Question : Problem: How to expand MSA30 with 7 146GB disk array to 7 300GB disk array for ESX3.5 on DL380

I have HP DL380 G5 with internal drives allocated in RAID 1 and RAID 5. I have MSA30 connected with 7 146GB drives. I have 7 300GB drives that I would like to replace the original array with. Other than unplugging drives one at a time, waiting for the RAID to rebuild and repeating, what are other ways of expanding the array to use my 300GB drives? The 2nd channel of the MSA30 is empty, but I only have a single channel card in my DL380.

Answer : Problem: How to expand MSA30 with 7 146GB disk array to 7 300GB disk array for ESX3.5 on DL380

Replace each disk one by one until it rebuilds one by one
Extend the array (functonality depends on raid controller)
Once array extends you'll have free space, you can do one of the following:
  1.  Create an additional datastore in the empty space
  2.  Create an extent to extend your current datastore


Before doing anything backup, backup, backup.

The cleanest way to do this is backup up the virtual machines off the ESX Server, wipe clean and delete the currenty array.  Recreate one with the new drives (when you take the old drives out you'll still have the old data just in case)