Inventory the current location
Identify the actual data directory shown by the Channels server. Do not infer it from a desktop shortcut or a folder called recordings. Record the current path, intended new path and a few completed recordings that can serve as references after the move.
Choose a quiet period and keep a recoverable copy appropriate to the value of the data. Inspect the destination’s available space and ordinary filesystem access. A larger drive is not useful if the server cannot write to it or if its mount disappears at the next restart.
Follow the directory-level operation
Channels documents disabling Server Enabled, moving the entire data directory, selecting its new location and enabling the server again. The object being moved is the complete data directory, not a handpicked set of video files. Follow the installed version’s controls and retain the original inventory.
Avoid rearranging filenames or editing metadata during the relocation. A straightforward location move is easier to verify when the library identities and recording rules remain recognizable. Keep any separate archive-cleanup project for after the storage route is understood.
Verify old material and new writes
After the server resumes, inspect the reference recordings from the ordinary client. Check an opening, a middle position and an ending rather than assuming a familiar poster proves the file is present. Retain any missing-path message with the exact item identity.
Then schedule or make a small permitted recording and verify its destination and contents. This tests the new write route separately from reading old files. A successful read alone does not establish that the server can create the next recording, while a new file alone does not establish that the old archive was transferred completely.
Finish the move without losing the rollback
Compare the directory inventory and sample results with the plan. Keep the previous copy until the destination and ordinary server restart are understood. When using an external or network-mounted destination, include its availability in the operating procedure rather than treating the chosen path as permanently present.
Document the new server data path privately and note the actual verification results. This guide does not report a moved drive, backup or recording. It provides a practical completion checklist around the documented operation, with no claim that selecting a new path migrates data automatically.
Questions answered
Should I move only the visible video files?
The documented move operates on the entire server data directory.
Why check a new recording after the move?
Reading transferred files and writing new recordings are different storage results.
Sources & further reading
Official references for the subjects discussed. Service terms and device software can change.