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Resize dynamic disc partition on DC?

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17 replies

by mcarvell 1 view

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I recently overtook a messy network in which the 18GB SCSI Raid 0+1 C:\ drive was partitioned to the 3.9GB NT4 limit on an HP Proliant ML370 server.
To my horror, the logfiles themselves have almost choked this drive out of space. I was able to move the swap and spool to the storage array on it's E:\ drive, but that is still leaving me with only 200MB left free on C:!

I know this wont be pretty on a domain controller with a dynamic disc partition, but the drive itself has so much more room, and I'm not willing to go with the Microsoft answer of starting all over from square one. I've been told by others it can't be done, and I refuse to believe it.

17 replies

by bfilmfan

Where are the SYSVOL and NTDS.DIT located?

Is this the only domain controller?

Most RAID arrays are hardware-configured and cannot be easily reconfigured.

If those 2 items are on the "C" partition and you have another domain controller available, your best bet is to simply reformat and resize the partition, install the OS and then DCPromo the system to DC-status.

If this is a sole DC, then make a complete OS, AD and SYSVOL backup before you attempt to resize the partition.

by normh3

Just thinking out loud here..may be full of cr@p, but I wonder if the machine could be imaged (GHOST comes to mind) changes made in the RAID config and then the image brought back down. GHOST has some flexibility to allow you to change some parameters. My thinking is a bit clouded right now. I'd have to play with it a bit to see if it could be done. Anyone else??

by sgt_shultz

oops. sorry. wrong. not for server...this good opportunity to reinstall and new drives if you as me...

by cg it

nope nadda

no ones got any software to resize a SCSI dynamic disc. Vcom which makes partition commander said they might try to come up with something in the future but as far as I know once you partition it out your stuck.

by cg it

when you do wipe and redo make it a RAID 5 and partition the C: 20 to 25 GB. Move the swap file over to another partiton.[where D: is the CD Rom and E: is the data and applications partition ]

by wcp

Going through Symantec KB on Ghost 9.0, I gathered the following information.

1. Symantec does not support Ghost for Server in general. However, if ghosting is just for the backup purpose in the same system, Ghost can be used.

2. Disk image with multiple partitions cannot be used to change the partition size in the original HD. In other words, you have to ghost each partition.

3. Ghost 9.0 supports hardware RAID 0 and RAID 5. No software RAID is supported.

4. Ghost 9.0 supports dynamic disk from the source HD but an image can only be restored to basic disk.

I believe what you are trying to do can be done with Norton Ghost 9.0 if your RAID is hardware based, RAID 1 portion can be broken and follow the instruction below.

1. Break RAID 1. Now you have RAID 0.

2. Ghost each partition to an image in local or network HD.

3. Delete all partitions and create new partitions with the sizes you want in your RAID 0 HDs. They must be basic not dynamic disks.

4. Restore each image to appropriate partition using Symantec Recovery Disk CD.

Of course, these are the major things and there are a lot of things that need to be taken care of.

References:
http://tinyurl.com/8rsw7 Cloning a Windows NT or Windows 2000/2003 Server

http://tinyurl.com/c73vh Ghost compatibility with RAID

http://tinyurl.com/7mj6g Ghost compatibility with dynamic partitions

ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/english_us_canada/products/ghost/9.0/manuals/userguide.pdf Norton Ghost 9.0 User's Guide

Symantec Volume Manager is the server version of Partition Magic. However, there is no mention of RAID support.

by wcp

It appears the Volume Manager supports hardware RAID but not dynamic disk. I am quoting the following from the Volume Manager User Guide (p43).

If you attempt to run VolumeManager on a Windows 2000 machine where the boot
partition (the partition where Windows 2000 is installed) is on a dynamic disk, you will
receive the following error message: ?Init failed: Error 183. Unable to identify the
Windows partition.? To remedy this problem, you must place the boot partition on a basic
disk.

by enemyever

you can try to resize your dynamic volume.and you can visit the web page--http://www.dynamic-disk.com/resource/resize-dynamic-disk-partition-volume.html to get more information about it.

by p.j.hutchison

Is this the only DC or one or many? If you have many DCs, you can demote the server, remove it from the domain, wipe it, reinstall and re-promote it to a DC!

Alternatively, try Paragon Partition Manager which will work on Dynamic disks!

by bminnix

I realize the origin of this thread is quite old, however I was searching for a resolution for the EXACT same problem, and I found no help.
I asked an admin buddy of mine if he had any ideas, and he introduced me to gparted, an open-source partitioning tool. He stated that he has SUCCESSFULLY perfomed resized partitions even on RAID 5 arrays. At this point, I have not personally tested this, but I will this week/weekend and will post back to this with outcome.

BMINNIX

by bminnix

Gparted was a success! However it took a lot longer than expected due to issues that evolved. I would use gparted again now that I know it works, and I also know the issues that came up. For anyone interested in using this software here is my advice.

1: As always, ALWAYS create a full backup of the server BEFORE starting the resize.
2: Make sure that the local administrator account is not disabled/locked, and that you have the password to it (NECESSARY IN CASE DSRM IS NEEDED)
3: Have your original boot.ini file handy and copied to a cd/floppy.

In the case of this particular resizing, the second partition on the drive was not remounted after the resize. This just so happened to be where the NTDS information was stored. So when booting back to the OS, I received an error based on the Security Accounts Manager and the directory services. After booting to Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) I was able to assign a drive letter to the unmounted partition, but somehow lost the NTLDR and boot.ini information. Recovery Console was able to help me restore this information, and the server is now back to where it was, exception of a larger C:.

I hope this information helps anyone who may need it.

by techmakerz

According to my practice, dynamic disk storage and basic disk storage have their own advantages and disadvantages. You can choose one of them based on your requirements.

Generally speaking, dynamic disk management is more complicated. In the past, there is no advanced dynamic disk management software for users. However, Aomei Dynamic Disk Manager is coming with full-featured operations and easy-to-use interface!

http://www.dynamic-disk.com/resource/resize-dynamic-disk-partition-volume.html

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