Partitions in Server 2012

[tiredtech]

I am evaluating Windows Server 2012 Essentials.

My test server has a RAID 5 (6 x 500Gb SAS drives) of 3Tb as 1 virtual drive using the 'evaluation version' of the OS as downloaded from Microsoft's WEB page.

I have converted the virtual drive to GPT using diskpart before the install reaches the partitioning screens.

I can not create a partition larger than 2Tb which leaves ~750Gb as unpartitioned space.

Is this a limitation of the 'evaluation version' of the OS or am I missing a step during the install?

Any ideas or tips would be appreciated


Thanks

 

[ViRGE]

Taking a shot in the dark here, you're probably not installing it in UEFI mode. You can only install Windows to a GPT disk if the installer itself is loaded via UEFI. GPT is one of several things Windows does differently when installing in a UEFI environment versus a BIOS environment. You don't say anything else about your system so I don't know if it even supports UEFI, but ultimately you're not going to be able to pull off a 3TB boot disk unless you can use UEFI. GPT means UEFI, and vice versa.

On a side note, if you don't mind a bit of criticism, I think you're going about this the wrong way with your setup. You should not be installing the OS on a RAID-5 setup. Those drives should be part of a separate pool. You need to separate your data from your OS; Windows will even chide you if you try to keep your shares on the same disk as the OS.

 

[JackMDS]

Install Windows Server 2012 Essentials on a 160GB regular SATA Drive.

Get a 120GB SSD clone the OS partiion as a boot partition to the SSD. Once it done and running you do not need anymore the initial 160GB HD.

Then do whatever you want do to with your Storage HDs.

Here you have another thread that discuss similar installation.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2310315


😎

 

[tiredtech]

Thanks for your prompt and helpful replies.

The test hardware is:
Intel S2600CP4 system board
Intel P4000 chassis
Intel Xeon E5-2630 CPU (single)
Intel RS2BL080 RAID controller
32Mb Kingston DDR3 ECC 1600 memory
6 X 600Gb Seagate SAS 15K RPM drives (RAID 5)

I have updated the system board FRU, BMC etc to the latest versions. I flashed the BIOS of the RAID controller to version 130 which was released Mar 21, 2013.

Using F6 at BOOT allows for the selection of the DVD drive in UEFI mode. I start the install from the BOOT DVD, enter the serial # and follow the prompts to the screen to partition the virtual drive. On this screen I use SHIFT-F10 to enter the prompt screen. Diskpart, List Disk to see that the drive volume is available and that the volume size is correct, Select Disk 0, clean (just in case) and Convert GPT, List Disk to be sure that the * appears in the GPT column.

Using the advanced button on the Windows 2012 partitioning screen shows the volume at ~2.79Tb. Any attempt to partition the volume creates a 350Mb System Reserved partion, a 2.1Tb unassigned partion and a ~750Gb unassigned partion. If I format the 2.1Tb partition and attempt to extend it I receive the nondiscript partition error...one error code fits all when it comes to partition errors....

My intent was to use ~120Gb of the volume for a operating system partition with the balance for application, user and data files.

Here's an interesting quirk (it may be normal as I have had no reason to check this before) any attempt to partition the volume on the Windows 2012 screen removes the GPT setting when re-checked using diskpart. I believe that somehow and in someway Windows is removing the GPT setting during the partioning process. I can not re-assign the GPT setting through diskpart until the disk is cleaned to remove any partitions assigned by the Windows install.

This is a head scratcher that has had me burning the candle at both ends since early last week....any ideas???? I like a challenge but.....

Thanks

Dan

I will rebuild the array with 5 drives and a single drive for the OS as this will provide a unique volume for the OS as well as a RAID volume beyond the 2.1Tb limit to see if Windows still throws errors on the RAID volume size.

 

[ViRGE]

What you're describing is consistent with Windows still being in BIOS mode. I would expect you're in UEFI mode based on what you describe for your boot options, but it has to be falling back to BIOS mode. Otherwise Windows would be outright defaulting to GPT in the first place.

Another shot in the dark here, but some mobos can be picky about UEFI booting for discs. It may be worth creating a bootable USB drive for the WS2012E installer (make sure it's FAT32), booting it from UEFI that way, and then installing it from there.

Also, looking through your mobo's manual, there's a setting for "EFI Optimized Boot". Enabling this will cause the board to skip loading the modules for BIOS booting. Since you're going to be installing in UEFI mode anyhow, you should enable this. This way it would be impossible for the WS2012E installer to boot in BIOS mode.

If all else fails though, using another disk for the OS would solve this problem. Windows supports GPT for data (non-boot) disks in BIOS mode, and has for the better part of a decade.

 

[yso9178]

Did you ever figure this out? sorry to revive an old thread but I am having almost the exact same problem.

Here is the hardware
Intel S2600CP4 system board
Intel P4000 chassis
Intel Xeon E5-2620 CPU (dual)
Intel Raid c600 rksata8r5
64gb Kingston DDR3 ECC 1600 memory
3 X 2tb Western digital enterprise (RAID 5)

Bios is updated to the latest version

Set up raid 5 in intel ESRT2 RAID by pressing ctrl+e
Initialized the raid and set the drive to boot

Made a flash drive to boot in EFI for setup of server 2012 standard.

Set the bios to boot into EFI

Start install from usb enter the code for windows
I install esrt2 driver from flash drive
I use shift+f10 to enter the prompt
Dispart, select disk, clean, convert gpt, set partition primary, format fs=ntfs.
Attempt to install windows and get an error that it can not install to this drive because I need to "enable disk controller in bios"
I have set up the bios to use the Raid controller

• ACHI Capable SATA Controller: [RAID Mode]
• AHCI HDD Staggered Spin-Up: [Disabled]
• AHCI Capable RAID Options: [INTEL (R) ESRT2 (LSI*)]
• SAS/SATA Capable Controller [INTEL (R) ESRT2 (LSI*)]

It is as if when I boot into EFI windows no longer sees the drives properly.