Server 2008 Storage

[FN-GM]

Hi,

 

I have got a rig setup to store all my videos, software etc.

 

The box has 4 x 1.5tb dirves in connected to a Dell Perc 6 SAS raid controller. I am using Raid 5

 

I have booted from the Windows Server Disc and created a 30GB partition for the OS. Once i did this it split the remaining disk into 2 x 2tb partitions.

 

When i booted into Windows itself i can see the to partitions in the Disk Manager. It wont let me combine them into one. It also wont let me format the second partition.

 

I have been looking it up and been talking to another Edugeek member but i cant make head nor tale of this.

 

Can anyone advise please?

 

Thanks

[markcuk]

sure you havent checked google!!

[FN-GM]

yep cant find much, i found a couple of forum posts in the past. the replied didnt help. I could really grasp what MS where talking about

[DMcCoy]

yep cant find much, i found a couple of forum posts in the past. the replied didnt help. I could really grasp what MS where talking about

 

Have you converted them to GPT? You will be unable to format drive (successfully) until they are also assigned a drive letter (which can be removed later).

 

In what way are you trying to combine them?

[FN-GM]

Can GPT be used on a partition? I thought you could only use it on a whole disk.

[DMcCoy]

Can GPT be used on a partition? I thought you could only use it on a whole disk.

 

Seeing as your disk is > 2TB it's the only way you can use all the space in a single partition.

 

I would create two volumes on the RAID array, one to boot from then leave the rest for GPT (as you can't boot from it - although newer servers with EFI will be able to with 2008)

[FN-GM]

Right i think i have made 2 Virtual disk, just putting it to the test....

[Harlquinth]

Hi,

 

Just wondering where/if you managed to get anywhere with this?

 

We have recently brought a new server, a HP Proliant DL380 G7, with 8 x 600Gb drives in, which I initially setup as with raid 5 using all 8 drives.

 

It wasn't until I finished installing Windows Server 2008 and started configuring it that I realised that MBR partitions/disk have a maximum size limit of 2Tb, so I couldn't use the remaining space on the array, so I've ended up deleting it ready to start again.

 

After reading up about it I found out about GPT, and that Server 2008 should be able to boot off a GPT drive if the server is EFI-based. Two questions that I haven't been able to find answers to though are i) if the Proliant DL380 G7 is EFI-based (I'm hoping so since EFI seems to have been around a few years), and ii) how do you go about creating/converting a drive to GPT ready to install Server 2008 on? (I've tried using the 2008 setup tool, but that just seems to create normal partitions.)

 

Does anyone have any ideas about answers to the questions, or if not any other suggestions? I'd rather keep all the drives in the same array if we can as splitting it into more than one array would give us less space, but if all else fails then guess I'll have to look at two arrays.

 

Thanks, Peter.

[FN-GM]

I made them into 2 virtual disks inside the raid card and then it worked a treat.

[Harlquinth]

So was that having all of the drives in one single raid array and then having the virtual disks on top of that?

 

That sounds something similar to what I saw suggested on another website, however there doesn't seem to be a virtual disk option that I could see when I had a look at the settings on our server.

 

Thanks, Peter.

[FN-GM]

So was that having all of the drives in one single raid array and then having the virtual disks on top of that?

 

That sounds something similar to what I saw suggested on another website, however there doesn't seem to be a virtual disk option that I could see when I had a look at the settings on our server.

 

Thanks, Peter.

 

These settings are in the raid card bios not windows

[Harlquinth]

Yes, that's what I ment - there doesn't seem to be a virtual disk option that I could see when I had a look at the settings on our server (in the raid bios).

[FN-GM]

What card is it?

[Harlquinth]

It's the built into the server, comes up as a HP Smart Array P410i on the bios screens.

 

We do have an additonal HP SAS expander card as well for connecting an additional 8-bay drive cage to - would connecting both drive cages to that and ignoring the onboard RAID be an option do you think?

 

Thanks, Peter.