Volume Expansion on a DL380 G4 using ACU

[FS-EXP]

I'm expanding a volume on a DL380 G4 using the ACU.

The "before" configuration: 4 x 300Go RAID 5, 1 logical volume

The "after" config: 6 x 300Go RAID 5, 1 logical volume.

The server runs a Windows Server 2k3 SP2.

I want to know if i'll have to reboot the server to finalise this operation.

Thanks

[KarloChacon · Accepted solution]

hi

no you don't. you don't need to reboot your server that is online operation and it can be done while your server is sharing resources, being accessed by clients and so on.

you right now are adding HDDs to an existing RAID so the process is expand/extend

Expand process take long time
Extend is faster
I've done several times and you don't need to reboot your server HP know that a business is a businesses and can not be stopped

regards

[FS-EXP]

Thanks.

The expand process is finished.
The extand process is pending. It takes longtime too!

[KarloChacon]

hi

well yes it takes some time.

after that you have go to windows disk management and create a new logical drive or add the unllocated space

regards

[FS-EXP]

The extand process is now finished.

In the Windows Disk Management I've got my old logical drive and unllocated space.

To extand my old logical drive with all the unllocated space I've to convert my drive to dynamic?

Is there a risk?

[KarloChacon]

hi

you don't need to convert.

what you need to do is:

if you want to add that unallocated space to C: (boot partition) you will a 3 party partition software for instance
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/partitioning.html

but on the other hand if you want to add that unallocated space to a different partition D: - E: whatever you can use diskpart

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/325590

http://searchwincomputing.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid68_gci1241594,00.html

regards

[FS-EXP]

I'll make a full backup of my server first.

Then I think i'll try Acronis Disk Director Suite.

Thanks a lot for your help.

[FS-EXP]

Have you ever tested Acronis® Disk Director Suite 10.0 on a Windows 2k3 SRV?

I think Acronis® Disk Director Server 10.0 is most appropriated for this operation.
http://www.acronis.com/enterprise/products/diskdirector/

[KarloChacon]

hi

yes that is the utility

"Acronis Partition Expert" that is include in
Acronis® Disk Director Server 10.0

that will help you

regards

[Pascal Lévesque]

We have done this trick : Changing all 36Go drive to 72Go in our Raid 5. Swaping 1 hdd at time (take +/- 1 hour / disk).

Always using ACU, we "Expand" array from 69Gb to 138Gb (Take 10 hours).

After, we use command line (Server W2K3) DISKPART :
> List Volume (To see wich volume to expand)
> Select Volume x (x = volume #)
> Expand (Even if the documentation tell us that we need to enter "Expand x" x=MB, we only enter Expand command to make it work)
Take less than 1 seconds to process !!

We have now moved from 69Go to 138Go in less than 1 day without any restart or slowing the system for the users !