Add space to Windows Server 2000 machine

Sam0001978

Hi - I was hoping somebody could help me with this problem I have. I recently started a new job in IT support. Not long after I started the person who hired me left for a year in Australia so until a replacement is hired I am responsible for the support.

The problem I have is that a new hard drive has arrived for one of the servers. I know with a server it is not as straight forward as just putting it in and working away. Had a check on the web but didn’t find too much helpful. Was hoping somebody could give me some pointers or even let me know of any good site I could go to check this up on as this is something I’ve not done before and don’t want to mess up the server.

The server is a HP Proliant DL380 with Windows Server 2000 installed on it and I’m just looking to add a new 150gb drive to this server.

far2gud

1) Is their more than one drive in the server?
2) What type of hard disks are they? (Sata, SCSI,IDE?
3) If more than one are they raided?

Need more information to be brutally honest, if you struggle with any of the questions above I would seriously advise getting a professional to carry out the work.

If it is a single disk to be slotted into a SCSI backplane to expand storage it is pretty simple.

Sam0001978

Thanks for your reply far2gud.

There is currently 5 scsi disks in the server using RAID 5. And I was looking to add the new one into the last available slot.

It is a single disk to be slotted into a SCSI backplane to expand storage space for users.

ressem

The HPs I've worked with had an "Array Configuration Utility", which would allow arrays of disks to be extended or in some cases migrated from one form of RAID to another.

Depending on what the server is doing, it's RAID controller card type and firmware, it might be feasible to do the majority of work with the server in reduced performance mode (disks very busy) rather than taking it off line.

Read the steps to expand or migrate as suitable in the manual for your HP ACU.
You'll need to make sure that good backups, bootable recovery media, Raid controller driver floppy are at hand.
Schedule recovery down time if you can.

funk-you

What generation 380 is it? Are you just replacing the disk or adding another for parity/different RAID level?

If you are just replacing you can remove the failing disk and just slot the new one in while it's online, the RAID 5 will rebuild. DO NOT REMOVE THE BOOT DISK. Removal and replacement procedures are in here:

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00065010/c00065010.pdf

System user guide:
http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01122783/c01122783.pdf

If you're adding a disk, slot the disk in an empty slot and use the Array config utility. It's fairly simple to use.

-Funk

far2gud

Funk-you hit the nail on the head, should be a simple matter of adding the new disk to the array through the config util.

The new disk should be indentical, or of at least the same size as the other disks in the array.

Sam0001978

funk-you wrote: »

What generation 380 is it? Are you just replacing the disk or adding another for parity/different RAID level?

If you are just replacing you can remove the failing disk and just slot the new one in while it's online, the RAID 5 will rebuild. DO NOT REMOVE THE BOOT DISK. Removal and replacement procedures are in here:

http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c00065010/c00065010.pdf

System user guide:
http://bizsupport2.austin.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01122783/c01122783.pdf

If you're adding a disk, slot the disk in an empty slot and use the Array config utility. It's fairly simple to use.

-Funk

Its a G4 380. I'm just adding an extra disk to increase the storage space for the users.
Found some good documentation on the Array config utility so will give that a read then see what kind of damage I can do to the server

Thanks for all the replies.

tech

If you add in this disk and not make part of an Array, if the disk fails you will have no redunancy and if not backuped all the users will loose their files

Have you enough space on the backup unit to backup this extra drive.?

carbsy

tech wrote: »

Have you enough space on the backup unit to backup this extra drive.?

Sorry, but what are you on about here? What backup unit? Are my eyes deceiving me?

tech

well if you add 1 extra disk, you will need the capacity to backup the new space you have made available ??