Expansion of a RAID5 array - can I just add a disk?

[dan_aka_jack]

I'm planning to build myself a RAID5 array but I'm a little confused about the process of expanding an existing RAID5 array...

Say I build a 3 x 500GB RAID5 array this week which will give me 1TB of storage space. Can I just add another 500GB disk in a few months time and gain 1.5TB of storage? In other words, will the RAID5 array dynamically "grow" when I add the new disk or will I have to delete my existing 3-disk array and re-build a 4-disk array?

I'm planning on using a Highpoint RocketRAID 2300 controller card running on WinXP.

Many thanks,
Jack

 

[dan_aka_jack]

HI guys,

Thanks loads for the very swift replies. I'm always amazed at the speed and quality of replies here on OcUK. Thanks!

Erm - what's a "dynamic volume"? Are there any disadvantages to using a dynamic volume rather than a normal partition?

Also - is the data at risk while the array is being expanded? (i.e. will my data survive even if one of the drive dies during array expansion?) I'm guessing not.

Many thanks,
Jack

 

[dan_aka_jack]

cool, thanks for the reply.