On SB 2003 Server

In Disk Management Under Computer Management; Have a few hard drives listed
& they are partitioned as Main OS Root & the others as different data drives.
Set this up upon initial SBS Setup.

My question; is it possible to take two of these partitions (On same Data
HD/non-OS,) & combine them? (Or partitions from different HDs for that
matter?) My guess would be on same HD I have to delete the partitions first,
but I wanted to make certain. Possibly Seeing Them as “Non-Partitioned
Space�, combine & then format them!

Any insight offered would be appreciated Jim B

You can combine them (though I strongly urge you NOT to do so across
physical drives), but only by deleting all but one and expanding it into the
deleted space. The reason for not doing this across physical drives is that
you're creating a scenario where the failure of either drive will cause data
loss across the entire partition. This actually INCREASES your potential for
data loss (if you create a single partition across two disks, you've
increased your risk of data loss by 100%, assuming equal MTBFs on the two
disks. If you spread across 3 disks, you've increased it by 200%, etc.)

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/xperts64
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel


"JimB" <JimB@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:65004C82-BB40-4EC9-826F-29870694590A@newsgroup

> On SB 2003 Server
>
> In Disk Management Under Computer Management; Have a few hard drives
> listed
> & they are partitioned as Main OS Root & the others as different data
> drives.
> Set this up upon initial SBS Setup.
>
> My question; is it possible to take two of these partitions (On same Data
> HD/non-OS,) & combine them? (Or partitions from different HDs for that
> matter?) My guess would be on same HD I have to delete the partitions
> first,
> but I wanted to make certain. Possibly Seeing Them as “Non-Partitioned
> Space�, combine & then format them!
>
> Any insight offered would be appreciated Jim B
>

Yes Charles, you are very wise to proceed w-caution. Just to further expound,
I have two (2) physical HDs partitioned into Four (4); --> A 500GB sectioned
into 200GB for OS & Programs & 300Gb For All Data.

The other is Separate & a 200GB Partitioned into two (2) equal sizes for
additional data. This is the one I had planned to combine back into its’
original size. All data is regularity backed to the main 300GB Partition
along w-WD HDs. So I think I am safe to combine the external one… Once
combine I plan to make this one a BU drv as well my website server......
Thank You Jim B

"Charlie Russel - MVP" wrote:

> You can combine them (though I strongly urge you NOT to do so across
> physical drives), but only by deleting all but one and expanding it into the
> deleted space. The reason for not doing this across physical drives is that
> you're creating a scenario where the failure of either drive will cause data
> loss across the entire partition. This actually INCREASES your potential for
> data loss (if you create a single partition across two disks, you've
> increased your risk of data loss by 100%, assuming equal MTBFs on the two
> disks. If you spread across 3 disks, you've increased it by 200%, etc.)
>
> --
> Charlie.
> http://msmvps.com/blogs/xperts64
> http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel
>
>
> "JimB" <JimB@newsgroup> wrote in message
> news:65004C82-BB40-4EC9-826F-29870694590A@newsgroup

> > On SB 2003 Server
> >
> > In Disk Management Under Computer Management; Have a few hard drives
> > listed
> > & they are partitioned as Main OS Root & the others as different data
> > drives.
> > Set this up upon initial SBS Setup.
> >
> > My question; is it possible to take two of these partitions (On same Data
> > HD/non-OS,) & combine them? (Or partitions from different HDs for that
> > matter?) My guess would be on same HD I have to delete the partitions
> > first,
> > but I wanted to make certain. Possibly Seeing Them as “Non-Partitioned
> > Space�, combine & then format them!
> >
> > Any insight offered would be appreciated Jim B
> >

>
>

Charlie,

Does a mount point act the same?
Will it also loose all the data if either drive die?

TIA
Rich W.


Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:

> You can combine them (though I strongly urge you NOT to do so across
> physical drives), but only by deleting all but one and expanding it into
> the deleted space. The reason for not doing this across physical drives
> is that you're creating a scenario where the failure of either drive
> will cause data loss across the entire partition. This actually
> INCREASES your potential for data loss (if you create a single partition
> across two disks, you've increased your risk of data loss by 100%,
> assuming equal MTBFs on the two disks. If you spread across 3 disks,
> you've increased it by 200%, etc.)
>

Not certain if I understand your question Rich & know your question is
directed to Charlie,) However & to give back a little of what I have gotten
from MS Discussions Groups, I have lost my SBS OS on my main root partition &
had to reformat. Another partition off that same root drive contained my
business data under NTFS file format. Consequently all my data was intact &
ready to use once I reloaded the SBS OS & programs.. I have since started to
initiate daily restore points while still backing externally. Partitioning
is a great way to put your data in a different location on the HD & there is
always a good chance of recouping when necessary.(unless if HD is physically
damaged!) Jjb

"Rich Wonneberger" wrote:

> Charlie,
>
> Does a mount point act the same?
> Will it also loose all the data if either drive die?
>
> TIA
> Rich W.
>
>
> Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:

> > You can combine them (though I strongly urge you NOT to do so across
> > physical drives), but only by deleting all but one and expanding it into
> > the deleted space. The reason for not doing this across physical drives
> > is that you're creating a scenario where the failure of either drive
> > will cause data loss across the entire partition. This actually
> > INCREASES your potential for data loss (if you create a single partition
> > across two disks, you've increased your risk of data loss by 100%,
> > assuming equal MTBFs on the two disks. If you spread across 3 disks,
> > you've increased it by 200%, etc.)
> >

>

Jim,

I'm not talking about partitioning a 2nd drive.
I added a 2nd hard drive with a mount point on the C: drive.
It looks like part of the C: drive

Rich W.


JimB wrote:

> Not certain if I understand your question Rich & know your question is
> directed to Charlie,) However & to give back a little of what I have gotten
> from MS Discussions Groups, I have lost my SBS OS on my main root partition &
> had to reformat. Another partition off that same root drive contained my
> business data under NTFS file format. Consequently all my data was intact &
> ready to use once I reloaded the SBS OS & programs.. I have since started to
> initiate daily restore points while still backing externally. Partitioning
> is a great way to put your data in a different location on the HD & there is
> always a good chance of recouping when necessary.(unless if HD is physically
> damaged!) Jjb
>
> "Rich Wonneberger" wrote:
>

>> Charlie,
>>
>> Does a mount point act the same?
>> Will it also loose all the data if either drive die?
>>
>> TIA
>> Rich W.
>>

Possibly, depending on how you've implemented it. The issue is the
underlying disk structure which is dependent on both disks being there. This
is why RAID0 is a really bad idea. However, if you simply increase your disk
size by mounting a volume that is contained on another drive, without
extending the partition across multiple drives, you don't increase your
risk. However, that being said, MS doesn't really do a very clean job of
handling reparse points (which is what a mount is), so I generally don't
recommend them.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/xperts64
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel


"Rich Wonneberger" <turtil@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:eGAHEu8EKHA.4932@newsgroup

> Charlie,
>
> Does a mount point act the same?
> Will it also loose all the data if either drive die?
>
> TIA
> Rich W.
>
>
> Charlie Russel - MVP wrote:

>> You can combine them (though I strongly urge you NOT to do so across
>> physical drives), but only by deleting all but one and expanding it into
>> the deleted space. The reason for not doing this across physical drives
>> is that you're creating a scenario where the failure of either drive will
>> cause data loss across the entire partition. This actually INCREASES your
>> potential for data loss (if you create a single partition across two
>> disks, you've increased your risk of data loss by 100%, assuming equal
>> MTBFs on the two disks. If you spread across 3 disks, you've increased it
>> by 200%, etc.)
>>

That scenario doesn't increase your risk (since the failure of either drive
is independent of the other). But honestly, there are things that get wonky
when they encounter mounted file systems. It's a feature that just doesn't
work as it should, IMHO.

--
Charlie.
http://msmvps.com/blogs/xperts64
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile/charlie.russel


"Rich Wonneberger" <turtil@newsgroup> wrote in message
news:%2381lEO%23EKHA.1252@newsgroup

> Jim,
>
> I'm not talking about partitioning a 2nd drive.
> I added a 2nd hard drive with a mount point on the C: drive.
> It looks like part of the C: drive
>
> Rich W.
>
>
> JimB wrote:

>> Not certain if I understand your question Rich & know your question is
>> directed to Charlie,) However & to give back a little of what I have
>> gotten from MS Discussions Groups, I have lost my SBS OS on my main root
>> partition & had to reformat. Another partition off that same root drive
>> contained my business data under NTFS file format. Consequently all my
>> data was intact & ready to use once I reloaded the SBS OS & programs.. I
>> have since started to initiate daily restore points while still backing
>> externally. Partitioning is a great way to put your data in a different
>> location on the HD & there is always a good chance of recouping when
>> necessary.(unless if HD is physically damaged!) Jjb
>>
>> "Rich Wonneberger" wrote:
>>

>>> Charlie,
>>>
>>> Does a mount point act the same?
>>> Will it also loose all the data if either drive die?
>>>
>>> TIA
>>> Rich W.
>>>