How to move data to new Mac Pro?

[ApplesAOranges]

I´ve backed up and updated everything to the latest OS X, but my problem is this. My old Mac Pro has 4 hard drives! For the New Mac Pro I have 4 external hard drives. Now restoring only the Mac OS drive would be very easy, but...

How do I get all the data from the other old hard drives to the new external hard drives accordingly? Will the Migration Assistent let me show that "put data from this old hard drive to this new external hard drive" and so on...???

I´m planning to do this restore immediately when I turn my new Mac Pro on and it asks me "restore from Time Machine?", so that there won´t be any double account hassles. But I´m not sure if I should connect the external hard drives to the new Mac Pro, before I turn it on.

I´m sure there´s many people here that have done this. It would be great if you could share some light on this process. Thanks!!!

 

[Cubemmal]

I´ve backed up and updated everything to the latest OS X, but my problem is this. My old Mac Pro has 4 hard drives! For the New Mac Pro I have 4 external hard drives. Now backing up only the Mac OS drive would be very easy, but...

How do I get all the dat from the other old hard drives to the new external hard drives accordingly? Will the Migration Assistent let me show that "put data from this old hard drive to this new external hard drive" and so on...???

I´m planning to do this restore immediately when I turn my new Mac Pro on, so that there won´t be any double account hassles. But I´m not sure if I should connect the external hard drives to the new Mac Pro, before I turn it on.

I´m sure there´s many people here that have done this. It would be great if you could share some light on this process. Thanks!!!

Promise Pegasus2 empty 4 bay TB 2.0 enclosure available at the online Apple store for around $700 will do it. Then you'll have a nice RAID array afterwards.

 

[ApplesAOranges]

Promise Pegasus2 empty 4 bay TB 2.0 enclosure available at the online Apple store for around $700 will do it. Then you'll have a nice RAID array afterwards.

Well I already have the 4 external hard drives here and I don´t like doing RAID. I like to keep the hard drives separate.

 

[Small White Car]

Do you have a thunderbolt-to-firewire adapter? I'd use one of those to launch the old Mac using Target Disk Mode.

Then, just drag stuff from one drive to another as you see fit.

If you want to run Migration Assistant for the boot drive first so that you get applications transferred, then do that. But then I'd do all the other stuff manually.

 

[ApplesAOranges]

Also to make clear that I have one 4TB Time Machine back up for all the hard drives in my old Mac Pro.

I´m just worried how will the Migration Assistent treat all the other drives from the Time Machine back up. I hope it doesn´t try to put all of their data only to the new Mac Pro´s OS drive?

So I would need to show somehow that old OS will go to new OS drive. Old drive1 goes to new drive1, old drive2 goes to new drive2 and so on...

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Do you have a thunderbolt-to-firewire adapter? I'd use one of those to launch the old Mac using Target Disk Mode.

Yes I have. My Time Machine backup drive is FireWire, but I´m planning to use FireWire-Thunderbolt adapter.

Then, just drag stuff from one drive to another as you see fit.

If you want to run Migration Assistant for the boot drive first so that you get applications transferred, then do that. But then I'd do all the other stuff manually.

Hmm... Okay so you are saying I should only restore the OS drive and then do all the other drives manually? Can I somehow block the other drives and choose only the OS drive for the restore?

I´m just wondering how will affect some of my programs and licenses. Because I have programs on the OS drive, which have data on the other drives and they are connected.

 

[jasonvp]

Well I already have the 4 external hard drives here and I don´t like doing RAID. I like to keep the hard drives separate.

I think you're making this a bit more complicated on yourself, but you are saving some money by doing so. A Pegasus2 empty 4-bay enclosure can be configured such that each drive shows up on the Mac as its own entity (but it's almost $700). Further, if there's data on the drive, it'll still be there when the Mac mounts it via Thunderbolt. So: just pop the 4 drives out of the current Mac, pop them into the Pegasus unit, and voila: your data is right there on the new Mac.

No RAID configuration necessary, at all.

 

[Small White Car]

I honestly have no idea how migration assistant works.

I guess give it a try between the two Macs and see what options it gives you. But if it lets you pick certain things, yeah, I'd say pick the boot drive only. That will transfer user accounts and applications and their registries.

But then, when it's done, use target disk mode between the 2 Macs and just go directly from one old drive to one new drive. Leave Time Machine out of this, totally un-plugged. Treat it as a backup in case something goes wrong, but short of that I see no reason to even involve it.

 

[Stephent]

Well I already have the 4 external hard drives here and I don´t like doing RAID. I like to keep the hard drives separate.

You don't have to set it up as a RAID. In fact it will be pretty much plug and play with the Pegasus. This situation is exactly why they are selling a diskless option.

 

[ApplesAOranges]

Why does everyone want me to buy Pegasus? When I told that I already have external drives for the new Mac Pro. Actually way faster than the Pegasus. It´s funny to me.

I´m just looking the best and simplest way to migrate getting my new Mac Pro set up exactly like my old Mac Pro.

 

[theSeb]

Actually way faster than the Pegasus.

How? You do realise that this makes no sense? You clearly don't have a RAID card in your Mac Pro. If you were to run your 4 drives in the Pegasus enclosure using RAID 0,5 or 10, then they would be a lot faster.

 

[ApplesAOranges]

How? You do realise that this makes no sense? You clearly don't have a RAID card in your Mac Pro. If you were to run your 4 drives in the Pegasus enclosure using RAID 0,5 or 10, then they would be a lot faster.

I have these bad boys http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10621

They are pretty fast without RAID and I don´t want RAID! I want separate hard drives and I have them already! I don´t want a hard drive enclosure. This thread completely going in whole other direction. Just people trying to convince me buying the Pegasus. What the hell is going on here?

What is this thing with the Pegasus?

 

[theSeb]

I have these bad boys http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10621

They are pretty fast without RAID and I don´t want RAID! I want separate hard drives and I have them already! I don´t want a hard drive enclosure. This thread completely going in whole other direction. Just people trying to convince me buying the Pegasus. What the hell is going on here?

What is this thing with the Pegasus?

Those drives each contain 2 drives in RAID, whether you want it, or not.

The problem is that your initial post was misunderstood and people thought you wanted to use your internal drives from your old Mac Pro with your new Mac Pro, hence why the diskless thunderbolt enclosure was suggested.

 

[ApplesAOranges]

Those drives each contain 2 drives in RAID, whether you want it, or not.

Yes, sure, I know that, but they appear on my desktop as one 1TB units.

The problem is that your initial post was misunderstood and people thought you wanted to use your internal drives from your old Mac Pro in your new Mac Pro.

Really? I thought I clearly said that I have four external hard drives for my new Mac Pro. The old drives stay in the old Mac Pro. All the old drives are just backed up in one 4TB backup Time Machine drive.

 

[Cubemmal]

Well I already have the 4 external hard drives here and I don´t like doing RAID. I like to keep the hard drives separate.

You don't have to RAID them in the Pegasus2. "Pass Through" mode is just the bare disk.

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I have these bad boys http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10621

They are pretty fast without RAID and I don´t want RAID! I want separate hard drives and I have them already! I don´t want a hard drive enclosure. This thread completely going in whole other direction. Just people trying to convince me buying the Pegasus. What the hell is going on here?

What is this thing with the Pegasus?

lol ... whatever. You have a problem, we suggested a solution, do what you wish. There are many ways to solve the same problem.

 

[rpang]

Get a Thunderbolt to Firewire cable and a Firewire cable and do a Target Disk Mode to your Old MacPro and move data according to where you want it to go.

 

[Stephent]

I have these bad boys http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?id=10621

They are pretty fast without RAID and I don´t want RAID! I want separate hard drives and I have them already! I don´t want a hard drive enclosure. This thread completely going in whole other direction. Just people trying to convince me buying the Pegasus. What the hell is going on here?

What is this thing with the Pegasus?

I think part of it is people are wondering if those Lacie drives really the best option. Other than how they show up on your desktop what issues do you have with RAID or using an array in another configuration. Just taking a quick look the Lacie drives, they cost $2000 more than an 8 disk 24TB Pegasus 2. Now if there is a legitimate reason for using the Lacie I won't argue, but that is a huge premium to pay. You could just create shortcuts on the desktop to internally named folders if you wanted. Heck you could even change their icon to a Hard Rive one if that matters. And it is too late to return them is a valid reason for using the Lacies

 

[flowrider]

Why not just use the Restore Function in that's built into Disk Utility and Clone the disks on your old Mac Pro, then hook them up the nMP and clone the StartUp disk to the nMP's SSD? Also, if the files you want to copy do not involve the OS, you could just drag them, one folder at a time, from one disk to another.

I really don't see any issues here

If the OP wants to use separate disk enclosures for his external HDDs I guess that's his choice. If I had a nMP I certainly would use one enclosure to house my external drives if I had that option. And, the OP did have the option of removing the HDDs from his old machine and he could have installed them into the new enclosure, thereby saving a lot of money.

Lou