Dynamic Disks

[Guest]

Hi,
What are the features of dynamic disks?. Which are the strong reasons that
makes one to think to go for dynamic disks rather than basic disks.

Regards,
Srinivas Acharya

 

[Guest]

Friend, there are some improves, for example, with dynamic disks you can
create fault tolerance, like Mirror and Raid-5, possiblity to create many
volumes, etc.
The link
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/windows2000serv/maintain/operate/10w2kadb.mspx will help you to understand better these informations.

Danilo Bordini

 

[Guest]

Hi,
Thnaks for replying. The fault tolerance which you are mentioning were
available with NT for Basic disks only. Then why Microsoft is pressing for
dynamic disks. As for my knowladge goes, only plus point is we need restart
the system. There was one more point which I read in book and I am not sure
that unlike in Basic disks where partition and MBR is maintained in first
sector of first hard disk, in dynamic disks 1 MB of all dynamic disks are
didicated for this info. Please let me know your views on this.

Regards,
Srinivas Acharya

 

[Guest]

Hi Srinivas,
Yes, you are right about MBR. But there are another improvements, for
example, with basic disks, you are limited to 4 primary partitions and 3
extended. With dynamic, you have no limitations.
You need to know your scenario, because in some situations, dynamic disks
not apply (for example, clusters, storages systems, etc).

 

[Guest]

Hi Danilo
Would Dynamic Disks by any chance also be a form of Software RAID, even if
you're just spanning a single partition across 2 drives. Would this process
utilise more CPU resources than would a basic drive configuration?

Thanks

 

[Guest]

Hello,
Yes, you can use dynamic disks as RAID software. Really, you will use more
computer resources when you create a RAID software, but you need analyze if
you would like to install a RAID hardware.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the swift response. Thanks for confirming my suspicions. This
server currently has RAID Hardware configured as follows... 3 * 36Gb RAID5
with a 4th 36Gb drive recently added as an extension to the 3 *36Gb array.
The original drive 0 comprised the 3 * 36Gb logical drive with 3 partitions,
system, data and images. Images partitions backed up and deleted and extended
drive created a logical drive1. Converted these drives from Basic to Dynamic
disks and spanned the Images 'partition' over the 2 drives. Will this be a
cause for concern. The server has run, slowly, up to this day with Windows
2000 SP2 applied and not as MS recommended SP3. SP3 to be applied today as
performance is pure. Server purely an Imaging File Server and not a Database
Server.

Your thoughts please!!