Extend a Windows Server 2003 disk volume

While the days of expensive storage are (thankfully) long gone, the task of managing storage hasn't disappeared along with the high costs. And, somehow, administrators always seem to be just a gigabyte shy of what they need in order to fulfill a particular task's requirements.

No matter how you run your environment, it's highly likely that the day will come when you need to add space to an existing volume. For example, say you've removed another volume on the disk or array, and you want to use that space for your remaining volume.

There are a variety of ways to accomplish this. For example, if you have a large RAID array or you have a storage area network, and you want to make a volume larger, you could blow the volume away, expand it into the additional space, and then re-create it from a tape backup. Keep in mind that this method works only if you intend to expand an existing volume using space that's on the same physical hard drive or array.

Another option is to take advantage of the new Diskpart.exe utility that comes standard with Windows Server 2003. This utility allows you to create, delete, and manage partitions on your hard drive.

To use Diskpart.exe, follow these steps:

1. Open a command prompt by going to Start | Run.
2. Enter diskpart in the Open text box, and press [Enter].
3. At the DISKPART prompt, enter list volume. Listing A provides an example of the results.
4. Enter select volume x, where x is the volume number listed that you want to expand.
5. Enter extend, and press [Enter].

When you're finished, use the Disk Management snap-in to check out your new volume. It should now take up the rest of the available space on the device.

Scott Lowe MCSE is currently the IT director for a national legal association, where he runs the day-to-day operations, plans the long-term strategy of the IT group, and provides technical advice and assistance to the membership.