G- and K-Series User’s Guide
Expanding Array Capacity
You can expand array capacity without stopping I/O activity, so you can continue using the array while the expansion process runs. You can only expand one array at a time.
Note: Expanding an array here does not change the size of the host operating system partitions that reside on the array, because our controller is working at the block level not the file system level of the operating system. To use the new space, you must create a new partition using the newly added space or use a third party application specific to the operating system to change the partition size.
How you create a new partition or resize an existing one depends upon the operating system. Most operating systems cannot resize an existing partition. Refer to your operating system documentation.
The number of drives you can add to an array depends upon the RAID level as shown below. You also cannot exceed the maximum number of drives for each RAID level. See Creating Arrays on page
Table
RAID Level | Number of Drives You | |
Can Add | ||
| ||
RAID 0 | 1 to 4 | |
RAID 1 (mirrored) | Cannot expand | |
Volume Set | Cannot expand | |
RAID 10 | 2 or 4 | |
RAID 3, 4, or 5 | 1 to 4 | |
RAID 50 | 3 to 5 | |
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Note: Once you start expanding array capacity, you cannot stop it. The expand function may take an hour or more to complete, depending on the array type, array size, drive speed, and other processes running on the controller.
