Hello, 

I have been using Macrium for years and facing an issue for the first time.

I am restoring a Windows 2008R2 server on a Dell 2950 Poweredge to a Dell R720 server. The restore appears to go well, I select the "ReDeploy Restored Image to new hardware" option, select the OS I just restored, it finds the PERC H710mini drivers, the Dell 2950 was PERC 6's, and then asks me to reboot. I reboot the server and I go to Windows error screen that my "megasas.sys" file is either missing or corrupted. 

The file is not missing or corrupted as I decided to try a restore of the same server to a Dell R710 from the Dell 2950 and was able to restore. Interesting thing is I was able to just boot directly into the OS without selecting the "ReDeploy Restored Image to new hardware " option. I tried to restore to the R720 again without using the ReDeploy option and still the same error. When I select the option to fix the boot up in Macrium I still get the same outcome.

In theory IF I am able to restore to the Dell R710 I SHOULD be able to restore to a Dell R720, more so when Macrium sees the needed PERC drivers... Any help would be great

Server 2008 R2 and a PowerEdge 2950.  That takes me quite a ways back!

A few ideas.  First, are you using this exact driver release, which appears to be the latest available driver for the H710 Mini that is meant for Server 2008 R2?  That's what I would suggest feeding the ReDeploy wizard.  If the ReDeploy wizard is just finding a driver, then I wonder if it's coming out of the built-in driver library of the Rescue Media's WinPE/RE environment, but in that case the driver being supplied would be appropriate for whatever WinPE/RE kernel the Rescue Media is using.  Server 2008 R2 uses the WinPE 3.1 kernel.  The WinPE/RE version used by your Rescue Media is displayed in the title bar along the very top of the interface.  If you're using a newer kernel, then the wizard might be injecting a driver that isn't suitable for the kernel version of the target OS.  What makes me particularly suspicious of something like this going on is the reference to a file named "megasas.sys".  If you download that linked driver and use the Extract option to see the contents, then check the Payload folder where the actual driver files reside, you will find that the driver file is percsas2.sys, not megasas.sys.

Another thing you might need to do is update the PERC controller firmware, since there are some cases where firmware and driver need to be matched within a certain range of releases.  If your system has an iDRAC, you can log into that interface to perform the update even without a running OS.  The iDRAC component update mechanism accepts Windows firmware updater files, and the latest firmware for the H710 Mini is here.

+x

 

jphughan - 1 December 2022 5:08 PM

Server 2008 R2 and a PowerEdge 2950.  That takes me quite a ways back!

A few ideas.  First, are you using this exact driver release, which appears to be the latest available driver for the H710 Mini that is meant for Server 2008 R2?  That's what I would suggest feeding the ReDeploy wizard.  If the ReDeploy wizard is just finding a driver, then I wonder if it's coming out of the built-in driver library of the Rescue Media, but in that case it would be appropriate for whatever WinPE/RE kernel the Rescue Media is using.  Server 2008 R2 uses the WinPE 3.1 kernel.  The WinPE/RE version used by the Rescue Media is displayed in the title bar along the very top of the interface, and if you're using a newer kernel, then it might be injecting a driver that isn't suitable for the kernel version of the target OS.  What makes me particularly suspicious of something like this going on is the reference to a megasas.sys file.  If you download that linked driver, use the Extract option to see the contents, and check the Payload folder where the actual driver files reside, you will find that the driver file is percsas2.sys, not megasas.sys.

Another thing you might need to do is update the PERC controller firmware, since there are some cases where firmware and driver need to be matched within a certain range of releases.  If your system has an iDRAC, you can log into that interface to perform the update even without a running OS.  The iDRAC component update mechanism accepts Windows firmware updater files, and the latest firmware for the H710 Mini is here.

Hello jphughan,

Thank you so kindly for the reply. "If the ReDeploy wizard is just finding a driver, then I wonder if it's coming out of the built-in driver library of the Rescue Media" ... I am not sure BUT I think it may be as I did not add any drivers to my WinPE build, just what Macrium has preconfigured.

Our system does indeed have iDRAC so I think your suggestion of going into the BIOS and flashing it to the latest firmware may be the first option I will try. I have opened both links you provided and will check my PERC version to the latest one showing also. 

I will update where I am in a few hours, again thank you so kindly for the reply. It's been 3.5 days of researching for a fix.

Happy to help! What WinPE/RE version is your existing Rescue Media using?  If it's not WinPE 3.1, then you can choose to create a new Rescue Media build that does use WinPE 3.1.  That's in Rescue Media Builder > Advanced > Choose Base WIM.

+x

 

jphughan - 1 December 2022 5:33 PM

Happy to help! What WinPE/RE version is your existing Rescue Media using?  If it's not WinPE 3.1, then you can choose to create a new Rescue Media build that does use WinPE 3.1.  That's in Rescue Media Builder > Advanced > Choose Base WIM.

I'm running two different releases of Macrium, v6 on the Server 2008R2 (2008R2 won't work with Version 8), and the rest of my network is using V8, we just currently renewed our licenses. I've tried both rescue disks on the restore that failed. My guess is the RAID controller being at a PERC7 over a PERC6 is the issue.

Both of those show that you're using WinPE/WinRE 5 as your Base WIM.  That corresponds to the Windows 8.1 / Server 2012 R2 kernel.  Both Reflect V6 and V8 allow you to build Rescue Media on WinPE 3.1.  That can be selected independent of the OS on which you're running Reflect.

+x

 

jphughan - 1 December 2022 6:08 PM

Both of those show that you're using WinPE/WinRE 5 as your Base WIM.  That corresponds to the Windows 8 / Server 2012 kernel.  Both Reflect V6 and V8 allow you to build Rescue Media on WinPE 3.1.  That can be selected independent of the OS on which you're running Reflect.

Correct on the WinPE5, which is why I assume using either disk should not be an issue despite the release versions.

However I find it strange that I have been able to use these disks to restore this same server to Poweredge 2950's and R710's without issue, though I ASSUME only that has to more do with the PERC both being at PERC6, rather than the 720's at PERC7.

Anyhow I have only ever flashed BIOS on a server/pc, never a RAID controller. I watched the below video and BEFORE I try it, I wanted to ask IF this is the path of flashing the RAID Controller. You have been amazing with your assistance, thank you ever so kindly once again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=371H4In8oRA&ab_channel=DiGi-Sun

Thanks for the kind words. I’ve been a Windows IT guy for the last 15 years, mostly in the server engineering space, and the last 9 of those have been at Dell. So this is rather familiar ground.

As to why that same Rescue Media build works on your other servers, if the new server booted even without relying on ReDeploy, it means that the driver library on the Rescue Media didn’t come into play for injecting drivers into the restored image. It just so happened that the restored image had what it needed to boot properly on new hardware. In your current problem case, the restored image doesn’t have what it needs natively, and it appears that while your Rescue Media has a driver for that controller built in, it’s not the correct driver version for the OS that it needs to be used with, since the Rescue Media is based on Win8.1 / Server 2012 R2 and you’re targeting Server 2008 R2.

Since that’s now been confirmed, I’m less confident that firmware is the answer here. I would strongly recommend that you just generate a Rescue Media build that’s based on WinPE 3.1, which is quick and easy, and use ReDeploy from THAT build. If you happen to get prompted to supply a driver in that scenario, point the wizard at the Payload folder you’ll see after extracting from the driver package I linked to originally. (Copy that onto the Rescue Media for convenience.)

But if you want to update PERC firmware without an OS, that is achieved via the Lifecycle Controller. Dell has instructions for doing that at the link below. Put that firmware update EXE on a FAT32 flash drive for convenience. There is also a method whereby you can access the Lifecycle Controller through the iDRAC Web interface to upload and install such updates, but I can’t find step by step instructions for that right now and can’t tinker on a PowerEdge server at this moment to write up my own for you. But here’s the link: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000128133/poweredge-server-lifecycle-controller-update

+x

 

jphughan - 1 December 2022 8:30 PM

Thanks for the kind words. I’ve been a Windows IT guy for the last 15 years, mostly in the server engineering space, and the last 9 of those have been at Dell. So this is rather familiar ground. As to why that same Rescue Media build works on your other servers, if the new server booted even without relying on ReDeploy, it means that the driver library on the Rescue Media didn’t come into play for injecting drivers into the restored image. It just so happened that the restored image had what it needed to boot properly on new hardware. In your current problem case, the restored image doesn’t have what it needs natively, and it appears that while your Rescue Media has a driver for that controller built in, it’s not the correct driver version for the OS that it needs to be used with, since the Rescue Media is based on Win8.1 / Server 2012 R2 and you’re targeting Server 2008 R2.Since that’s now been confirmed, I’m less confident that firmware is the answer here. I would strongly recommend that you just generate a Rescue Media build that’s based on WinPE 3.1, which is quick and easy, and use ReDeploy from THAT build. If you happen to get prompted to supply a driver in that scenario, point the wizard at the Payload folder you’ll see after extracting from the driver package I linked to originally. (Copy that onto the Rescue Media for convenience.)But if you want to update PERC firmware without an OS, that is achieved via the Lifecycle Controller. Dell has instructions for doing that at the link below. Put that firmware update EXE on a FAT32 flash drive for convenience. There is also a method whereby you can access the Lifecycle Controller through the iDRAC Web interface to upload and install such updates, but I can’t find step by step instructions for that right now and can’t tinker on a PowerEdge server at this moment to write up my own for you. But here’s the link: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000128133/poweredge-server-lifecycle-controller-update

I'll be trying the WinPE3.1

I'll be getting to that shortly and will post the results once it has completed restoring.

I noticed while in the BIOS that we are a version behind, so I figure best to flash the BIOS and any other needed items at the same time and these older servers will at least be as "current" as possible. I have worked in IT for 11 years now, 10 mainly for a small company and 75% of what I learned in school has been stuff I've not had to touch since graduating, so in times like these it can get stressful. Thank you once again.

+x

 

Bruce Nadeau - 1 December 2022 8:36 PM

+x

 

jphughan - 1 December 2022 8:30 PM

Thanks for the kind words. I’ve been a Windows IT guy for the last 15 years, mostly in the server engineering space, and the last 9 of those have been at Dell. So this is rather familiar ground. As to why that same Rescue Media build works on your other servers, if the new server booted even without relying on ReDeploy, it means that the driver library on the Rescue Media didn’t come into play for injecting drivers into the restored image. It just so happened that the restored image had what it needed to boot properly on new hardware. In your current problem case, the restored image doesn’t have what it needs natively, and it appears that while your Rescue Media has a driver for that controller built in, it’s not the correct driver version for the OS that it needs to be used with, since the Rescue Media is based on Win8.1 / Server 2012 R2 and you’re targeting Server 2008 R2.Since that’s now been confirmed, I’m less confident that firmware is the answer here. I would strongly recommend that you just generate a Rescue Media build that’s based on WinPE 3.1, which is quick and easy, and use ReDeploy from THAT build. If you happen to get prompted to supply a driver in that scenario, point the wizard at the Payload folder you’ll see after extracting from the driver package I linked to originally. (Copy that onto the Rescue Media for convenience.)But if you want to update PERC firmware without an OS, that is achieved via the Lifecycle Controller. Dell has instructions for doing that at the link below. Put that firmware update EXE on a FAT32 flash drive for convenience. There is also a method whereby you can access the Lifecycle Controller through the iDRAC Web interface to upload and install such updates, but I can’t find step by step instructions for that right now and can’t tinker on a PowerEdge server at this moment to write up my own for you. But here’s the link: https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000128133/poweredge-server-lifecycle-controller-update

I'll be trying the WinPE3.1

I'll be getting to that shortly and will post the results once it has completed restoring.

I noticed while in the BIOS that we are a version behind, so I figure best to flash the BIOS and any other needed items at the same time and these older servers will at least be as "current" as possible. I have worked in IT for 11 years now, 10 mainly for a small company and 75% of what I learned in school has been stuff I've not had to touch since graduating, so in times like these it can get stressful. Thank you once again.

Quick question, when I select the PE 3.1 it defaults to the RE 5.0, I selected the PE 3.1 BUT have not selected Build yet, is this correct OR do I want the PE 5.0 boot...?