How about something like this:
Use find to process each file with a script that does something like this:
if foo not soft link :
if foo open for output (lsof?) :
add foo to todo list
else :
make foo read-only
if foo open for output :
add foo to todo list
restore foo's permissions
else :
copy foo to raid
replace original with a soft link into raid
give copy correct permissions
move the todo list to where it will not be written the script
process the todo list files with the same script making a new todo list
rinse and repeat until the todo list is empty
for the endgame, make the entire source read-only
run find again, this time there is no need for most of the tests:
if foo not soft link :
copy foo to raid
replace original with a soft link into raid
give copy correct permissions
after the last copy, make the entire source unreadable and unwriteable
wait for last user to close file
rename the old files' top directory
rename the raid's top directory
let users back in
--
Michael hennebry at web.cs.ndsu.NoDak.edu
"SCSI is NOT magic. There are *fundamental technical
reasons* why it is necessary to sacrifice a young
goat to your SCSI chain now and then." -- John Woods