMs from the old broken server, as they are in effect the current live system.

My plan is to RAID the new Gen9 server disks, install ESXi (probs a late model 6.# version maybe) and then attempt to add the old disks from the Gen9 as a second array. If I can do that and access that array I hope I will be able to copy across the VMs onto the new ESXi install? Assuming the RAID controllers are similar, that should be possible yes?

Or do I need to clear the raid on the Gen9, remove the new blank disks, add the old disks as the only RAID array and then boot ESXi from a USB and then access the old RAID to get to the VMs? So many questions, I'm sorry!

[Cali]

I would go the second Way.
If you already have a "Raid Group 1" with "Volume 1" and add a "Raid Group 1" with"Volume 1" from the other Server, what would happen?

If you have a "clear" Raid Kontroller, it is more like replacing a failed Controller.

[scorzon]

Thank you Cali, I have been thinking that the second way, booting from  USB might be the better safer option, so what you say makes sense.

[kawal74]

I just moved my 12 disk raid 6 from a gen8 DL380p to a Appollo 4200 gen9 and the array was identified and working. 

Array info is written to the disk and not in the controller.