| Moving data store to external drive [message #110179] |
Tue, 28 January 2014 18:27  |
GerryS
Messages: 3
Registered: January 2014
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Hi
I am fairly new to Kerio Connect and mail servers. Kerio Connect 8.1.3 is installed on a Windows 7 machine in the default Program Files folder. After about 3 months the 150GB C: drive is now just about full (the mail folder is 27GB, the backup folder 97GB and the archive folder is 4.5GB). I thought the simplest solution would be to buy an external USB drive and move the data store to that. Now that the time has come to attempt this I am starting to get cold feet. In the manual it looks quite straight forward to go to Configuration - Advance Options - Store Directory tab and then select the new folder. Then stop Kerio, copy all the files from the old store directory to the new one and restart Kerio.
There are also options in Archiving and Backup to set the path to the backup and archive directories. I presume these would need to be set as well or would changing the store automatically change these as well?
A search through the Knowledge Base suggests that you also need to reconfigure the mail server.cfg file Of the 3 variables mentioned "StoreDir", "RelativePathsRoot" and "InstantMessaging" where I have to change the location I can only find the first 2. There are however about 6 instances C:\Program Files\Kerio\MailServer\store\ path is referred to. Would I have to change all of these.
My queries are firstly is it OK to use an external USB drive for the data store
Secondly what is the definitive method to move the store ?
Thanks for any advice and assistance. The more I have read the more confused I have become.
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| Re: Moving data store to external drive [message #110180 is a reply to message #110179] |
Tue, 28 January 2014 19:47  |
Bud Durland
Messages: 586
Registered: December 2013
Location: Plattsburgh, NY
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It's technically possible to use an external drive as the data store, but is definitely NOT recommended. At the very least you will suffer performance issues. The data store & backup can be on separate drives.
I'd recommend moving the backup to the external drive. You can easily change that in the administrator web site. Then remove the "old" backup form the C: drive.
Since the backup is much bigger than the data store, this should buy you enough time to acquire & install a large second drive or array in the server, then move the message store to that drive.
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| Re: Moving data store to external drive [message #110181 is a reply to message #110180] |
Tue, 28 January 2014 20:46 |
GerryS
Messages: 3
Registered: January 2014
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Thanks for the quick reply and advice. I will leave the store on the C: drive and just move the backup. I assume that I just change the path of the backup directory, stop Kerio, copy the existing backup files over and then restart Kerio ? Will I need to amend the path for the backup directory in mailserver.cfg file as well or will this be amended automatically?
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| Re: Moving data store to external drive [message #110201 is a reply to message #110183] |
Wed, 29 January 2014 13:17 |
My IT Indy
Messages: 223
Registered: October 2004
Location: indianapolis
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You can absolutely move your datastore to an external ARRAY (not a single disk, that's just asking for failure). How fast is your C Drive? Does it have any redundancy? It sounds like it's an older server since it's only 150GB in size.
Here's how *I* would set it up.
1) C drive with Mailserver folder on it
2) D drive is an external RAID 10 array with mail store folder on it
3) E drive is external drive for backups.
-
My IT Indy
Kerio Certified Reseller and Hosted Provider
http://www.myitindy.com
[Updated on: Wed, 29 January 2014 13:17] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Moving data store to external drive [message #110203 is a reply to message #110201] |
Wed, 29 January 2014 13:53 |
Bud Durland
Messages: 586
Registered: December 2013
Location: Plattsburgh, NY
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Putting the data store on a separate drive/volume is good planning, although whether it's internal or external makes little difference, unless part of the disaster recovery plan is the ability to move the data store from one server to another. The data store (at least) should absolutely be on some type of RAID array.
[Updated on: Wed, 29 January 2014 13:54] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Moving data store to external drive [message #110247 is a reply to message #110203] |
Thu, 30 January 2014 12:11 |
GerryS
Messages: 3
Registered: January 2014
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The "server" is actually a standard Dell PC running Windows 7. It is about 3 to 4 years old and was originally used to host a VPOP mail server but was upgraded to Kerio to allow for IMAP, shared calendar and better integration with their iPhones. Kerio is certainly more demanding in terms of storage but performance is fine, possibly because there are only 7 users. I only work for the company two afternoons a week mainly on Filemaker database development but this has extended into areas such as this. Forgive my lack of knowledge but this is the first mail server I have been involved in and for Filemaker servers I normally use a Mac Mini with portable hard drive for off site storage.
I can see that a RAID array would be better than just a standard drive and I do not think price will be an issue. My naive mind likes the idea of an external array as I presume this would be quicker and easier to swap to a new server at a later date. Transferring the store and backups will extend the life of the existing machine but do you think we should look to bite the bullet and upgrade to a new server now? Do you have any recommendations on a suitable RAID array or new server configuration? Would a BUFFALO DriveStation Quad USB 3.0 be OK?
Thanks again for your advice. It is much appreciated.
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| Re: Moving data store to external drive [message #110251 is a reply to message #110247] |
Thu, 30 January 2014 14:07 |
Bud Durland
Messages: 586
Registered: December 2013
Location: Plattsburgh, NY
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Given that you are only supporting 7 users, disk performance is not as big an issue, but redundancy is still important. For external storage, my current favorite is Synology. Many of their units, such as the DS-713, come with a USB-3 interface, as well as standard iSCSI, etc, which will address some of the speed issue. iSCSI is even better, but does take longer to get set up. For USB3, you may need to add an interface card to the mail server. Add the hard drives of your choice, use the Synology NAS control panel (web interface) to set up your data volume, and away you go.
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