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Replace RAID partitions with larger capacity drives

Issue: Server running out of space on all partitions
running windows 2012 r2, on poweredge R710 with 120GB RAM

Config:

RAID 1 - 300GB 15K SAS drives
partitions: C (os), B (program data, programs)

RAID 5 - 300GB 15K SAS drives
Partition: D (shared data/file sharing)

Question:
What is the safest/easiest way to upgrade the storage.

Options I've considered:
Breaking the RAID 1 partition and loading an image of the current partition using 7200K 2TB drives

or

Purchase 600GB 15K drives and hot swap them gradually until all drives are sync then expand the storage via disk management or partition software.

I'm leaning for the latter option.

Any suggestions/recommendations truly appreciated!

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

John

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Tom Cieslik

Here you can find excellent explanation how to Expand Raid 1 System partition

http://www.partition-tool.com/resource/how-to-resize-raid-1-without-data-loss.htm

If you don;t want to use 3rd party software then you need to make Full backup of your Raid1 all partition using some disaster recovery backup

Replace disks and create new Raid 1 from new bigger drives
Restore Disaster Recovery to new partitions. (In my opinion the best software to do this job is Symantec Backup Exec 2014 or newer.

Member_2_231077

Do you have any spare disk bays?

SOLUTION

PowerEdgeTech

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FST Solutions

ASKER

OK looks like I have no choice but to break and rebuild the RAID 1 and load the image. :(

Member_2_231077

You could break and rebuild the RAID 5 instead and move B: to it, then delete the current B: and extend the system partition to that space. 300GB should be plenty for C: , should be plenty for C: including program files except there may be huge backup catalog or similar filling it up.

Member_2_231077

As PET alraidy said a partition management tool is no use at all as the logical disk has to be expanded first.

John

@E.H - your last post does match the first suggestion here. Please come back and close the question.

John

Thank you for following up.

Member_2_231077

It's still not quite right since they could replace each 300GB SAS disk with a 600GB SAS disk for the RAID1 , then re-tag it and finally extend the virtual disk and the filesystem.

The same could be done with the RAID5 but I'm very wary of that in case drive roaming has occurred and also you don't have a clean copy or two in-hand from the old disks should it fail and you want to backout.