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The safest method to upgrade our MS Fileshare Cluster while maintaining good file transfer performance for 50TB of Fileshare data.

Danny Arroyo 61 Reputation points
2025-07-09T12:41:37.3866667+00:00

We have a stretch cluster between two datacenters (3 city blocks apart) that uses Storage Replica to keep the files in sync. Its hardware configuration is 1 FileServer running Windows Server 2019 directly connected via fiber to 1 Storage appliance in both datacenters. Both Windows Servers are running MS File Cluster Services.

We want to replace this setup with an identical setup, but with upgraded hardware. Other differences are that the storage appliances will be directly connected via iSCSI instead of Fiber and the we plan to install Windows server 2022 instead of 2019.

I have concerns regarding how to get 50TB of data transferred over as fast as possible from one MS Fileshare Cluster to another as well as whether I should install Server 2019 instead of Server 2022. In addition, I would like to get this done without changing anything on the original Fileshare cluster so that in case something goes wrong, I can revert back and get the Shares working while I troubleshoot the issue.

I have researched several methods to do this

  1. Some say that we can configure our new servers with Windows 2019, enable MS Fileshare cluster and join the new servers to the original cluster. Then upgrade the cluster with a Rolling Upgrade. Or some other method of upgrading the Fileshare Cluster Server OS version.
  2. Then I read that the MS Fileshare Cluster will accept another Windows server with a version of windows that is (at most) one version newer than the existing Windows servers. But it seems that it will upgrade the OS on all the servers (including the original servers)
  3. Some say I should upgrade my existing Fileshare cluster to Windows server 2022 first, then add the two new Windows 2022 Servers.

I would appreciate some advice on which method would allow me to get this done without affecting anything on the original cluster. However If the best method is to upgrade the original cluster Windows OS first, what is the safe way to do this?

Also, what is not clear to me is the file transfer performance that I should expect if we choose the option of adding the new servers to the existing cluster (using Storage Replica). When we first setup our Fileshare cluster 5 years ago (using Storage Replica), we were able to transfer 35TB of data from one data center to another in 48 hours. Should I expect similar performance (adding time for the additional 15TB, of course)?

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you

Windows for business | Windows Server | Devices and deployment | Set up, install, or upgrade
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  1. Henry Mai 2,300 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-08-07T02:24:24.8466667+00:00

    Hello Danny, I am Henry and I want to share my insight about your concern.

    My approach recommendation is a side-by-side migration, where you build a completely new, parallel environment and then migrate the data and roles to it. We will use the Storage Migration Service (SMS). It is a feature included in Windows Server.

    You can refer the Migration Plan Using SMS:

    1. Build New Environment: Set up your two new servers with Windows Server 2022. Configure your iSCSI storage and build the new Failover Cluster.
    2. Deploy SMS Orchestrator: Install the Storage Migration Service role on a separate management server (or one of the new cluster nodes).
    3. Inventory: Use the SMS orchestrator to connect to your current Server 2019 cluster and inventory all the file shares, data, and configurations.
    4. Transfer Data (Pre-seeding): Initiate the data transfer. SMS will copy the 50TB of data from the old cluster to the new one. You can run it for days or weeks, and SMS will perform incremental syncs to keep the destination up-to-date.
    5. Cutover: During a planned maintenance window (e.g., a weekend), you will perform the cutover. Performs a final, rapid incremental sync.
      • Takes the File Server role on your old cluster offline.
      • Moves the network name and IP addresses from the old cluster role to the new one.
      • Brings the shares online on your new cluster.
      • At this point, your users are now seamlessly connected to the new hardware without any changes on their end.

    Answering Your Specific Questions

    1. Should I install Server 2019 or Server 2022? You should install Windows Server 2022 on the new hardware.
    2. What file transfer performance should I expect? Your previous experience (35TB in 48 hours) is a useful baseline, but you should not assume it will be the same. The performance will be determined by the bottleneck in the new chain, which could be:
    • The read speed of your old Fibre Channel storage.
    • The bandwidth and latency of the network link between the datacenters.
    • The write speed of your new iSCSI storage.

    You can use the Storage Migration Service to create a test job for a single, large share (e.g., 1-2 TB). Let it run and measure the actual throughput.

    I hope this information is helpful.

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