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JulienMonette-2726 avatar image
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JulienMonette-2726 asked DSPatrick commented

Adding HDD to Windows Server

Hello,

I recently setup a personal server using Windows Server 2019 to store files. I build it with 3 storage drive in RAID 5 (using Windows Disk Manager) array to get some redundancy but mostly to get a large and single folder. Now, those 3 drives are full and I want to add 2 other to the array. How one should do that? I'm clearly not an IT expert. Please tell me all I did wrong!

All I want is 1 large folder that I can add hdd whenever needed and ideally, if one drive fail, not all the data are compromised (I have an offshore backup but it's really slow).

The hdd array is still quite small, so I can destroy it and start fresh.

Thanks

windows-server
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DSPatrick avatar image
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DSPatrick answered JulienMonette-2726 commented

You backup the data, break the raid, recreate the raid with the additional disks, restore the backup. You might also consider storage spaces.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/storage-spaces/overview

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Storage space looks like what I was looking for. I'll test it as soon as my backup is done and I'll accept the answer if it works. Thank you!

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DSPatrick avatar image
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DSPatrick answered JulienMonette-2726 commented

Assuming a hardware array the current array will need to be rebuilt to include the additional disks which of course means a clean installation of windows assuming it is installed on the raid 5.

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Well, I have an SSD on which the OS is installed that is not part of the array.

It is a software array built with Disk Manager.

Let's say I destroy the array, how should I build it back so I don't have this issue in the future?

Thanks


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DSPatrick avatar image
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DSPatrick answered JulienMonette-2726 commented

In that case this one may help.
https://www.dell.com/community/PowerEdge-HDD-SCSI-RAID/How-to-add-additional-larger-drives-to-RAID-5-array-on-PERC-4e/td-p/3937884

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Maybe I don't understand it right, but it seems to be Dell specific.

I was thinking more of a software solution then an hardware one.

I'm not sure if this matter, but my present setup is using 3*2TB drives and I bought 2*4TB ones.

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DSPatrick avatar image
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DSPatrick answered

Sounds good, you're welcome.




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XiaoweiHe-MSFT avatar image
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XiaoweiHe-MSFT answered

Hi,

Yes, if you are seeking software solution, storage pool is your choice.

Below is the link to create a storage pool on Server 2019, for your reference:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/storage-spaces/deploy-standalone-storage-spaces

Thanks for your time!
Best Regards,
Anne


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DSPatrick avatar image
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DSPatrick answered

Any progress or updates?

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JulienMonette-2726 avatar image
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JulienMonette-2726 answered

The backup is not complete yet. Only a few hundreds of GB left.

It seems promising, but I'm not sure if the storage pool will work with different size of HDD. I'll keep you posted!

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JulienMonette-2726 avatar image
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JulienMonette-2726 answered DSPatrick commented

It works perfectly! Thank you all for your help!

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Great! Then you may accept useful post as answer. Thanks for your cooperation!

Best Regards,
Anne

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Glad to hear, you're welcome.

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