Maximum supported sizes of FileSystems and Spanned Volumes
- I have browsed but have not come up with answers to following ?s about Windows 2008 Server:
What is the largest supported size of a spanned volume?
What is the largest supported size of an NTFS file system?
Bottom line: Is it possible to build a 100TB volume/file system with Windows 2008? I have access to large storage array and have need for a 100TB file system. Thinking to span across 10 ea 10TB LUNs. Possible?
Jack
Answers
Hello Jack,
Basically speaking, NTFS system has a limitation on the volume size with 2TB if the operation system is non-64-Bit Edition (Itanium) based operation system. If you want to use more than 2TB as a single logical unit volume, please ensure that you use Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems or Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-Based Systems as the host system.
It is possbile to build 100TB volume file system if you can format with 64-kilobyte (KB) cluster on the volume.
For the largest supported size of Spanned volume and NTFS file system, please check the following table for detail.Storage Capabilities
Basic Disks
Dynamic Disks
Volume size (maximum)
2 TB
2 TB for simple and mirrored volumes.
Up to 64 TB for spanned and striped volumes. (2 TB per disk with a maximum of 32 disks per volume.)
Up to 62 TB for RAID-5 volumes. (2 TB per disk with a maximum of 32 disks per volume and 2 TB used for parity.)
Supported RAID implementation
Hardware RAID only
Hardware or software RAID
Storage of boot and system volumes
Yes
Simple or mirrored volumes only
Shared cluster storage in server clusters
Supported
Not supported*
Description
Limit
Maximum size of an NTFS volume
232 clusters minus 1 cluster
Using a 64-kilobyte (KB) cluster (the maximum NTFS cluster size), the maximum size of an NTFS volume is 256 TB minus 64 KB.
Using a 4-KB cluster (the default NTFS cluster size), the maximum size of an NTFS volume is 16 TB minus 4 KB.
Maximum number of dynamic volumes per disk group
1,000
A disk group is collection of dynamic disks. Windows Server 2003 supports one disk group per server.
Maximum volumes per server
Approximately 2,000 volumes
Up to 1,000 of these volumes can be dynamic volumes; the rest are basic volumes. Boot times increase as you increase the number of volumes. In addition, the use of multipathing can reduce the number of volumes per server.
Reference:
Reviewing Storage Limits
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773268(WS.10).aspx
Hope this can be helpful.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.- Proposed As Answer byDavid Shen - MSFTMSFT, ModeratorMonday, November 09, 2009 9:03 AM
- Marked As Answer byjschae Monday, November 09, 2009 3:49 PM
All Replies
Hello Jack,
Basically speaking, NTFS system has a limitation on the volume size with 2TB if the operation system is non-64-Bit Edition (Itanium) based operation system. If you want to use more than 2TB as a single logical unit volume, please ensure that you use Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Edition for Itanium-based Systems or Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter Edition for Itanium-Based Systems as the host system.
It is possbile to build 100TB volume file system if you can format with 64-kilobyte (KB) cluster on the volume.
For the largest supported size of Spanned volume and NTFS file system, please check the following table for detail.Storage Capabilities
Basic Disks
Dynamic Disks
Volume size (maximum)
2 TB
2 TB for simple and mirrored volumes.
Up to 64 TB for spanned and striped volumes. (2 TB per disk with a maximum of 32 disks per volume.)
Up to 62 TB for RAID-5 volumes. (2 TB per disk with a maximum of 32 disks per volume and 2 TB used for parity.)
Supported RAID implementation
Hardware RAID only
Hardware or software RAID
Storage of boot and system volumes
Yes
Simple or mirrored volumes only
Shared cluster storage in server clusters
Supported
Not supported*
Description
Limit
Maximum size of an NTFS volume
232 clusters minus 1 cluster
Using a 64-kilobyte (KB) cluster (the maximum NTFS cluster size), the maximum size of an NTFS volume is 256 TB minus 64 KB.
Using a 4-KB cluster (the default NTFS cluster size), the maximum size of an NTFS volume is 16 TB minus 4 KB.
Maximum number of dynamic volumes per disk group
1,000
A disk group is collection of dynamic disks. Windows Server 2003 supports one disk group per server.
Maximum volumes per server
Approximately 2,000 volumes
Up to 1,000 of these volumes can be dynamic volumes; the rest are basic volumes. Boot times increase as you increase the number of volumes. In addition, the use of multipathing can reduce the number of volumes per server.
Reference:
Reviewing Storage Limits
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc773268(WS.10).aspx
Hope this can be helpful.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.- Proposed As Answer byDavid Shen - MSFTMSFT, ModeratorMonday, November 09, 2009 9:03 AM
- Marked As Answer byjschae Monday, November 09, 2009 3:49 PM
- This is just the answer and backup documentation that I need.
Thanks,
Jack - Jack, by any chance did you get the maximum file size and number of files within such a large dynamic volume?
Curious of the limits.
