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Here's how to increase the size of a Dell "Data Safe" (RAID1 array)
Greetings,
I developed the following procedure to work with Dimension E510 desktops. They are each a little over 1 year old and have one of the latest motherboards offered before the model was discountined. For example, they have dual-core 3.2 GHz Pentium D processors, 4 GB of memory and SATA II interfaces with Dell "Data Safe" RAID1 arrays.
This procedure is based on Windows XP. I don't know if it will work with Vista. In my case, the original drives in the RAID1 array were 250 GB Seagate Barracuda ST3250824AS SATA II drives. I replaced them with 1 TB Seagate Barracuda ST32000340NS SATA II drives.
Here's what you'll need for my procedure:
- A pre-existing internal RAID1 array in your computer using an Intel chipset controller.
- Intel Matrix Storage Console software. My Dell E510 computers each came with version 5.1 pre-installed. You can download (free) version 7.8 from Intel's website by following the links in the Support command for the Help menu of your existing copy.
- Norton PartitionMagic software or equivalent. I used version 8.
- Two new SATA hard drives of larger capacity than you existing drives.
Procedure:
- Prep the data on your array. For example, run "Error Checking" (actually, its chkdsk) to clean up any stray sectors, defrag the drives, etc.
- Turn off your computer and remove one of the 250 GB RAID drives. I removed the first or top drive that was connected to SATA channel 0.
- Install your first 1 TB drive into the vacated slot. Turn on your computer and rebuild the RAID1 array. You'll probably need to confirm that you want to rebuild the array when the Intel RAID BIOS screen appears. Windows XP will then automatically rebuild the array and a small icon will appear in the system tray while this is being done. It took about 2 hours on an E510.
- After the array has been rebuilt, turn off your computer and remove the second 250 GB drive. Your computer now has only the one 1 TB drive in it.
- Turn on your computer and press Ctrl+I when the Intel RAID BIOS screen appears. This will take you to its menu. Set the 1 TB drive in your computer as a non-RAID drive. This should not delete its data. This is an essential step because we can only reclaim the rest of the 1 TB drive if it is no longer a RAID drive.
- Finish booting your computer. After Windows XP has loaded, run PartitionMagic (or the repartitioning software of your choice) and reclaim the rest of your 1 TB drive. You can do this by making existing partition(s) bigger and/or adding new partitions.
- If you created new partitions, you can also format them now. I used the full format (rather than "quick" format) in order to test them a bit. Formatting a 500 GB partition can take an hour.
- Turn off your computer and install the second 1 TB drive. Your computer should now have both 1 TB drives.
- Turn on your computer and press F2 to launch the system setup program in the main BIOS of your computer. Turn RAID to "ON" for the SATA drives. This is required because you don't have a RAID drive at this point and this step forces the BIOS to signal Windows XP to load the RAID drivers anyway.
- Run the Intel Matrix Storage Console program. Select the "Create RAID Volume from Existing Hard Drive" command from the "Actions" menu. A "wizard" window will appear to walk you through the steps of setting your first 1 TB drives as the source and the second 1 TB drive as the mirror during the creation process.
I hope this procedure is helpful. There are other ways of accomplishing the same thing. However, if your operating system is on your RAID1 array as it is in my E510 computers, then your options will be more limited and this procedure may be just the ticket.
Thanks very much for the procedures. I'm having trouble re-building the RAID array, however. The Intel Matrix Storage Console program gives me an error message that says that my source drive is a dynamic drive and I need to change it to Basic. When I go into the Disk Management utility, it says that the drive is a Basic drive. Any suggestions?
Hi jen_alf,
I haven't dealt with that problem before. But a quick google of "basic dynamic RAID drive" turned up a couple of links that said that you need to repartition the drive to change it from "dynamic" to "basic".
Caution: If you have to do this, it may wipe your data. You'll have to check your repartition software to see what it can do without wiping your data. If a destructive repartition is the only way to solve the problem, then you'll need to clone the drive onto another and clone it back after you've repartitioned it.
You should google the subject, yourself, and see what you can learn. I hope you find what you need.
Best regards,
Thot
Message Edited by Thot on 03-08-2008 10:04 PMHi, the step where you set the drive as a non-raid drive gives me a warning that the data will be lost. Is that the case? I'm also having a problem finding the latest matrix storage console software, is that update necessary?
I actually didn't find your post until after i had discovered the array would not see the extra drive space once both drive had been updated one at a time as I had a failure of one of the original 160 gig drives that came with the machine.
Thot
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Posted November 20th, 2007 12:00