expand array,extent logical

[Ayman Altounji]

I am using an integrated smart array, and attempting to expand an raid 5 array which currently consist of 3 18gb drives. This is the system and only logical drive in the server. The array config util allows me to add a drive to the array, but at the end of the wizard, it mentions that I am using Windows 2000 which does not support this. Is there a work around to expand/extend this array?
Thanks in advance.

[Ayman Altounji]

Note: in order to create a volume set when using Windows 2000 after successfully expanding an array using a hardware array controller, your initial raid 5 stripe set which shows up in disk manager as a physical disk, must have been created as a Dynamic Disk. Note: Basic Disks do not allow you to create a volume set which will allow you to extend an existing volume by utililizing the free space created by expanding an array. If you look at the help screen under disk manager in windows 2000 on extending a volume it explains this. You do have the option to convert from a basic disk to a dynamic disk, but it warns against this and clearly says that the original disk must be created as a Dynamic Disk in order to support volume extension. For the future, you may want to consider setting up the disk as dynamic initially, if adding disk space will be a concern later. In this case, if the disk was set up as dynamic initially, you won't have a problem extending whatever volume you want to make bigger and keeping the drive letter the same, however, if the initial disk was set up as a basic disk, then you can still configure the free space, but, you will more than likely have to format the free space and assign it a new drive letter in order to use it. Otherwise, it will have to be a clean re-install after backing up to tape, and running the erase, rebuilding the array to include the new drives (make sure the drive is "dynamic" for future expansion), then restore from tapes.

[Ayman Altounji]

But what if the array extention won't affect the logical disk size?

When our server arrived one disk has not been seated correctly. We were short in time and setup the server with NO raid option on the system disk. We'd like to extent this array (now that the second system drive is inserted correctly...) to a RAID 0/1 but get the warning in the configuration tool.

My question is: Does the extention from no RAID to a mirror (RAID 0/1) affect Windows 2000? I thought this would be a task that is handled on a lower level than OS, at the Smart SCSI Controller? Is it possible to ignore this warning or is Windows 2000 even a little bit "smarter" than the controller in the end?