I think I am ready to make the move from unraid.

[jesseasi]

I have been a pro unraid user since the beginning.  Running it the last 5+ years.   

I think I have out grown unraid and would like to run more power FTP servers and windows applications.  But I have some questions.

1. Is FlexRaid ready for Windows Server 2012?  I did some searches and see some issues with moving files while others report no issues.  I want to be 100% sure it is good to go for me.
2. Migration - I have 22 Drives in my unraid - with probably 17TB worth of data.   What is the best way to migrate the data over to the windows OS?   From what I have read - I may be best suited to add one 3TB drive - and then use a third party app that will allow me to read the Reiserfs and move the data from one drive at a time.  Then add the empty drive to the flexraid and repeat....
3. Snapshot Raid vs Real Time Raid.   Can both be run at the same time?   Snapshot is probably all that I need - but when you recync the data - how long does it take?   Does it only need to sync the new data?   With unraid - when I do parity checks it can take 8-10 hours. 

I am very interested to hear how anyone else have moved from unraid to flexraid.

Also - the monkey wrench is all this is the new product being worked on - NZFS.   From the little previews - it sounds like the ultimate solution.   Will migrating from Flexraid to NZFS be easy?

[jesseasi]

After some research - i am not sure "snapshot" is the right solution for me.   I write to my array too much for me to risk losing data.  And if a drive has failed - it appears any file changes could prevent a restore.

Realtime parity is probably what I need. 

Any feedback or tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Brahim]

1. Yes, give RT RAID a try and see how it works out for you.
Even though some users have trouble with it, it is actually stable for most (those that follow its usage rules). It is all about usage pattern.

2. The only gotcha with Snapshot RAID is explained here: http://wiki.flexraid.com/2011/10/18/understanding-the-limitations-of-snapshot-raid/

Writing new data to the array is safe. Even deleting data is safe if you enable the Snapshot RAID recycle bin feature.
Only edits are an issue and I doubt that you will be editing 17TB of data.
Most people will tend to separate the data that will rarely be edited and protect it through Snapshot RAID.
You will find that this will be the bulk of your data.

For the remainder of the data (usually a small set), either mirror it or go with RT RAID if that set is large enough to warrant it.
For instance, if you determine that the data you constantly change is under 2TB, then mirroring is the best approach for that data.

[jesseasi]

i am going to give this a shot

what about migrating data out of the unraid?   any tips or best practice for that?