16 - Windows Server 2012 How to Set RAID 5 Storage (Video in Khmer)

Hello my friend! Today I show you step-by-step how to Set RAID 5 Storage Volume on Windows Server 2012 R2 inside VMware! RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) combines multiple hard drives into single drive letter in File Explorer to improve read speed and protect data against hard drive failure!

Why use RAID 5? Because RAID 5 writes parity data across all disks. If 1 disk breaks down, your server data is still 100% safe and system keeps running without data loss! Follow steps below with video tutorial in Khmer! Let's get started!

💡 Tip: RAID 5 requires minimum 3 hard disks (physical or virtual)! Usable storage capacity equals (N - 1) * Disk Size (example: 3 x 20GB disks give 40GB usable space)!

Watch Video Tutorial (Khmer)

Watch full step-by-step video tutorial below to see complete process in Khmer:

Step 1: Add 3 Hard Disks in VMware & Convert Disks to Dynamic

1. In VMware settings, add 3 new virtual hard disks with same size (example: 3 x 20GB disks).
2. Start Windows Server 2012 R2 > open Server Manager > click Tools > select Computer Management > click Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc).
3. Popup window Initialize Disk appears > select all new disks (Disk 1, Disk 2, Disk 3) > select partition style GPT (or MBR) > click OK.
4. Right-click Disk 1 > select Convert to Dynamic Disk... > check box for Disk 1, Disk 2, and Disk 3 > click OK > click Convert.

💡 Tip: Windows Server software RAID (Spanned, Striped, Mirrored, RAID-5) requires all participating disks to be converted from Basic Disk to Dynamic Disk first!

Step 2: Create New RAID-5 Volume in Disk Management

1. Right-click Unallocated space on Disk 1 > select New RAID-5 Volume....
2. Click Next on New RAID-5 Volume Wizard welcome screen.
3. Select Disk 2 and Disk 3 from Available left panel > click Add > button so all 3 disks appear under Selected right panel.
4. Set volume capacity size > click Next.
5. Assign Drive Letter (example: R:) > click Next.
6. Select Format this volume with following settings:
   • File System: NTFS
   • Allocation unit size: Default
   • Volume label: RAID5_Storage
   • Check box Perform a quick format
7. Click Next > click Finish > click Yes on warning popup window.

💡 Tip: Always make sure all 3 hard disks have exact same disk size for maximum storage efficiency when building RAID 5 array!

Step 3: Verify RAID-5 Volume Resynching & Status

1. In Disk Management, all 3 hard disks now display cyan color block with label RAID-5.
2. Status displays Resynching (0% to 100%). Wait until resynching finishes and status changes to Healthy.
3. Open File Explorer (Win + E) > click This PC > you will see new single drive letter R: ready for storing secure shared files!

💡 Tip: If 1 disk fails in future, Disk Management shows volume status as Failed Redundancy. Simply replace failed disk with new hard disk, right-click failed volume and select Repair Volume!

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Hope this tutorial help you set RAID 5 storage volume on Windows Server 2012 R2 easily! Practice disk management and storage redundancy today. Happy learning my friends! Sharing is caring!