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HP OpenVMS Systemsask the wizard |
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The Question is: Hi, Can an existing disk drive be transferred from one Alpha box and installed in another Alpha ? What steps of software configuration are needed ? Many Thanks. The Answer is : This is often possible, but there are dependencies on the particular disk drive(s) involved -- disks have specific thermal cooling and power requirements that are required of the enclosure, on the mountings available in the enclosure, and on the particular disk format used by the host controller(s) involved. RAID-capable disk controllers in particular can be configured to use transportable or non-transportable on-disk block structures, and depending on the setting involved the data on these disks may or may not be addressable after the drive is hooked to another (different) disk controller. If the particular requirements of the disk are not met within the new configuration, problems can range from immediate to eventual failure. Failures due to insufficient cooling are particularly known for having a delayed onset. Failures due to insufficient available power are known to trigger disk lock-ups and drop-outs, and problems spinning up disks. With StorageWorks, the StorageWorks "brick" (disk) might fit into another StorageWorks enclosure, the target enclosure may not have the appropriate SCSI capabilities or the necessary power and cooling. Older enclosures in particular tend to lack cooling and power for 7200 RPM and faster (hotter) disks. Cooling and power supply upgrades are available for some of these older StorageWorks enclosures, and not for others. Also consider the prices of newer disks and newer enclosures -- the effort of relocating and debugging a disk in a new configuration might not be particularly economical, given the costs and capabilities of the newer storage enclosures and the newer, larger, and faster disks. Without very specific details on the disks and the controllers and the storage enclosures involved, no specific feasibility answer is possible. Related topics include (3258) and (6449). Please contact your hardware service organization for assistance.
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