How big can a partition be on Windows 2003?

[Guest Cyborg]

Hi,

 

I'm ordering a new Dell file server with 10TB of space, I need to create

some big partitions and wondered what's the biggest I can create?

[Guest Meinolf Weber]

Re: How big can a partition be on Windows 2003?

 

Hello cyborg,

 

See this discussion, last entry from Morgan Che:

http://forums.technet.microsoft.com/en-US/winserverfiles/thread/9e8ef71f-02c4-402c-b9b8-16d32b6cb8a2/

 

Best regards

 

Meinolf Weber

Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers

no rights.

** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups

** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

> Hi,

>

> I'm ordering a new Dell file server with 10TB of space, I need to

> create some big partitions and wondered what's the biggest I can

> create?

>

[Guest Cyborg]

Re: How big can a partition be on Windows 2003?

 

That link didn't seem to show much :(

 

"Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message

news:ff16fb66a34548cab0959bac44f0@msnews.microsoft.com...

> Hello cyborg,

>

> See this discussion, last entry from Morgan Che:

> http://forums.technet.microsoft.com/en-US/winserverfiles/thread/9e8ef71f-02c4-402c-b9b8-16d32b6cb8a2/

>

> Best regards

>

> Meinolf Weber

> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and

> confers no rights.

> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups

> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

>

>> Hi,

>>

>> I'm ordering a new Dell file server with 10TB of space, I need to

>> create some big partitions and wondered what's the biggest I can

>> create?

>>

>

>

[Guest Edwin vMierlo [MVP]]

Re: How big can a partition be on Windows 2003?

 

Max Partition on a MBR disk is 2TB

Max Partition on a GPT disk is about 8589934592 TB (in theory) there are

some limitations.... which effectively will bring this to about 18 ExaByte

 

Please note a partition is on a single phisical disk.

 

Once you start using dynamic disks, you can actually create NTFS Volumes

much larger than a single partions....

 

In theory, the maximum NTFS volume size is 2 ^ 32 clusters. However, even if

there were hardware available to supply a logical volume of that capacity,

there are other limitations to the maximum size of a volume.

 

One of these limitations is partition tables. By industry standards,

partition tables are limited to 2 ^ 32 sectors. Sector size, another

limitation, is a function of hardware and industry standards, and is

typically 512 bytes. While sector sizes might increase in the future, the

current size puts a limit on a single volume of 2 terabytes (2 ^ 32 * 512

bytes, or 2 ^ 41 bytes).

 

The maximum number of files on an NTFS volume is 2 ^ 32 - 1.

 

 

 

Please be carefull, do you really need such a large SINGLE volume ?

 

Have you considered how long it will take to run CHKDSK ? how long to backup

? how long to restore ?

 

Would you not be better off having multiple smaller partitions/volumes ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message

news:ff16fb66a34548cab0959bac44f0@msnews.microsoft.com...

> Hello cyborg,

>

> See this discussion, last entry from Morgan Che:

>

http://forums.technet.microsoft.com/en-US/winserverfiles/thread/9e8ef71f-02c4-402c-b9b8-16d32b6cb8a2/

>

> Best regards

>

> Meinolf Weber

> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and

confers

> no rights.

> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups

> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

>

> > Hi,

> >

> > I'm ordering a new Dell file server with 10TB of space, I need to

> > create some big partitions and wondered what's the biggest I can

> > create?

> >

>

>

[Guest Meinolf Weber]

Re: How big can a partition be on Windows 2003?

 

Hello cyborg,

 

What is unclear about this:

 

Based on my research, for NTFS "The maximum partition size is 2TB. NTFS actually

has an upper limit of 16 Exabyte (quintillion bytes, or 16 million TB), but

since current industry standard limits the Partition Tables to 2 to the 32nd

power sectors (with 512B sectors, that's 2 TB), the actual current upper

limit is 2 TB.

 

However, as for GPT partition, NTRS can support 256T.

 

 

Best regards

 

Meinolf Weber

Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers

no rights.

** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups

** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

> That link didn't seem to show much :(

>

> "Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message

> news:ff16fb66a34548cab0959bac44f0@msnews.microsoft.com...

>

>> Hello cyborg,

>>

>> See this discussion, last entry from Morgan Che:

>> http://forums.technet.microsoft.com/en-US/winserverfiles/thread/9e8ef

>> 71f-02c4-402c-b9b8-16d32b6cb8a2/

>> Best regards

>>

>> Meinolf Weber

>> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and

>> confers no rights.

>> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups

>> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

>>> Hi,

>>>

>>> I'm ordering a new Dell file server with 10TB of space, I need to

>>> create some big partitions and wondered what's the biggest I can

>>> create?

>>>

[Guest Cyborg]

Re: How big can a partition be on Windows 2003?

 

Wow that is detailed!

 

So best to stick to 2TB partitions?

 

"Edwin vMierlo [MVP]" <EdwinvMierlo@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

message news:eHaigHn4IHA.1056@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Max Partition on a MBR disk is 2TB

> Max Partition on a GPT disk is about 8589934592 TB (in theory) there are

> some limitations.... which effectively will bring this to about 18 ExaByte

>

> Please note a partition is on a single phisical disk.

>

> Once you start using dynamic disks, you can actually create NTFS Volumes

> much larger than a single partions....

>

> In theory, the maximum NTFS volume size is 2 ^ 32 clusters. However, even

> if

> there were hardware available to supply a logical volume of that capacity,

> there are other limitations to the maximum size of a volume.

>

> One of these limitations is partition tables. By industry standards,

> partition tables are limited to 2 ^ 32 sectors. Sector size, another

> limitation, is a function of hardware and industry standards, and is

> typically 512 bytes. While sector sizes might increase in the future, the

> current size puts a limit on a single volume of 2 terabytes (2 ^ 32 * 512

> bytes, or 2 ^ 41 bytes).

>

> The maximum number of files on an NTFS volume is 2 ^ 32 - 1.

>

>

>

> Please be carefull, do you really need such a large SINGLE volume ?

>

> Have you considered how long it will take to run CHKDSK ? how long to

> backup

> ? how long to restore ?

>

> Would you not be better off having multiple smaller partitions/volumes ?

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> "Meinolf Weber" <meiweb(nospam)@gmx.de> wrote in message

> news:ff16fb66a34548cab0959bac44f0@msnews.microsoft.com...

>> Hello cyborg,

>>

>> See this discussion, last entry from Morgan Che:

>>

> http://forums.technet.microsoft.com/en-US/winserverfiles/thread/9e8ef71f-02c4-402c-b9b8-16d32b6cb8a2/

>>

>> Best regards

>>

>> Meinolf Weber

>> Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and

> confers

>> no rights.

>> ** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups

>> ** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

>>

>> > Hi,

>> >

>> > I'm ordering a new Dell file server with 10TB of space, I need to

>> > create some big partitions and wondered what's the biggest I can

>> > create?

>> >

>>

>>

>

>

[Guest Edwin vMierlo [MVP]]

Re: How big can a partition be on Windows 2003?

 

 

"Cyborg" <apollo13@btinternet.com> wrote in message

news:uopCJYn4IHA.1428@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...

> Wow that is detailed!

>

> So best to stick to 2TB partitions?

>

 

Depends on your business requirements (remember downtime to backup, restore,

run chkdsk)