i have an old server that has a failed Compaq 18.2GB 10k RPM wide ultra3 SCSI drive. i do not have any other drive like that to replace it with, but i do have a used (with data that i dont care about on it) compaq 72.8GB 10k RPM wide ultra3 SCSI drive. my question is can i just use this 72.8GB drive in my server that has a RAID 5 setup with 4 18.2GB drives total (3 for RAID 5, and 1 spare)? im not expecting it to give me all 72.8Gb, all i want is to replace the failed drive with this one until i have time to decommission the server. please let me know. thanks

Yes, I have done this before on Compaq/HP servers specifically on the DL product line. What will happen is that the drive can be brought into the RAID 5 array, but of course only as 18.2 GB. The rest of the space will not be used in the array. Visit my blog: anITKB.com, an IT Knowledge Base.