MSA60 storage array

[QBS]

I recently purchased a 300G SAS 15K drive to add to my raid 5 MSA60 storage array to increase the storage space and was told it is a dual port drive and I didn't need to reformat my raid 5 array, how to I check if my other 3 drives are single or dual port.

I also tried expanding the array and after the transformation was completed at 100 percents nothing happened, restarted the server but not the storage array and still the same, was told I need to do some command to activated it in windows since the transformation is ready as I was using the HP storage array utils in windows to this. Do I need to change it to dynamic disc since it is simple disc.

Any ideas?

[gregersenj]

You can check drive type, using , the System Management Homepage, the ACU or the ADU.

Now that you have expanded your array, you have added the new disk to the array, and your excisting Logical Drive (LUN), as been destributed over 4 disks.
Now you have got some empty, unused space on you array.
You can Extend your excisting LUN, og you can create new LUN(s)

If you extend the LUN, windows will see it as a lager disk, and you will need to extend partition (There some catches), or you can create a new parttion.

If you create new LUN(s), windows will see it as new disk(s).

But windows will not see any difference, where you are now.

BR
/jag

[QBS]

I do not see my extra HD in the disk management in windows , I can only see it in the storage array config utils showing 1 drive with unused space 300G. My 3 SAS raid 5 drive is a Basic disc in windows disk management, what do I do now?

Create a logical drive using the array config utils? and then see if I can use the Windows disc management in windows to extend it?

If not do I create a logical drive in Array config utils and try the extend again using the array utils?

or do I convert the Basic disc to dynamic from disc management in windows and then use the array utils to create a logical drive and then go back to disk managment in windows and see if I can extend it since it is now dynamic disc?

Or once I convert it to dymanic disc in windows I do all this in the array utils?



Ken

[gregersenj]

It depaned on what you do.

Do you want a lager disk?
Or do you want an additional disk.

If you want a larger disk.
The you select the Logical drive, that you have got, and extend it.
From the ACU.

If you want an addtional disk, then you create a new logical drive using the ACU.

Untill you do one of the aboave, windows will se no change.

When you have got a RAID controller, windows do not see the physical disks.
Windows see the logical disks.

BR
/jag

[QBS]

I see in ACU that I can extend the logicial drive, my existing size is 558.731GB and it says Max I can change it is 838.095GB, my unused space on the new drive shows 372.5GB, does that mean I only get 279GB out of my 372.5gb extra HD? if I extend it is my existing data still ok, do I have to do anything in windows after that?
Thanks

[gregersenj]

Well, without seeing it myself. It's hard to give you a very good explanation.

Your current RAID 5 it 558 GB, using 3 3 drives.
That mean you data is 279Gb + 279GB = 558GB.
Wich mean when ever you add a disk, min 279 Gb or lager you can extend you logical drive 279GB.

The remaining space, you can create a new logical drive.

To understand this I will use round easy theoritically numbers.

Lets say:
You have got 1 x 100 GB disk and 2 x 150 GB disk.
You want to use this for a RAID 5.
Then you can create a RAID 5 of 200 GB.
100 GB + 100 GB of data + 100 GB of parity.
The smallest disk decide the size of you RAID
In this theory, you use 100 GB on all 3 disks. Leaving you with 2 x 50 GB unused space. You can use that for a 50 GB RAID 1 or 100 GB RAID 0.

In you case, for real. You are for some reason limitted to 279 GB per disk.


In windows
If you extend the logical drive.
Windows will see it as a larger disk.
You can extend your partition, wich can be a challenge, on the boot/system partition.
I will not be much help on that part.
Or you can create a new partition.

BR
/jag

[QBS]

THe spare drives I have is 300G, so I suppose you are right as this will only give me about 279G of extra storage space added, I am not sure why my ACU is showing 379G of unused space, but when I go to the extend logicial drive it gives me 839Max I can extend it to. I will try to extend the array in ACU once I have backed up my data.

Do I need to convert my drive from Basic to dynamic first in the Windows disk management before I extend the logicial drive in ACU?

The drive has share data on it and no OS is installed with it.

[gregersenj]

If I remember correctly, you don't need to convert.

Since it'a a data drive, you should have no problem extending it.

Good idea to backup, allways do that.

extend the logical drive

rescan device manager

check you have got a bigger drive in diskmanage

open a command window

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

[QBS]

If the raid controller don't do it, then I will try the diskpart afterwards, is it only down using command line with windows? no GUI.

[gregersenj]

You must undstand this clearly.

This is a 4 step task.

1. Physically hot install the disk.
2. Add new disk to array, using ACU
(expand array)
3. Extend logical drive using ACU.
4. Extend windows partion using diskpart.

BR
/jag

[QBS]

Thanks, I have already done that and it has extended and I had to convert the dynamic disc in windows to extend it after the ACU.
It's all working now but it shows 2 HD in Windows disc management.

Question is I had shadow copied enabled but now it shows disbled but it's is still working, I think because it was enabled before I extended the array for the 550G, now I have about 839G total showing 2 HD in windows disc management, what do I do now? what will happen if I enable it again? Will it stuff up the settings before since it is working now but it shows disable.

[gregersenj]

hmm. I don't know on the last part.

I for sure wouldn't exspect to see 2 more disks, unless you create more Logical drives. You should get a larger disk only, with unused space.

I have no idea aboute the shadow stuff.

BR
/jag

[QBS]

That's what I see under windows disc management, the new HD 279G and my old one which is about 559G, both dynamic now and using it as total space. Maybe it's normal to see 2 Hard drives under hardware raid?

[gregersenj]

No.

You must have created an extra logical drive !

The oprating system see the logical drives only. It can never see the physical drives.
At least when we are talking aboute the Smart Array Controller.

please attach screen shots from the arrayconfiguratio utility, showing the logical drives, and from the windows disk mangement.

BR
/jag

[QBS]

Here it is.

[QBS]

and another one.

[gregersenj]

Hmm never seen that before.

From the RAID controller, everything is perfect.
You got that right.

On the OS.
I'm not sure.
But it seem like you have createt a new partition, on the new space you have got on disk 3, and then convertet to dynamic disks, and then spanned them.

What you should have done:
You should have done noting on the new space.
opened a command prompt
run diskpart
extended the partition.

I don't think it's a disaster.

BR
/jag

[QBS]

What I did when the controller was done, I went to disc managment and I saw the extra HD but everything is simple disc.

I right clicked and extend option was greyed out, so I converted all to dymanic disc and then I had the option to extend the disc and that is what I got. It was showing 2 disc from the beginning, you think the command line is not the same as what I have done?

[gregersenj]

Yes. I can see that

You did not see an extra hard disk.
What you did see was unpartitioned space on the disk, becaurse it was now a bigger disk.

Not an extra disk, a bigger disk.

If you look at disk 3, you now have 2 T:
drives. Becaurse you have createt a new partition, on the greyed out area.
Convertet both partitions and then spanned them, meaning They now appear as one disk.

If you had done nothing to the greyed out areare.
Opened a command box, and run diskpart.
Then you could have extended the old T partition.

You have now learned something new, and this will not be strange to you in the future. :)

[QBS]

ok thanks, what will happen if I add another HD? and use the command? will it join it onto the second HD as 1 HD.

[gregersenj]

If you add another disk
Agian you will get a greay area to the right on disk 3.

The you use diskpart to extend the second partition.

Don't do anything in the diskmanager.

BR
/jag