HOW TO: Configure a Stripe Set with Parity in Windows NT Server 4.0 (316304)

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to configure a stripe set with parity on a Windows NT Server 4.0-based computer. A stripe set with parity consists of equal-sized areas of free space on at least 3 disks and not more than 32 disks, which are combined into a single, fault-tolerant volume. When you configure a stripe set with parity, the computer can store a larger amount of data than it can if you use a single disk. You also experience faster read and write speeds when you configure a stripe set with parity instead of a single disk volume.

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Requirements

To complete this procedure, you must use the following minimum system configuration:

• A computer that is running Windows NT Server 4.0 (the computer must meet the requirements that are listed on the Hardware Compatibility List [HCL]).
• A computer that contains at least 3 disks and not more than 32 blank disks of equal size. Confirm that these disks are not partitioned.

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How to Configure a Stripe Set with Parity on a Windows NT Server 4.0-Based Computer

You can use Disk Administrator to configure a stripe set with parity on a Windows NT Server 4.0-based computer. If a single disk in a stripe set with parity stops working, you can regenerate all of the data so that you do not lose any data. However, if two or more disks in the stripe set with parity do not work, all of the data on the stripe set with parity is lost.

NOTE: You must be logged on either as an administrator or as a user that has administrator privileges to complete the following procedure.

To configure a stripe set with parity:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Administrative Tools (Common), and then click Disk Administrator.
   
   If a Disk Administrator dialog box is displayed that indicates that this is the first time that you have run Disk Administrator, click OK. If a Confirm dialog box is displayed, click Yes to write a signature to the disk. If additional Confirm dialog boxes are displayed, click Yes in each one.
2. Click the area marked "Free Space" on the first disk that you want to use in the stripe set with parity, and then press and hold down the CTRL key while you click the area marked "Free Space" on each additional disk that you want to use in the stripe set with parity.
   
   NOTE: You must select at least three areas of free space.
3. Click Create Stripe Set with Parity on the Fault Tolerance menu.
4. Type a number that represents the total amount of disk space that you want this stripe set with parity to use (in megabytes [MB]), and then click OK.
   
   NOTE: The minimum size and the maximum size for the stripe set are displayed in this dialog box.
5. Click Commit Changes Now on the Partition menu, and then click Yes in the Confirm dialog box.
   
   If another Confirm dialog box is displayed, click Yes, and then click OK in the Disk Administrator dialog box. If another Disk Administrator dialog box is displayed, click OK to restart your computer, log on as an administrator when the computer restarts, and then restart Disk Administrator.

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How to Format the Stripe Set with Parity

After you create a stripe set with parity on a Windows NT Server 4.0-based computer, you must format the stripe set with parity before you can use it to store data. To do so:

1. In the Disk Administrator dialog box, click the area marked Unknown on any disk in the stripe set with parity, and then click Format on the Tools menu.
2. Click the file system that you want to use for the stripe set with parity in the File system box.
   
   NOTE: If the size of the stripe set with parity is larger than 4096 MB, you must click NTFS.
3. Type a volume label for the stripe set with parity in the Volume label box, and then click to select the Quick Format check box if you want to perform a quick format.
4. If you choose NTFS as your file system, and you want to enable compression on the stripe set with parity, click to select the Enable Compression check box, and then click Start.
5. Click OK, click OK, and then click Close.
6. Because your computer's disk configuration has changed, it is recommended that you use the Rdisk.exe utility to create a new Emergency Repair disk.

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