<div>
Thanks Paul - so (excuse my noobness) <br />
<br />
1. Install Acronis on existing server<br />
2. Make a complete backup of server<br />
3. Take out all old drives<br />
4. Put in 3 x new drives<br />
5. Create new array<br />
6. Install Windows 2003 / Acronis ???<br />
7. Restore from Acronis ???<br />
<br />
... ? :)<br />
<br />
S.S.
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<div>
If you try to install Acronis it will tell you to buy the &quot;Enterprise version&quot;... scary price!!!<br />
I would use the standard version (much friendlier price) on a bootable CD. No need to re-install Server before restoring the image and so quicker overall.<br />
<br />
BR<br />
<br />
Paul
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Cool - actually I've realised that we're using Acronis Snap Deploy for creating &amp;&nbsp;distributing images of client machines etc. I wonder if that would work. I bet it wont as the array will be a different size. <br />
<br />
At least I'll be all to give them a call and see what tool they recommend.<br />
<br />
I'll investigate ... thanks,<br />
<br />
S.S.
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<div>
Or what you could do is to add more hard disks to the server. Create a new array and a partition. <br />
Move all the Exchange storage groups and mailbox stores and logs (which takes more space) to the new drive.<br />
<br />
In this case, you don't have to mess with third party softwares. Make sure you get 146GB or so hard disks with a view to run the server for a couple more years.
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<div>
&quot;you can get larger disks and replace them one by one, waiting for the array to be rebuilt after each disk. &quot;<br />
<br />
This sounds like a perfect solution for the lazy - I didn't know you could expand an array once it was set like this ... arrays send shivers down my spine as I know if you screw something up you're left with a bunch of disks that can't be read on boot up.<br />
<br />
I'll investigate this - if I can pull this method off, then life would be a lot easier !<br />
<br />
S.S.
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<div>
It should work, but it depends on the array controller, so check it's functions (if possible double check with HP, you should be able to use their online chat). Some controllers that have an Expand function will only allow you to expand by adding new disks to the already existing array, while others will also expand after you have replaced all the disks with larger ones.
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<div>
Thanks guys - i will check - i googled and found someone who had managed to do this using this method - but as you said, I better check first.<br />
<br />
Although it would take a bit longer for the drives to rebuild, I would prefer this method as there's no real downtime ... *if* it works, this would be the preferred solution.<br />
<br />
As i'm not going to be in any situation to try this for a couple of weeks ... i'm gonna split the points as you both have helped me get my head around it.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
S.S.
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Have not put into practice yet - but theory good :)
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<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
Hello there,<br />
<br />
I have a mission critical HP DL380 with 3 x 36.4 gig hotswop drives in a RAID 5 array. This server runs Exchange 2003.<br />
<br />
The drive is then divided up into a <br />
<br />
C:\ Programs etc = 10 gig<br />
E:\ Exchange = 57 gig<br />
<br />
Now, due to space constraints, what I would ideally like to do is put in some new larger drives but I have no idea if this will be possible.<br />
<br />
I don't want to rebuild the server either !<br />
<br />
Although I don't expect you guys to walk me through every step, I just wondered if you knew that this was possible, and if not, what's my next best solution ?<br />
<br />
Thanks ...<br />
<br />
S.S.
</div>
</div>


Hello there,

I have a mission critical HP DL380 with 3 x 36.4 gig hotswop drives in a RAID 5 array. This server runs Exchange 2003.

The drive is then divided up into a 

C:\ Programs etc = 10 gig
E:\ Exchange = 57 gig

Now, due to space constraints, what I would ideally like to do is put in some new larger drives but I have no idea if this will be possible.

I don't want to rebuild the server either !

Although I don't expect you guys to walk me through every step, I just wondered if you knew that this was possible, and if not, what's my next best solution ?

Thanks ...

S.S.

Upgrade RAID 5 server disks

Servers are computing devices that are similar to desktop computers in that they have the same basic components, but are significantly different in size, configuration and purpose. Servers are usually accessed over a network, and many run unattended, without a computer monitor, input device, audio hardware or USB interfaces. Many servers do not have a graphical user interface (GUI), and are configured and managed remotely. Servers typically include hardware redundancy such as dual power supplies, RAID disk systems, and ECC memory, along with extensive pre-boot memory testing and verification. Critical components might be hot swappable, and to guard against overheating, servers might have more powerful fans or use water cooling.

Server Hardware

Windows Server 2003 was based on Windows XP and was released in four editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter. It also had derivative versions for clusters, storage and Microsoft’s Small Business Server. Important upgrades included integrating Internet Information Services (IIS), improvements to Active Directory (AD) and Group Policy (GP), and the migration to Automated System Recovery (ASR).

Windows Server 2003

Storage devices include any device used for storing and retrieving digital information. Hard disk drives (HDDs) use one or more rigid ("hard") rapidly rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. Data is accessed in a random-access manner, meaning that individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order and not only sequentially. The primary competing technology for secondary storage is flash memory in the form of solid-state drives (SSDs), but HDDs remain the dominant medium for secondary storage due to advantages in price per bit and per-device recording capacity. CD-RW (Compact Disc-ReWritable) is a digital optical disc storage format that allows information to be stored outside the mechanical HDD.