Question:
We are currently running SQL 6.5 and want to upgrade to SQL 7.0. The machine hosting SQL 6.5 is not robust enough to handle SQL 7.0. We are running out of hard disk space and the upgrade to version 7.0 would surpass that by far.
What is the proper procedure for moving our SQL 6.5 databases over to the new RAID 5 machine? Once I get the data over and test that all is well, I will then upgrade to 7.0. I have not been able to find any concrete steps that discuss this. (I have been through Microsoft TechNet, online searches, etc.)
Answer:
Depending on how much data you have to move in how much time, the easiest thing to do would be to have Transfer Manager move it for you. You could set up the destination devices to be big enough to accommodate the transfer, and it would be s-l-o-w, but it would save you a lot of heavy lifting.
In any event, run sp_helpdevice to get a grip on what the load will be expecting to find on the other side.
The next easiest thing might be to back up the database and restore it onto the bigger disk.
After you get it moved, you can get ready for the upgrade.
