---
title: "Increasing Available CTERA Edge Filer Storage (Except for H series Edge Filers)"
slug: "increasing-available-ctera-edge-filer-storage-except-for-h-series-edge-filers-2-1-1"
tags: ["7.11", "Edge Filer", "Gateway", "Filer"]
updated: 2026-02-04T08:51:11Z
published: 2026-02-04T08:51:11Z
canonical: "kb.ctera.com/increasing-available-ctera-edge-filer-storage-except-for-h-series-edge-filers-2-1-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.ctera.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Increasing Available CTERA Edge Filer Storage (Except for H series Edge Filers)

H Series edge filers are supplied with a fixed amount of storage which cannot be increased.

You can increase the volume size when the volume defined in the CTERA Edge Filer does **not** use all the available storage, as described in [Managing Volumes](/v1/docs/managing-volumes-5-1-1).

When the volume defined in the CTERA Edge Filer **does** use all the available storage and the initial storage allocated was not the maximum allowed by the license, you can increase the storage by either increasing the size of the disk or adding another existing disk.

**Note**

Whenever possible, increase the size of the disk rather than adding a new disk, except for edge filers running on an ESXi platform.

The amount of storage that can be used by a CTERA Edge Filer is dependent on the license:

- For an EV16 license the maximum is 16TB.
- For an EV32 license the maximum is 32TB.
- For an EV64 license the maximum is 64TB.
- For an EV128 license the maximum 128TB.
- For an EV256 license the maximum 256TB.

## CTERA Edge Filer in AWS

The following procedure includes creating a snapshot of the existing volume as a backup.

**To increase storage:**

1. Log in to your Amazon Web Services account.
2. Perform the following steps to take a snapshot of the CTERA Edge Filer database EBS volume as a backup.
  1. In the **Amazon Web Services > Compute** area, click **EC2**.  

The **EC2 Dashboard** screen is displayed.
  2. In the navigation pane, click **ELASTIC BLOCK STORE > Volumes**.  

The **ELASTIC BLOCK STORE > Volumes** screen is displayed.  

![image.png](https://cdn.document360.io/30792387-cdcb-4791-aa14-94929bbcd3fe/Images/Documentation/image-7ZQX2OX4.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-11T04%3A34%3A46Z&se=2026-11-11T05%3A34%3A46Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=i7vimCpqUZ3ING%2BZJbUQ5wMrMKaFU8CnsaeEjDZuW40%3D)
  3. Locate the EBS volume to enlarge, right-click it and click **Create Snapshot**.  

The **Create Snapshot** pane is displayed.
  4. Optionally, enter a description for the snapshot.
  5. Click **Create Snapshot**.
3. In the Amazon Web Services EC2 Dashboard under **ELASTIC BLOCK STORE > Volumes**, locate the currently attached database EBS volume to enlarge, right-click it and click **Modify Volume**.  

The **Modify Volume** window is displayed.
4. Specify a disk size greater than the current size. CTERA recommends storage at least 20% of the CTERA Portal Global Name Space. The maximum usable storage is dependent on the license.
  - For an EV16 license the maximum is 16TB.
  - For an EV32 license the maximum is 32TB.
  - For an EV64 license the maximum is 64TB.
  - For an EV128 license the maximum 128TB.
  - For an EV256 license the maximum 256TB.
5. Click **Modify**.
6. Follow the instructions in the procedure *To create or edit a volume* in [Managing Volumes](/v1/docs/managing-volumes-5-1).

## CTERA Edge Filer in ESXi

**Notes**

Add a new disk instead of increasing the size of the disk.

ESXi limits disks to a maximum of 62TB. If more than 62TB is required you **must** use more than one virtual disk. Storage greater than 62TB is only applicable to edge filers with an EV64, EV128, or EV256 license.

**To increase available edge filer storage:**

1. In the vSphere Client, right-click the CTERA Edge Filer VM and select **Edit Settings**.  

The configuration is displayed for the CTERA Edge Filer.
2. Click **ADD NEW DEVICE** and select **Hard Disk** from the drop-down menu.
3. Specify the disk size. CTERA recommends that the total storage is at least 20% of the CTERA Portal Global Name Space. The maximum usable storage is dependent on the license.

**Note**

A VMware ESXi host limits disks to a maximum of 62TB. To support storage greater than 62TB, you need to create multiple disks, each up to 62TB and then add the new disk to the storage array.
  - For an EV16 license the maximum is 16TB.
  - For an EV32 license the maximum is 32TB.
  - For an EV64 license the maximum is 64TB.
  - For an EV128 license the maximum 128TB.
  - For an EV256 license the maximum 256TB.
4. Click **OK**.
5. Restart the CTERA Edge Filer. For details, see [Restarting or Shutting Down an Edge Filer](/v1/docs/restarting-or-shutting-down-an-edge-filer-4-1-1#restarting-the-ctera-edge-filer).
6. In the **Configuration** view, select **Storage > Arrays** in the navigation pane.
7. Select the array and click **Edit**.  

The **Select drives to join this array** wizard is displayed, which shows you all drives available and asks you to select drives to join the array.
8. Check the **Member** box for each drive to include in the array.
9. Click **Next** to the end of the wizard and then click **Finish**.
10. Follow the instructions in the procedure *To create or edit a volume* in [Managing Volumes](/v1/docs/managing-volumes-5-1-1).

## CTERA Edge Filer in Hyper-V

**To increase available edge filer storage when the current disk is Dynamically expanding:**

**Note**

You can only expand a disk in Hyper-V if it was initially defined as **Dynamically expanding**. If it was defined as **Fixed size**, you can add another disk but you cannot expand the existing disk. For details of adding another disk, see the procedure *To increase available edge filer storage when the current disk is Fixed size*.

1. In the Hyper-V Manager, **shut down** the virtual machine.
2. Right-click the edge filer VM and select **Settings**.  

The configuration is displayed for the edge filer.
3. Choose the hard disk and click **Edit**.  

The **Edit Virtual Hard Disk Wizard** is displayed.
4. In the **Choose Action** page, select **Expand** and click **Next**.
5. Enter a new size greater than the current size. The maximum disk size is dependent on the edge filer license:
  - For an EV16 license the maximum is 16TB.
  - For an EV32 license the maximum is 32TB.
  - For an EV64 license the maximum is 64TB.
  - For an EV128 license the maximum 128TB.
  - For an EV256 license the maximum 256TB.
6. Click **Finish**.
7. Start the virtual machine and follow the instructions in the procedure *To create or edit a volume* in [Managing Volumes](/v1/docs/managing-volumes-5-1-1).

**To increase available edge filer storage when the current disk is Fixed size:**

**Note**

When the current disk is **Fixed size** and not **Dynamically expanding**, you must add additional virtual disks.

1. In the Hyper-V Manager, shut down the virtual machine.
2. Right-click the edge filer VM and select **Settings**.  

The configuration is displayed for the edge filer.
3. Select **SCSI Controller** and click **Add** to add a hard drive.
4. Click **New**.  

The **New Virtual Hard Disk Wizard** opens, displaying the **Choose Disk Format** window.
5. Choose the **VHDX** format and click **Next**.  

The **Choose Disk Type** window is displayed.
6. If you are not likely to increase the disk size, choose **Fixed size** otherwise, choose **Dynamically expanding**.
**Note**

Using a dynamically expanding, thin provisioned, disk is initially very slow to format the disk in the edge filer user interface.
7. Click **Next**.  

The **Specify Name and Location** window is displayed.
8. Specify a name and location for the disk and click **Next**.  

The **Configure Disk** window is displayed.
9. Specify the disk size. CTERA recommends that the storage is at least 20% of the Portal Global Name Space. The maximum storage is dependent on the license.
  - For an EV16 license the maximum is 16TB.
  - For an EV32 license the maximum is 32TB.
  - For an EV64 license the maximum is 64TB.
  - For an EV128 license the maximum 128TB.
  - For an EV256 license the maximum 256TB.
10. Click **Next** to review the disk details and then click and **Finish**.
11. Click **Apply**.  

The disk is created.
12. Click **OK**.
13. Start the virtual machine.
14. Log in to the CTERA Edge Filer as an administrator.
15. In the **Configuration** view, select **Storage > Arrays** in the navigation pane.
16. Select the array and click **Edit**.  

The **Select drives to join this array** wizard is displayed, which shows you all drives available and asks you to select drives to join the array.
17. Check the **Member** box for each drive to include in the array.
18. Click **Next** to the end of the wizard and then click **Finish**.
19. Follow the instructions in the procedure *To create or edit a volume* in [Managing Volumes](/v1/docs/managing-volumes-5-1-1).

## CTERA Edge Filer in Other Platforms

For all other platforms, either increase the size of the virtual disk and then follow the instructions in [Managing Volumes](/v1/docs/managing-volumes-5-1-1), or add another disk to the virtual machine and then add the disk to an array, as described in [Managing Arrays](/v1/docs/managing-arrays-5-1-1).