Smart Array 5i - Extend Logical Drive

[BR798914]

Server : DL 380 G2.
Controller : Smart Array 5i
OS : Windows 2000 Srv
I've got 4 32GB disks in a RAID-5 setup.
OS sees 3 drives - C,D and E
I want to add 2 new 32GB disks. I want theese new disks to make up a new drive F (64GB)
I want the drives to participate in the existing Raid-5.
How do I go about ?
- plug in disks (wait for spin up)
- add drives to existing Array (Expand Array)
- Then what ?
- Create new logical drive -or-
- Expand existing logical drive

[Stephen Kebbell]

Hi,

the first 2 steps are OK. You can then either expand your exisiting logical drive or create a new one. It does not matter as you are creating a new Windows partition.
If you expand the existing one, Windows Disk Manager will see the new space at the end of "Disk 0" as unpartitioned space. If you create a new one, Windows will see a new "Disk 1".

Regards,
Stephen

[BR798914]

OK - thanx alot.
Will the drives, ether way, join the existing raid-5 ?

[Steven Clementi · Accepted solution]

As long as you add them to the array (Expand the array), you will have the free space to either create a new logical drive or extend your existing logical drive(s).


A big mis-conception with Smart Array's is how RAID is configured. RAID1 or RAID5 is configured at the Logical Drive level, not the Array level. The array can host ANY available RAID level as long as it has the proper amount of drives.

You have an array of 4 disks than can either have RAID1 Logical drives and/or RAID5 Logical drives. If you expand the array with 2 more disks, you then have that space available for more RAID1 and/or RAID5 space.

Technically, the new drives will NOT join the existing RAID5 unless you Extend your RAID5 logical drive(s). You can however create a new RAID5 Logical Drive out of the space you gain from expanding the array with the 2 new disks.

The steps...

First plug in the disks
Second Expand Array
Third Extend Logical Drives OR create NEW RAID5 Logical Drive
Fourth Initialize disk in Windows Disk Manager (if you extend an existing logical disk, this step not needed.)
Fifth format disk


Steven

[CA1323761]

Hi Steve,

I'm extending logical drive with smart array 642 on W2K SP4. I've got 5 72GB in RAID 5 (Dynamic Disk)and adding another 72GB HDD. Array expand step is done (using ACU). Current running logical expansion from ACU and get the following status in controller :-

#785, Background parity initialization is currently queued or in progress on logical drive 1 ( RAID 5 in array A). If background parity initialization is queued, it will start when I/O is performed on the drive. When background parity initialization completes, the performance of the logical drive will improve.

In disk management, I can see the added HDD as "unallocated". Now, should I use diskpart to extend my drive to include the unallocated space. Any special task that I should be aware before doing the diskpart

Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn Gpt
-------- ------ ------- ------- --- ---
Disk 0 Online 34 GB 0 B
Disk 1 Online 339 GB 68 GB *

Thanks,
Yong

[Irvan Kurniawan]

Hi,
My name irvan, i have server DL 380 G5 with the OS debian linux etch4 64 bit, 3 disk with two disk became RAID 1 and one disk became hotspare. like Mr Per Kr. Meyer ask, i want to extend new disk 143 GB on my server as new logical drive (new partition). the problem is this server is already on service 24x7 on my client, this service is include on critical service on my client. so i can't do anything without detail and valid MOP (Method).
Can anyone help me to define the detail that i must do to add this new drive as a new partition?
before of that i want to say thank you so much.
regards,

Irvan Kurniawan
Indonesia