RAID 5 Array

[Brendan Mullen]

I have an HP LPr 600 with a Netraid 3Si raid controller card in it connected to a Rack Storage/12 containing 6 x 36gb drives. These drives are configured in a RAID 5 array. Server is running NT 4 SP 5. I am now running out of space on the RAID array and have space to add one more 36GB drive to the array. Virtaul Sizing is NOT enabled (thanks to our system integrator) . Is it possible to add a drive to this array without having to delete & restore all data stored on the array.

[Enes Dizdarevic · Accepted solution]

You can expand your raid without having virtual capacitiy enabled. After expanding you will have to restart server for OS to see new disk space (with virtual capacity enabled you could avoid restarting server but this requires carefull planning). Best way is to use netraid assistent. Select your existing logical drive (in online status) and new phisical disk (in ready status) and in menu find expand/change raid level. If you want users to have access to disk during rebuild set rebuild level to 50 or less before expanding raid.

[Julio Valero]

You can enable virtual sizing even if you didn?t before. Then you can add disks to the array but it does not mean that NT will recognize the added space. To make available the added disk space you have to create a new partition in Disk Administrator and set new partition + current partition to a volume set.

Be carefull creating the new partition for the new disk space, if you create a partition higher than effective available disk can cause a data loose.