Add a mirror to an existing simple volume

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To add a mirror to an existing simple volume

  • Using the Windows interface

  • Using a command line

Using the Windows interface

  1. Open Computer Management (Local).

  2. In the console tree, click Computer Management (Local), click Storage, and then click Disk Management.

  3. Right-click the simple volume you want to mirror, click Add Mirror, and then follow the instructions on your screen.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure on a local computer, you must be a member of the Backup Operators group or Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. To perform this procedure remotely, you must be a member of the Backup Operators group or Administrators group on the remote computer. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open Computer Management, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

  • You can mirror volumes only on computers running Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, or Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

  • Any existing simple volume can be mirrored onto another dynamic disk, as long as there is sufficient unallocated space on that disk. If you do not have a dynamic disk with enough unallocated space, the Add Mirror menu item is unavailable. (To verify you have enough space, right-click the disk, click Properties, and then check the size in Unallocated Space. This size may be slightly smaller than shown in the graphical and list views.)

  • You need at least two dynamic disks to create a mirrored volume.

  • Mirrored volumes are fault tolerant and use RAID-1, which provides redundancy by creating two identical copies of a volume.

  • Mirrored volumes cannot be extended.

  • Both copies (mirrors) of the mirrored volume share the same drive letter.

Using a command line

  1. Open Command Prompt.

  2. Type:

    diskpart

  3. At the DISKPART prompt, type:

    list volume

    Make note of the number of the simple volume that you want to mirror onto another disk.

  4. At the DISKPART prompt, type:

    select volumen

    Select the simple volume, n, you want to mirror onto another disk.

  5. At the DISKPART prompt, type:

    list disk

    Make note of the disk number of the disk on which you want to mirror the volume.

  6. At the DISKPART prompt, type:

    add diskn

Value Description

list volume

Displays a list of basic and dynamic volumes on all disks.

select volume

Selects the specified volume, where n is the volume number, and gives it focus. If no volume is specified, the select command lists the current volume with focus. You can specify the volume by number, drive letter, or mount point path. On a basic disk, selecting a volume also gives the corresponding partition focus.

list disk

Displays a list of disks and information about them, such as their size, amount of available free space, whether the disk is a basic or dynamic disk, and whether the disk uses the master boot record (MBR) or GUID partition table (GPT) partition style. The disk marked with an asterisk (*) has focus.

add diskn

Mirrors the simple volume with focus to the specified disk. The specified disk must have unallocated space at least as large as the size of the simple volume you want to mirror.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure on a local computer, you must be a member of the Backup Operators group, Administrators group, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.

  • You can mirror volumes only on computers running Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, or Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

  • You need at least two dynamic disks to create a mirrored volume.

  • Mirrored volumes are fault tolerant and use RAID-1, which provides redundancy by creating two identical copies of a volume.

  • Mirrored volumes cannot be extended.

  • Both copies (mirrors) of the mirrored volume share the same drive letter.

  • For more information about DiskPart, see Related Topics.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Using mirrored volumes
Break a mirrored volume into two volumes
Working with MMC console files
DiskPart