What is a forklift upgrade?
A forklift upgrade is the wholesale replacement of a system, removing the old hardware and installing new, because the existing one cannot be extended to meet a new requirement. In backup storage it usually happens when a repository has reached its maximum capacity or the end of its supported life.
Why do forklift upgrades happen?
Storage systems are built with limits: a fixed number of drive bays, a maximum number of expansion shelves, a controller that addresses only so much capacity. When data outgrows the limit, there is no increment left to buy. The same outcome follows when a vendor ends support for a model, since running backups on unsupported hardware is rarely acceptable. Fixed-capacity backup appliances are a common starting point for this.
What does a forklift upgrade involve for backup storage?
Replacing a repository is more than a hardware swap, because the old system holds restore points that are still within retention.
| Step | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Purchase | Full price of a new, larger system |
| Parallel running | Both systems powered, housed and maintained |
| Redirecting jobs | New full backups on the new system |
| Existing restore points | Migrated, or left to expire on the old system |
| Decommissioning | Secure disposal once nothing on it is needed |
What are the costs beyond the hardware?
The purchase is the visible part. The overlap period can last as long as the longest retention on the old system, unless data is migrated, and migration takes time and sometimes a vendor service. New full backups raise capacity use at the start. Immutable restore points cannot be removed early, which can extend the overlap. And the project occupies the same small team that runs daily operations. Running two backup targets at once describes that period.
How can the next one be avoided?
The alternative is a system that grows in place. Scale-out storage adds capacity by adding nodes or drives to a running deployment, and software-defined storage separates the software's life from that of the servers, so hardware can be refreshed node by node while the data stays put. When evaluating a repository, the useful questions are what the maximum capacity is, how expansion is done and whether old and new hardware can run in the same system. Expand or replace sets out the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the term forklift upgrade come from?
From the image of needing a forklift to carry out the old equipment and bring in the new, as opposed to adding a component.
Is a forklift upgrade always bad?
No. Replacing very old systems can be the right call. The concern is being forced into one earlier than planned.
Do restore points survive a forklift upgrade?
Only if they are migrated or the old system is kept until they expire. Both need planning before the old unit is switched off.