I'm currently working with a Hyper-V Remote Desktop Services (RDS) configuration that uses a virtual machine (VM) pool located on the D drive, which is set up as a RAID 5 array. I've decided to switch everything to a new SSD RAID 1 setup, but I'm running low on available slots. My plan is to stop all services, move the VM data temporarily to a folder on the C drive, then power down the system, remove the existing D drive array, install the new SSD RAID 1 setup, reassign the disk as D, transfer the data back, and finally restart the services. Do you think this approach covers all bases, or am I missing something important?
2 Answers
To do this properly, I recommend using Hyper-V's built-in migration tools to handle the storage transfers. If your VM configuration is stored on the D drive, you'll need to migrate the entire VM when switching to the new storage. It's also a good idea to consider using an external drive as a temporary location for your data during the transition. Stick with the supported methods to avoid issues later on.
Great point! I totally didn’t think about that.
Keep in mind that Hyper-V stores VM configuration information in the registry and within Hyper-V Manager. After you move your files back to the D drive, double-check that the VM paths are pointing correctly to the new locations. If the settings have hardcoded paths from the old D drive, your VMs may fail to start. When copying the files, it's crucial to preserve NTFS permissions, so consider using 'xcopy' or 'robocopy'. Plus, remember to have enough space on the C drive during the transition and allow extra time for initializing the new RAID 1 array, as that can take longer than expected with larger SSDs.
I’m planning to make the new D drive an exact copy of the old one to help with the pathing issue. This VM is being managed through Windows RDP and VM assignments, so I hope that helps.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely look into using an external drive for a smoother transition.