Hard drive replacement on Mac Mini Server.

It wasn't as bad as I feared it might be, but it wasn't trivial either.

Our 2011 MacMini Server (2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo) has 2 each 500 GB Hitachi SATA drives. I was under the impression that they were in a RAID mirror, but some things didn't make sense....

I have a 1 TB SATA drive in a Firewire external enclosure that I bought and installed with the Mini, thinking it would be for backups and the like.

IIRC, when I set up TimeMachine it grabbed a disk to hold the backups without any action on my part. I assumed it would use the 1 TB drive.

Well, it turned out that the drives weren't mirrored. And TM was using one of them for the backup. A few months ago the drive used for the TM backup started having SMART errors.

I ordered a couple of Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB Hybrid drives to replace them. I put it off for a long time because I though the drives were in a mirror, thought the drives were 750 GB and that I would have issues doing the OS transfer and partition stretching, etc., etc. A week or so ago I looked at the box again, realized the drives were 500 GB, realized I didn't have a mirror, and figured it was time to stop procrastinating about it.

I used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the drives to the new disks using an external USB interface. It had problems with the 2nd hard drive due to the bad sectors or whatever, but eventually decided it was done. I then turned off the Mini, keeping it off until this weekend.

I used some instructions from iFixit and elsewhere on how to get to the disks inside the Mini. I had a toolkit from Newer Technology (various uncommon Torx screwdrivers, spudgers, tweezers, etc.) that was essential.

It took less than an hour, even with having trouble getting the bracket for the 2nd ("lower" in the mini when you're working on it, AKA "upper") back in place, even after having to reassemble the IR cable after pulling the connectors out when I slid out the motherboard without lifting off the connector. No extra screws! WhooHoo!

Oh, the drive that is failing has a sticker on it with some bar codes that seem to indicate that it was "repaired" or "refurbished" before. The one that is Ok is newer and doesn't have any extra bar codes. Hmm...

This exercise gives me a lot more respect for the folks in China who put these things together!

So far, it seems fine - I wouldn't want to do it again, though. I set TM to use the external drive for backup - we'll see how that goes.

It makes no sense to run a mirror in these things - the disks are so hard to get to that there's no benefit over having an external mirror and backup.

Cheers,
Scott.
(Who also has a new PC he needs to start putting together...)

Post #357,638 by Another Scott 5/19/12 3:07:34 PM Reply	Hard drive replacement on Mac Mini Server. It wasn't as bad as I feared it might be, but it wasn't trivial either. Our 2011 MacMini Server (2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo) has 2 each 500 GB Hitachi SATA drives. I was under the impression that they were in a RAID mirror, but some things didn't make sense.... I have a 1 TB SATA drive in a Firewire external enclosure that I bought and installed with the Mini, thinking it would be for backups and the like. IIRC, when I set up TimeMachine it grabbed a disk to hold the backups without any action on my part. I assumed it would use the 1 TB drive. Well, it turned out that the drives weren't mirrored. And TM was using one of them for the backup. A few months ago the drive used for the TM backup started having SMART errors. I ordered a couple of Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB Hybrid drives to replace them. I put it off for a long time because I though the drives were in a mirror, thought the drives were 750 GB and that I would have issues doing the OS transfer and partition stretching, etc., etc. A week or so ago I looked at the box again, realized the drives were 500 GB, realized I didn't have a mirror, and figured it was time to stop procrastinating about it. I used Carbon Copy Cloner to clone the drives to the new disks using an external USB interface. It had problems with the 2nd hard drive due to the bad sectors or whatever, but eventually decided it was done. I then turned off the Mini, keeping it off until this weekend. I used some instructions from iFixit and elsewhere on how to get to the disks inside the Mini. I had a toolkit from Newer Technology (various uncommon Torx screwdrivers, spudgers, tweezers, etc.) that was essential. It took less than an hour, even with having trouble getting the bracket for the 2nd ("lower" in the mini when you're working on it, AKA "upper") back in place, even after having to reassemble the IR cable after pulling the connectors out when I slid out the motherboard without lifting off the connector. No extra screws! WhooHoo! Oh, the drive that is failing has a sticker on it with some bar codes that seem to indicate that it was "repaired" or "refurbished" before. The one that is Ok is newer and doesn't have any extra bar codes. Hmm... This exercise gives me a lot more respect for the folks in China who put these things together! So far, it seems fine - I wouldn't want to do it again, though. I set TM to use the external drive for backup - we'll see how that goes. It makes no sense to run a mirror in these things - the disks are so hard to get to that there's no benefit over having an external mirror and backup. Cheers, Scott. (Who also has a new PC he needs to start putting together...)
Post #357,647 by malraux 5/19/12 5:35:13 PM Reply	Minis and laptops are easier than iMacs. I replaced the drive in my mother's iMac... it took hours, and included fun tools like spudgers and suction cups. One of those double on-tahn-drays, if you think about it. Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #357,651 by Another Scott 5/19/12 6:12:55 PM Reply	I'm sure! :-) (EDLIN is the one true editor...)
Post #357,735 by lincoln 5/21/12 9:17:48 AM Reply	Re: I'm sure! :-) (EDLIN is the one true editor...) LRPD that! "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow
Post #357,786 by pwhysall 5/22/12 4:20:51 AM Reply	ed is the standard text editor. ?
Post #357,790 by boxley 5/22/12 9:31:28 AM Reply	thats what she sed Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #357,804 by malraux 5/22/12 3:45:12 PM Reply	This is getting awkward... Vi-ing for attention again... Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #357,809 by mmoffitt 5/22/12 4:05:53 PM Reply	'E'macs out the pun possibilities.
Post #357,818 by boxley 5/22/12 5:22:20 PM Reply	word Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free American and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 55 years. meep
Post #357,820 by drook 5/22/12 5:26:36 PM Reply	perfect -- Drew
Post #357,823 by malraux 5/22/12 5:52:51 PM Reply	scribbles on Notepad about the Eclipse Regards, -scott Welcome to Rivendell, Mr. Anderson.
Post #357,843 by folkert 5/22/12 10:26:07 PM Reply	i've seen Pages on that Keynote by the Numbers.
Post #357,833 by Ashton 5/22/12 8:44:54 PM Reply	-Star .hr Law above fear, justice above law, mercy above justice, love above all.

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