Cloning SERVER 2008 R2 SYSTEM TO A BACKUP 2TB DRIVE-Which app is best?

[questorfla]

I have had wonderful luck using even the Free copy of  Macrium  Reflect on almost anything, windows 7 all versions as well as windows 8 all versions.  I wont need to use it but once for a real Server OS but it has to be done prior to performing a Database upgrade.   I Must have a complete failsafe in case the upgrade  falls through.

Quick reading led me to believe that Easus Advanced server, even though the rice was pretty steep, might be best for the job.  I ave just spent over 5 hours of failed attempts to Clone this drive.  I considered that the empty clone being used might be the problem ought a new drive: Still no help.  It gets to 60% (I guess he visual; cues with EASUS are not so good, you have to guess at where you are.
If it gets to where the time left seems to go up and down while the time spent kept going forward, this was the only indication that something was not Right.
Tomorrow is do or die.  We are at Max capacityfor the DB and have to change formats or risk losing it all. 
I would appreciate anyone whohas used one of these programs with better than average results.  I have been lucky so far.  Five failed attempts and it still boots though not without a lot of struggling.
The EASUS To Do ADV Server at over $200 was a real disappointment.

These problems may be coming from cross linked files but there is no report of any kind generated telling you why it failed.  It just gets stuck in a loop and after almost 2 hours of running and the clock still ticking but the countdown gets to 40 minutes down to 35 back to 55.

Just asking for advice,  If I had a working copy that could be used to "Save the Day" I would be more comfortable with trying to run repair tools

I am not sure Macrium Reflect Freeversion will work on a Server but until i can get a refund for the EASEUS software I cant buy another high priced failure

Thanks for needed advice.

PS:  I ran the EASUS both as a a hot clone through Windows GUI and using the PE environment but both failed.

[4wd]

I haven't specifically tried Aomei Backupper Server but I have used the standard free version on multiple PCs and it has worked without any problem for me.

You can download the trial version which gives you 30 days free to try it, it'll create a PE recovery image from the system it's running on, (Standard one does, so I'm guessing the Server version will).  Currently on sale at $139 (+$20 if you want lifetime updates).

IainB has a review of the free version here.

[40hz]

I'd worry about those possible cross links more than anything right now. If the integrity of your file system is questionable, cloning it over to a new drive isn't going to fix things. In a worse case scenario you might be left with a DOA (i.e. STB) situation, or a system that's going to fail when you least expect it. You can't clone (or even get a usable backup) if your files are glitched. Sure they'll backup to a file. Often without warning on older backup systems. But more often than not, when you go to do a restore, it will fail because most databases check the integrity of the backup before they'll restore it. If you have a "bad" backup, it won't use the recovered file copy.

If at all possible, get the file system fixed first.

[Stoic Joker]

^Agreed.

As an alternative to imaging, have you tried using the built-in Windows backup software to do a complete system backup? I've had great luck with it doing restores/recoveries to both original and alternate hardware. Also as mentioned above it will allow you to do a test restore of a few files (like the really critical ones...) to alternate location to verify it's integrity.

[questorfla]

Thanks to all.  I agree on the problems with makign a "bad" clone but  working "bad" clone would at least give me some comfort-zone for THEN trying to make cluster repairs.  I have had this happen before on this same system when it ran RAID and it was even MORE trouble then.  One of the pauir was bad and not synced to the other but the one that was newer would not boot.
 
This system has been on the sheet to be upgraded/(REPLACED) now for over 6 months.  I guess now someone will finally OK it.

[Shades]

HDClone version 4 has successfully cloned several servers in my environment.

It is now at version 5 and comes in limited & (on-purpose) slow free version, but also with several commercial licenses. It has way too many options to mention, but rest assured that it is powerful.

Several years back noq, I used a cheapskate method that worked well with a Windows 2003 server (with Oracle DB server) of mine that is still in active duty today.

• I used Eassos Partition Guru (which comes in both free and commercial from) to identify all partitions from the almost broken disk
• Then I recreated the partition structure on a fresh hard disk in that same system, but didn't assign any drive letter to each of the  partitions of the new drive!
• Cloned all partitions, working from the last partition to the front
• After checking all files were there, I changed all drive letters on both drives, recreating the same structure on the new drive and removed drive letters from the old disk. Except for the C:\ partition (the original installation location of Partition Guru). I made notes during this to keep track of the many partitions. Also handy for undoing things if all this would went south...
• Removed Partition Guru with Revo Uninstaller
• Installed Partition Guru again, but not on C:\
• Cloned C:\
• After checking all files were there, I changed the last drive letter on both drives
• "Activated the new C:\ partition"
• Turned off the PC completely (incl. power switch on back of the power supply)
• Disconnected the old drive
• Booting the system again the system came up without problem and Oracle worked without a hitch.

Luck? I have no doubt.

But after this I have a warm place in my heart for this little (Chinese) piece of software.

Now I believe that MiniTool also has (free)/commercial software that allows you to copy/clone disks. If that software matches the quality of their free/commercial Partition management software, then I will have no problem recommending this software as well.
 

[40hz]

^Agreed.

As an alternative to imaging, have you tried using the built-in Windows backup software to do a complete system backup? I've had great luck with it doing restores/recoveries to both original and alternate hardware. Also as mentioned above it will allow you to do a test restore of a few files (like the really critical ones...) to alternate location to verify it's integrity.

-Stoic Joker (October 22, 2014, 12:35 PM)

+1 on the built-in tools. Even the very popular (and $$) BackupAssist app uses various Windows services such as shadow copy. I've made successful bare metal recovery images using just the tools that came with Windows Server. Saved my bacon more than once. If you don't need to automate disaster recovery for a server farm, the utilities that Microsoft provides should work just fine. Especially if you're just dealing with a single server.

Note: if any of the Microsoft recovery utilities give you grief, or don't run to completion, you can be 100% sure you have a filesystem or other serious issue that absolutely needs to be addressed NOW!  

[40hz]

Thanks to all.  I agree on the problems with makign a "bad" clone but  working "bad" clone would at least give me some comfort-zone for THEN trying to make cluster repairs.  I have had this happen before on this same system when it ran RAID and it was even MORE trouble then.  One of the pauir was bad and not synced to the other but the one that was newer would not boot.
 

-questorfla (October 22, 2014, 12:59 PM)

Sounds like you have (a) a flaky RAID controller; (b) are experiencing power glitch induced errors due to an inadequate or marginal power supply; or (c) you're routinely maxing out available disk space so much that errors are starting to creep into things. If possible try to keep at least 20% of your available system volume "unused" to avoid bad surprises. It's also wise to max out RAM. Inadequate RAM puts a lot of stress on your disk drives when running Windows Server. Especially if you're running a database or other app that writes a lot of temporary and log files.

This system has been on the sheet to be upgraded/(REPLACED) now for over 6 months.  I guess now someone will finally OK it.

Yup! Been there. And just recently too. Kinda goes with the turf unfortunately. Luck!

[x16wda]

This system has been on the sheet to be upgraded/(REPLACED) now for over 6 months.  I guess now someone will finally OK it.

-questorfla (October 22, 2014, 12:59 PM)

Heh... we're making plans to put in a replacement for the file server at one of our plants, a Dell 2500 that has been humming along for probably 13-14 years or so. Just started acting persnickety on reboots.  It's not the only 2500 left in the field, either. That was a pretty good model for its day. 

[off topic] Of course, in recent months parts of it and its brethren have been Cryptowalled several times.  Russian mafia coders, may Níðhöggr devour your spleens.

[questorfla]

OK, got lots of good options.  The one that saved the day this time was he first one i tried after EASUS.  Macrium had a Free trial of their Server version and it worked   Best of all, it even worked as a HOT clone so the server stayed on line th whole time.  Now that i have a working clone on a NEW 2TB drive, i can upgrade from MSDE to SQL Express which was the only problem, we had hit the 2GB limit.  But I can tell you this, I am going to try out every version of every program mentioned here because the absolute WORST feeling an IT or DB Farm Mgr can have is when he finds a drive failure on a system with no backup .  Even a Data backup is next to worthless if you count the hours to reconfigure.
I do have one question that someone may have the answer to.
When you clone a drive it becomes a bit-copy of the original.  I have never seen any of these programs make a huge issue about immediately removing the cloned drive before restarting the sytem and i have always wondered just how risky it could be to have two pf the exact same files on what appears to the system to be the same "location" on two different drive letters
Being a safe rather than sorry type, I always disconnect one of them but i can see so places where being able to leave both connected might come in handy.  If the intent is to keep the main drive "lean and mean" but you did not want to toss out files hat go added, i eventhink Macrium or EASUS offers some way to make a sort of incremental backup so that you could have an actual up to date "cloned drive" even months down the road with changes to the main drive being propagated to the cloned drive on a delayed basis

Anyway, for time bing Macrium gets my vote for "getting the Job done" in an easy to see and descriptive manner.