Add Capacity to arrary w/3Si

[David Alderman_1]

I have a 3Si NetRAID controller with 3 drives on Ch.0 configured as RAID5 and another drive (was a hot spare) on Ch.1.

My Logical Drive on the RAID5 is nearly full. I would like to add the driver on Ch.1 (that was a hot spare) to the existing Array without killing any of the original data on the array.

Using NetRAID Assistant (B. 01. 04) there is an option called Add Capacity (Logical Drive> Change Config> Add Capacity) that appears to allow me to assign the drive to the existing array.

Can this be done on the fly... without losing any data already on the array?

I have done this with other RAID controllers (Non-HP) successfully in the past. After the array is reconfigured (sucked up the new drive space into the array) I then run a tool in Windows (DiskPart, similar to Partion Magic) that allows the OS (NT/W2K) to see the increased capacity of the array without losing any data and on the fly while users are still access their data.

Not having done this with the 3Si and NetRAID Assistant I was wondering about the possibility of this being accomplished/successful.

Sincerely,
David Alderman d.alderman@nist.gov

[David Alderman_1]

Additional info:

System is a LH II running NT4 (SP6a) and Virtual Sizing on the Logical Drive/Array is disabled. I'm also pretty sure the LD is Basic and not Dynamic since NT4's Disk Administrator reports it as a primary partion... which I believe can only be basic if it is primary.

Also, would enabling virtual sizing to the existing array be possible *prior* to adding to the capacity? And will this eliminate having to run MS' Diskpart utility and/or reboot?

David

[Marino Meloni_1]

hi
-first, at a hardware level, the operation is quite easy:
Backup all your data (just in case ;-) )
remove from config your hot spare, making it off line(Fail drive) it will be displayed as ready,
perform the ad capacity.
_Virtual sizind did not need to be enable if you can reboot your system
When expanded your raid 5 will include all four drives, and you will see the free space
-now you have to see wich how you want to manage the free space.
bye

marino