Add a Drive to Software RAID 5 in Windows Server without Losing Data

Note: This article applies to software RAID 5 dynamic disk. Content in this article may not be relevant to you. If you are using Dell Server, please visit add drive to hardware RAID 5 array with Dell OMSA.

This article supports all editions of Windows Server 2000, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, such as Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows Small Business Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 R2.

Case study – add drive to software RAID 5

Question: Currently I have a Windows Server 2003 with 3 x 300GB disks originally configured as a software RAID 5 array. I want to extend RAID 5 volume size to 900GB. How to add another drive to existing RAID 5 setup?

Solution1: Backup data on RAID 5 volume in advance. Then delete the 3 drives RAID 5 array and re-create it as a 4 drives array. Restore the data to the new larger RAID 5 array.

Solution2: Use AOMEI Partition Assistant Server to add drive to RAID 5 directly. (Recommended)

Summary: The Solution1 is very complicated and time-consuming. However, the Solution2 makes the complicated simple.

How to add drive to RAID 5 with AOMEI Dynamic Disk Manager Server Edition?

Step1. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant Server, click Dynamic Disk button to employ its built-in uitlitiy, Dynamic Disk Manager. And then, click "Add Drive to RAID".

Step2: In the pop-up window, follow the wizard and select the RAID 5 volume you want to expand. Then, click "Next".

Step3: Tick the disk (Note: If there are no disks available in your system, you could add a disk to your system and convert it to dynamic disk).Then, click "Finish".

Step4: You can preview the number of disks in RAID-5 array has been changed from 3 to 4. To perform the pending operation, please click "Commit".

After adding drive to RAID 5, you will find the RAID 5 volume has been extended.

Besides, you can use AOMEI Partition Assistant Server's snap-in uitlity Dynamic Disk Manager to create, format, delete dynamic volume easily and quickly, resize dynamic disk without losing data, extend dynamic system volume to solve C drive running out of space problem shrink dynamic volume to generate unallocated space, Move volume slice to reorganize dynamic disk volume layout, remove drive from RAID-5 and so on.