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HQ Server crashed, no backup, suggestions?

Pretty much the worst case scenario has happened. Primary hard drive in a raid 1 array failed. Called hardware vendor for warranty support as system was still not booting even though the failed drive was degraded. Took the second supposedly working drive out and installed it into an external usb hard drive enclosure to backup the data before proceeding with the hardware vendor's technician. The drive has no data on it and windows asks me if I want to format it.

What exactly happened here? The server has an ide raid controller built into the motherboard so it was being raided via hardware and not a windows software raid. Could a bad controller have screwed up both drives?

Coincidentally the backup apparently has not worked and we have no backup of the database. It's the holiday so I don't know if I will hear back from my vendor today so I thought I'd pose this question here. Am I completely screwed? The warehouse here in the office where the server is, is considered a store so we have lost the inventory data here and everything else that goes with Store Operations.

As far as Headquarters goes, is it feasible to reload the server's OS and install HQ then using the individual store databases, restore functionality to the server? What a nightmarish 4th of July this has become. Any suggestions or comments are appreciated.

Reply to
gundal78
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I wouldn't be using windows to try and recover the data. You need something like Active File Recovery, Ghost, or Drive Image (Disk Image?)...something that can get down and dirty with the hardware.

Seeing that you are in RAID, I don't know how that will work, but doing a disk to disk copy should be the most likely way for you to go (you will need to copy from the old "dead" disk to a new disk - same size is best).

A faulty controller could certainly mess things up as bad as this.

Probably little help to you immediately, but for the future, we have been runn> Pretty much the worst case scenario has happened. Primary hard drive

Reply to
ozzie

Hmm, welcome fellow 4th of July server crash victim, so you know your not alone.....servers@#$%^&*()_+

First I would run at HQ a QOH report for that store, since HQ has this information. Trim it to just ILC and QOH using the add/remove col. options in reports, then export it out to a txt file. So now you have a inventory that is nice and pretty current. I hope... You could also run a SQL command at the HQ dB with HQ Admin something like "SELECT Itemlookupcode,QOH from item where store#=X" I have never done this query so it might need tweaking and I also am not sure those are the right spelling for the fields. Then save this to a txt file and put it on removable media to port to SO Manager/inventory/physical. That is pretty well documented...

I would create a new dB for the Store/wh. with the HQ Admin,/dB/export wizard. Put this on your removable media as well.

Then go to the store and restore the dB to the site. Then do the physical inventory using the txt file from above to populate the dB with QOH. Then start making sure you have all the stuff you need setup. At least that should get you mostly back up with some tweaks.

Back from Honolulu for the 4th, going back into retirement in 15 minutes....LOL.

mte

Reply to
Masta T

gundal78,

You may have to break the mirror before the other drive will work. Check your motherboard documentation for more info.

OR

Try installing the same size or larger drive to replace the bad one and restart with the old secondary drive attached and see if it will go through re-establishing the mirror.

Always, ALWAYS check your backups and backup routines!!! Like Ozzie, we use and sell Ghost and their server version Live State Recovery and like _some_ other backup programs, will email you the results of your backup jobs.

We actually backup our systems hourly!! A full backup to a removable internal or external hard drive and then changes since that backup hourly. We then rotate those removable drives daily.

To recreate your HQ database, simple create a new HQ database from your Master store as you did when you originally created it. If you don't remember how to, look in HQ Admin Help. Set it up with your stores info and then request a 401 since the beginning of time, 01/01/1990 will work and the stores will upload their info back to HQ.

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Reply to
Jeff

Masta,

Uhh, you haven't recovered from the jet lag yet!

HQ crashed. ;-)

Reply to
Jeff

As long as you have all the items in all stores this would be the easy. Here are the steps:

- install HQ in a working PC with SQL Server on it - use HQ Admin to create a blank HQ Database - make sure that collation setting of all your stores and HQ server is the same as well the colation of the new database and the server itself - import any store database to HQ to create the fix data - log in to HQ Manager (Administrator / Password) - Go to HQ Manager Configuration and set the settings - Go to HQ Manager and Create all the stores all over again - make sure you use the same numbers as before and name for stores and set up the connection schedule - Worksheet 101 is created automatically when the stores are created to synchronise - Craete a 250 worksheet for all items to go to all stores - Create a 401worksheet for all stores [Backdate it to the date that you opened your 1st store] - Run also the 501 worksheet to update inventory [then go to wizard Task

190 after this is executed and returned from all stores to synchronise Stock at store with stock in HQ] - Configure the HQ Communication Server

You now just have to wait for the above to execute and you should be OK I suggest you call your reseller in to give you a hand.

Afshin Alikhani - [ snipped-for-privacy@retailrealm.co.uk] CEO - Retail Realm = = = =

Reply to
Afshin Alikhani

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