i have 2012 server on my box, with storage pool setup using storage spaces... If I want to replace the boot/OS drive with one containing Win 10, will I still be able to access/use my storage pool? Or will I have to back up the data, and re-create the storage space/pool on Windows 10? Has anyone tried this?
Did 2012 have storage pool? I thought it was only in 2012 R2. Never tried to move it to client OS (why?) Why not to upgrade to 2016?
Yes, 2012 (non-R2) did have it. I got a fee 2012 license for Microsoft when I signed up for something, so I used that on my home media "server", and setup a storage pool of six 4TB drives in a striped parity (similar to raid 5). Reason I want to take it to Win 10.... Well, I'm having some issues with PlayOn.TV recording some things (recordings work fine on my desktop running win7). So because of that, and Win10 includes storage spaces/pools like found in 2012, I was thinking to just put a desktop OS on there and be done with it. I don't USE any of the SERVER features of the OS, just storage pools. Upgrading to Server 2016 would require me to buy a license, and I still wouldn't be sure that PlayOn.TV will record properly. Where as this PC, if I put win7 back on it, should be eligible for the free win 10 upgrade (for a little bit yet)
BUY OS licence for home server? Do not think so... just look for alternatives. Plenty around here! 2012 R2 will most likely be perfectly fine (if even WMS was made to run on it...)
I don't trust that thing, drivepool is a way better and trustworty, solution and isn't tied to a single os, and even with a broken pool everithing is perfecly readable even from win nt4.
Storage Spaces on 2012 R2 works perfectly fine providing one does NOT use ReFS (NTFS is not a problem), moved pools between different machines (SATA drives, USB JBOD = not a single issue ever)
Storage spaces scares me not in the normal scenario (obviously it works) but in case of problems. Drive pool uses just the plain disks as they are. All the files will be accessible even w/o DP installed, hence any recovery SW will work, there will be no problems accessing them with an old linux distro and so on) Also DP can duplicate (or triplicate, or...) not just the whole disk but also a single folder or a single file avoiding an huge waste of space. Also DP can pool remote drives created with clouddrive multiplying the usage scenarios. In short 20$ veeeery well spent (hardly I suggest a commercial paid SW, but this one deserves it, IMO)
Sorry to resurrect this old thread... but yes.. it worked... The Windows 10 PC did recognize the pool correctly, there was an option to Upgrade the pool... I used it, its been running fine since.
So, if you want to go back, you're screwed. As someone already suggested drive pool (or even drive bender) are safer options. They can be used from win 7/srver2008r2 to the latest w10/20016 and memebers of the pool can be read every where, including win nt4, linux, and even win98 using the ntfs drivers.
I use the FreeNAS to place 10 hard-drives and use over iSCSI to my Windows 2008 R2 Enterprise and works charm.. But, My server has hardware RAID by Intel and can do more that what I need. So, FreeNAS is free download and need small LGA 775 CPU and 8GB RAM and some controller (As long support hardware controllers) and been up running since. ATGPUD2003
Freenas isn't a bad choice, but if you want the deduplication you need an huge amount of RAM. Insted with drivepool + the native deduplication of windows you can take advantage of it even on a relatively low spec HW. HW raid (which isnt HW at all when integrated in mobos) is just a relic of the past. Practially everithing else is better, easier to mantain, safer, at least on personal/ small business use scenarios.
Except that point on going back. I wanted to switch back to a "desktop" Os because some of the video record software I run on that box wasn't working exactly right, and the maker didn't officially support Win Server, so when I reported issues they didn't offer too much help. Now that I'm on 10, their support has been better when I've needed them. Win 10 storage pools can be used in Server 2016 if I needed.
Yeah it works and seem show my report that my ram are meet requirements to running well... Use for Small business. ATGPUD2003