Windows Server 2003: Can I add space to a partition easily?

[BrunoPuntzJones]

I don't mess with server stuff much. At work we just run a file server and it requires little intervention from me (setting up users, seeing who has what open, etc., basic stuff).

It's a Dell PowerEdge 2600 using the Dell Array Manager which seems to work well enough.

There were 3 drives in RAID 5 originally, set up as a virtual disk, and partitioned as C and D, with D being the share.

I've now added anothe 3 drives in RAID 5, and set them up as another virtual disk. It's easy enough to go in and just tell it to make that array E and share it.

Problem is that everything is already on D shared, and I'd have to map another volume to E on every workstation, and people have a hard enough time when I tell them to go to the "G" drive (which is what D on the server is mapped to). Telling them to go to the "H" drive or something will be a PITA, especially when everything really needs to be cohesive and in the same area.

What is the best way going about merging the new array with the old to give me a bigger D? (hehe, bigger D..).

I tried to put it all simply, and maybe some of my terminology is wrong.

 

[redbeard1]

Generally you add the new drives into the server and then use the raid utility to expand the array to see the new drives. You actually created a new array, and I don't believe that you can merge seperate logical arrays. My thought would be that you need to delete the new array and then add them to the existing array. Then you need some software to expand the partition to use the new space, something like Acronis, Paragon, or Partition Magic. Supposedly you can use a command line windows tool named diskpart to expand the partition, but I've not tried it.

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Thanks for the reply, and you've confirmed what I've found 🙁. No real easy way to do it.

Not really a native windows function to do what I want. Would have to go 3rd party, and guess I'll just suck it up and have two volumes instead of one.

 

[Pirotech]

Originally posted by: BrunoPuntzJones
Not really a native windows function to do what I want. Would have to go 3rd party, and guess I'll just suck it up and have two volumes instead of one.

i also think there is no hope to manage disk repartition without using 3d party progs, but the only minus, they are vere expensive, if you know one freeware please give us know.
i've found one - disk director server(500$) it's not a deal for me🙁

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Well I found a good enough work around.

I just cut and pasted directories on the first volume to the second, and then made shortcuts in the first volume to the second.

So it's kinda transparent to the user. They double click a folder on volume1, and it takes them to volume2 without any intervention by them.