Expanding a RAID 5 array

[Ayman Altounji]

I am attempting to expand a 3 drive RAID 5 array to include a fourth drive. All of the drives are the same size, and the system recognizes them. When using the Compaq Array Configuration Utility to do the expansion, I get the following error:

The Compaq SMART-2SL Controller in Slot 4 does not support this feature.

The capacity expansion feature is not available since this controller does not contain a battery backed up cache to store information during the expansion process. Without a battery backed up cache, a loss of power or other interruption during the capacity expansion process would cause data loss.

I guess my question is how do I perform this backup or force the controller to allow me to complete the expansion?

[Ayman Altounji]

You dont. The smart 2SL and smart 221 did not support expansion. You can create a raid0 array of 1 drive.