Clone a running production server, it is possible?

[Sindawe]

OK, this is new territory for me.  I'd like to be able to somehow copy or clone a running Windows server into an ISO or the like so that I could then use that image to install the clone on a virtual server running in a contained environment completely disconnected from a production network. My aim here is to create a test lab for training and troubleshooting the more complex operations that sometimes occur in my workplace, but without having to stop live production or risking the actual data that generates the company income.  I have easy access to hardware more than capable of running a host OS (Windows 2003 Server) and MS Virtual Server, license for the host OS, etc....  The wrinkle is being able to duplicate the running server w/o having to do the whole OS/Application/Data restoration manually.

Tech types, ever do/hear of such?

[charby]

Symantec Ghost would probably be the easiest way to do it.

-C

[mtnbkr]

Ghost.

However you might run into issues because the Ghost image system is looking for a specific hardware platform.  If your virtual system presents the exact same hardware platform to the image, it should work fine.

Chris

[cordex]

Acronis has a product that will duplicate a running system onto dissimilar hardware which is FANTASTIC when a production server goes down because of a hardware failure and you don't happen to have an exact duplicate on-hand to Ghost back on to.  The one downside is that if you build the image from a running server, you sometimes have to repair some files that were in use at the time of the backup.  I think this is more of an issue in a Win2k server environment, though.

[Sindawe]

I thought of Ghost, but per the docs and reports I've read it does not play well with the server OS.  Acronis and others I've found on my own look like they will do the job, but unfortunately exceed the IT budget for this ($0.00).  Knowing it can be done is half the battle, and useful to me in future positions once I am able to secure such.  I may consider picking up such for my own tool-kit after I've demonstrated that the application will do what I want.

Thanks for the feed back guys.

[lee n. field]

Symantec Ghost would probably be the easiest way to do it.

Or "dd" from a Knoppix command prompt.

Ghost may choke unless you spend big bucks on the server version.

Acronis

Acronis has (last time I looked at it, admitedly a couple years ago) the limitation that it wouldn't work with Windows dynamic disks.

[cordex]

Acronis has (last time I looked at it, admitedly a couple years ago) the limitation that it wouldn't work with Windows dynamic disks.

Could be.  I authorized the buy and have used it once or twice, but it is primarily another of the IT guys who uses it.  We haven't had a problem cloning any of our servers as of yet.

[Nick1911]

a RUNNING server?

I'm pretty sure that none of these tools will allow the server to be up through the whole process, if that's what you're saying.

[Sindawe]

a RUNNING server?

I'm pretty sure that none of these tools will allow the server to be up through the whole process, if that's what you're saying.

Yes, that was sloppy of me.  I mean a machine that has its OS and applications + data installed and normally runs 24x7x365

[cordex]

a RUNNING server?

I'm pretty sure that none of these tools will allow the server to be up through the whole process, if that's what you're saying.

Acronis can do that ... to an extent.  I don't know about other tools.

[BrokenPaw]

If the server doesn't have to be running at the time you make the image, you can probably use the dd-from-knoppix trick that lee mentioned.

But unless the target machine is identically configured, Windows is likely to have a snit when it tries to boot and finds different hardware.

-BP

[Brad Johnson]

I presume the server has hot-swappable drives (RAID array or such)?  If so, is there a utility that can be used to internally replicate a disc image on one or two of the drives, which could then be removed and transferred to another box?

Brad

[Sindawe]

Brad, the aim is not to replicate the server on other physical hardware but to replicate it on a virtual server so that the servers can be used in training on procedures with out having to stop production or risking critical data.  We did a test of the emergency switch over of the SQL database servers last month.  The process is supposed to be accomplished in less than an hour, and the test took more than eight hours due in part to the complexity of the operation.  Additionally, we are STILL finding broken processes that need to be fixed.

That issue, as well as others, is why I'm also looking for other employment. 

Anybody in the Denver area need a skilled Windows Admin who can also grow vats of E. coli, run bioreactors/ion exhchange columns/ultrafiltration equipment & write tech docs that adhere to cGMP guidelines?   

[tyme]

Can you take a Ghost/Acronis image of a running windows system and run that image in a VM?  Since most hardware is virtualized/genericized in VMs, I'm guessing windows will have a snit, because:

But unless the target machine is identically configured, Windows is likely to have a snit when it tries to boot and finds different hardware.

I've never understood this.  Windows will always be a second class operating system to me until I can spend a couple minutes reconfiguring the partitions it expects to see once the kernel loads, and have it actually boot.

It's ridiculous that to get a Windows install on a raid 1 array, you have to install it on the raid array. (Did I mention I hate the Windows install floppy driver dance?)  You should be able to install on one drive, install raid drivers, mirror the drive, set up the raid, and maybe tweak partition types if the raid card/driver exposes the array as a different type (scsi vs ata, for instance).  If there's a way to do that now, I don't know about it.

[RevDisk]

OK, this is new territory for me.  I'd like to be able to somehow copy or clone a running Windows server into an ISO or the like so that I could then use that image to install the clone on a virtual server running in a contained environment completely disconnected from a production network. My aim here is to create a test lab for training and troubleshooting the more complex operations that sometimes occur in my workplace, but without having to stop live production or risking the actual data that generates the company income.  I have easy access to hardware more than capable of running a host OS (Windows 2003 Server) and MS Virtual Server, license for the host OS, etc....  The wrinkle is being able to duplicate the running server w/o having to do the whole OS/Application/Data restoration manually.

Tech types, ever do/hear of such?

Duplicating a running server?   No problem, we do it on all of our servers for our DR plan.  All of our servers are running a near exact clone off-site, in near real time.  If any or all servers dropped offline, we'd lose either 15-30 seconds (real) or 1-5 minutes (what I tell everyone else) worth of data and capacity.  With bigger pipes and some beefer hardware, I could minimize those times, but it's not really worth it to us.  Biggest issue is propagating the redirecting the DNS/WINS very quickly. 

Non-real time replication, either Ghost ish products (Acronis, Symantec, dd, etc) or VMware/Virtual Server.  VMware and Virtual Server have image capture/creation tools.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Too bad you're running Windows. If it were AIX, you could run a mksysb and make an image on the fly, either to disk or mkcd/mkdvd and burn it to DVD-RAM.



Regards,
Rabbit.