Array HOT Spare Disk to "normal" disk

[Tetteroo]

We've got a SmartArray 3200 Controller with RAID 5 with HOT Spare HDD but now we want to use the hot spare as a normal logical drive. Does anyone know if this can performed by a simple/quick solution.

Platform: Windows NT Server SP 6a

[Janine Bertolo]

Hello;

You can use the Array Configuration Utility, either live from the OS or by booting off of a SmartStart cd to perform this change.

Use the utility to first remove the online spare drive from your array, then add it back as part of the array (array expansion).

By adding the drive to the existing array, you maintain fault tolerance on the set.

You can also add the unused drive as a second array in RAID0 without fault tolerance.

Configure the resulting free space on the array as an additional logical drive.

You will then have the free space available for partitioning and use in NT.

Cheers,

Janine