Yosemite to El Capitan on Raid Colocated Mac Mini

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Does anyone know if there are any issues updating Raid Mac Mini colocated running Yosemite to El Capitan?

This is our main server and a bit nervous about breaking it but since quiet now for a week or two best time to update.

Am not running server software, just Rumpus file server and Keirio mail server on this machine.

Advice, tips much appreciated.

michael
 
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It would be a good idea if you first make a bootable backup of everything on the Raid Mac Mini to an external drive. You can use either SuperDuper! (http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html) or Carbon Copy Cloner (https://bombich.com/). Either of them are excellent at making exact an exact copy/clone of what you want to backup. And, each such backup is bootable. The primary difference between them is that Carbon Copy Cloner will also back up the (hidden) Recovery Partition. Both of them are available in "demo" mode for 30 days, and for the "basic" copying/cloning, they work just like the paid versions.

I assume you have already downloaded the OS 10.11.2 full installer from the App Store. (You should also make a copy of that file in another location). Also, I assume you have insured that whatever third party software you are running is either already compatible with OS 10.11.2, or else has been upgraded,

Now, once you do that, you can proceed in one of two ways. One of them is to re-boot from the external drive/partition containing the bootable backup (that of course will be Yosemite). You could then run Disk Utility from that backup to Erase and Format (and if necessary, Partition) the "Raid" array on the Mac mini. Then, you would launch the file "Install OS X El Capitan" located on the Applications folder, and do a clean installation of OS 10.11.2 onto the location on the Mac MIni that you choose. (That "Install OS X El Capitan" will disappear after you are done, so that is why I mentioned above about making a copy of it somewhere else). Finally, re-boot from the Mac Min i, and use Migration Assistant to "migrate"/copy all the non-system stuff from the backup to the Mac Mini.

The other choice is to launch the file "InstallOS X El Capitan" file while you are booted from the Mac Mini, and do an upgrade from Yosemite to El Capitan from there.

IN either case, if you encounter any issues, you can easily restore your system to the way it was at the start from the backup/clone made by either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner.
 
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Thanks for that advice. I do have SuperDuper and am happy to purchase Carbon Cloner. The current size of the Raid machine is just short of 250 Gb and the TimeMachine backup onsite is now 476 Gb.

So I should wipe the current TimeMachine backup? Then using CC or SD! backup remote Newer drive - see pic.

Once backed up, copy the "InstallOS X El Capitan" to the backup drive as well.

Then I could "launch the file "InstallOS X El Capitan" file while booted from the Mac Mini, and do an upgrade from Yosemite to El Capitan from there" as you have suggested. If all goes well then no need to update any software as both apps used are OK with El capitan.

Not sure if things go wrong how I would boot from backup though I suppose this option would come up on login page when I access.

My main concern all along is whether it is tsraight forward to upgrade given that it is raid setup but from your advice should be OK to just go ahead… :) and also if something goes wrong as machine is remote and not sitting physically in front of me.

Many thanks

Michael


Screen Shot 2015-12-26 at 22.50.45.png
 

Cory Cooper

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Hello and welcome.

honestone gave good advice. But, since you are running a standard Yosemite install on your server mini, and only using Rumpus and Keirio, do you really need to upgrade to El Capitan, since it is a live server that is functioning properly?

I currently have an older co-located Mac mini (Mac OS X Server, Late 2009) that is still running Mac OS X Server 10.6.8 Snow Leopard and has an uptime of over 500 days. I have thought about upgrading it as well, but always hold off because it is working just fine. This mini replaced an old Xserve (Slot Load) that reached a maximum uptime of over 1000 days at one point.

Just my $.02,

C
 
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Hi Cory

Yes your view makes sense. Still using Tiger on some PCC's and SL is good.

What is really bugging me is that every now and then when I log on to do a search using Finder I get looping and in the end have to force quit Finder. I think this is due to TimeMachine backing up every hour and hogging the CPU. (The server is i7 2.3 Ghz with 16 Gb ram so not exactly short of processing power)

Maybe I would be better off just wiping the Newer backup drive and using Carbon Cloner as backup app instead and keep backup clone of the whole drive. I would much prefer a backup at noon and then after work each day. Supplemented with say a weekly backup to a local drive.

Appreciate advice, comments, thoughts.

Cheers

Michael
 
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Hi Michael,

With the paid version of either SuperDuper! or Carbon Copy Cloner, I believe you can set either program up to perform backups on a schedule of on'e choosing. Myself, I don't need to backup that often with the paid version of SuperDuper!, so I have never tried to do such a thing. The weekly backups I perform for both of my machines suit me just fine.
 

Cory Cooper

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No worries Michael. The hanging Finder search issue sounds more like a corrupt OS, software issue,or a possibly failing hard drive. You could try turning off Time Machine for a while to test. Also, try excluding the Time Machine drive from Spotlight indexing, which it should be by default.

We should be able to help you fix that issue.

C
 
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As usual, Cory makes some excellent suggestions! I myself do not use Spotlight at all, and in fact have it turned off. I much prefer the excellent freeware program Easy Find (look about 2/3rd the way down on this link: http://www.devontechnologies.com/download/products.html). I have been using it for a number of years, and it has always worked flawlessly.
 
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As usual, Cory makes some excellent suggestions! I myself do not use Spotlight at all, and in fact have it turned off. I much prefer the excellent freeware program Easy Find (look about 2/3rd the way down on this link: http://www.devontechnologies.com/download/products.html). I have been using it for a number of years, and it has always worked flawlessly.


Yes used in past and good - jsut tend to use Pathfinder but might try out and trurn Spotlight off. See how I get on.

Thanks for feedback.
 

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