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Dell R730 RAID5 and C drive size for Windows OS
I have procured Dell R730 server with 1.2 TB x 4 HDD.
It's shipped with default RAID 5 with two logical volumes, 1.8TB & 1.3 TB each. So when I install Windows 2008 R2 OS, I will have two partitions C with 1.9 TB and D = 1.6 TB
Why is this raid defined in this way? Is it possible for me to wipe out this default raid and define a new raid5 as 1.4 TB x4 HDD as a single raid volume?
DELL-Josh Cr
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January 5th, 2016 17:00
Hi,
Yes, you can delete the virtual disks in the controller and create one large virtual disk. In the system setup make sure that it is set to UEFI boot and not BIOS boot mode. This is needed to boot to a virtual disk larger than 2TB.
theflash1932
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January 5th, 2016 20:00
RAID is not defined this way.
Windows cannot boot to a "disk" larger than 2TB unless it is a GPT disk. Windows cannot boot a GPT disk unless it is installed on a UEFI-enabled system.
theflash1932
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January 5th, 2016 22:00
Each VD (Virtual Disk/array) is presented to the OS as a separate "disk". Because you didn't specify UEFI when you ordered the server, your OS can't boot a "disk" larger than 2TB, so the VD's were configured to be smaller than 2TB.
Yes, you can create a single RAID array, but you MUST change the boot mode to UEFI, AND you must convert the "disk" to GPT prior to installation of the OS (diskpart in Command Prompt during install).
avilt
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January 5th, 2016 21:00
So what is the available option for me? Can I define single raid with a maximum size and use it for Windows 2008 R2?
What is the reason for default two raids that are shipped with the server?