How to add additional disk in to an array?

[Jason Ng Teng Po]

DL360
4x 36GB HDD (RAID 5)
C drive: Windows 2003 server R2
D drive: (Unallocated space)

How do I add additional 36GB HDD into the RAID 5 array and combine it with the D:unallocated space ? Can provide me step by step?

[KarloChacon]

hi

the for the unallocated space you need a third party software

http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/diskdirector/

and for add a new HDD to the existing RAID level follow the file I attached page 4

steps first add the new HDD follow the steps from the PDF file and use the party partition software to use the unllocate space you're have and you're going to get when you have the new HDD

regards

[Jason Ng Teng Po]

What if, I create the unallocated space to D partition and then after I expand the new HDD into the RAID 5, how can I move all the space in the new HDD to the D partition?

[KarloChacon]

yes you can do it in that way first creating a partition for the unallocated space.

Ok I recommend you to take a look to the PDF I just attached

"Once the array expansion has completed, the ACU will be used to extend the logical drive. Below, in Figure 5, Logical Drive 1 is highlighted and ACU reports Parallel SCSI Array A has 138911MB of unused space. This unused space can be used to create a new logical drive or to extend an existing logical drive..."

special to this
"This unused space can be used to create a new logical drive or to extend an existing logical drive."

so if you create a new logical drive you wont be able to add that new space (unallocated) to D: so you have to extend the new logical drive you will get unallocated space next to D (or any other partition) and the way to add that space to D (or any other) is using a partition software.

in the case you want to add space to partition different to C: you can use diskpart which is you case so you don't need 3 party software

I hope this can help you

[Jason Ng Teng Po]

Ok I just gone through the PDF file.

That means, my current unallocated space in my Windows 2003 would not merge with the unused space(in the ACU utility) after the expanding of the new HDD into the array is done? Is this what you mean?

[KarloChacon · Accepted solution]

ok

if you right now have unallocated space (i don't know why)

you're going to get unallocated space again after following the expand / extend process from PDF file

I think wold be great if you upload some screenshots from you situation right now

As fas as I know you will be able to merge those space no problem

regards

[KarloChacon]

what I meant before if the case you create a new logical drive but it not going to be your case because you want to extend the logical drive

so no problem

[KarloChacon]

hi

any other question just let us know ok

something else during the expand / extend process, the expand process take several hours, just let you know

regards

[Pieter 't Hart]

when you mention
D drive: (Unallocated space)
do you mean D is not used at all ??
then you could
- delete this volume in ACU
- add the new disk to the array
- expand the array
- create a new volume (new D:).
Then in windows you can assing the full space to a new partition on D:.

pieter

[Lucky Luciano]

expand took long time?
how is set raid for rebuild priority?