A method for managing redundant arrays (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives, the computer implemented method comprising: in response to a failure of a hard disk associated with an original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives to form a failed hard disk, reconstructing the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives using an amount of space in the set of remaining hard disks utilized by the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives, wherein the set of remaining hard disks comprises every hard disk associated with the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives except the failed hard disk, characterized in that the method further comprises: calculating an amount of free capacity available across the set of remaining hard disks associated with the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives; responsive to a determination that the amount of free capacity is sufficient to re-create the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives at a same redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives level as a redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives level of the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives using only the set of remaining hard disks: de-fragmenting hard disks in the set of remaining hard disks to generate contiguous, unallocated regions in the hard disks to form the free capacity, wherein the contiguous, unallocated regions in the hard disks are located either at the end of each hard disk or at the beginning of each hard disk; and wherein said step of reconstructing the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives using the amount of space in the set of remaining hard disks utilizes the free capacity to form a new redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives, wherein the new redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives is generated in an absence of a spare hard disk. in response to a failure of a hard disk associated with an original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives to form a failed hard disk, reconstructing the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives using an amount of space in the set of remaining hard disks utilized by the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives, wherein the set of remaining hard disks comprises every hard disk associated with the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives except the failed hard disk, characterized in that the method further comprises: calculating an amount of free capacity available across the set of remaining hard disks associated with the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives; responsive to a determination that the amount of free capacity is sufficient to re-create the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives at a same redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives level as a redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives level of the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives using only the set of remaining hard disks: calculating an amount of free capacity available across the set of remaining hard disks associated with the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives; responsive to a determination that the amount of free capacity is sufficient to re-create the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives at a same redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives level as a redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives level of the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives using only the set of remaining hard disks: de-fragmenting hard disks in the set of remaining hard disks to generate contiguous, unallocated regions in the hard disks to form the free capacity, wherein the contiguous, unallocated regions in the hard disks are located either at the end of each hard disk or at the beginning of each hard disk; and wherein said step of reconstructing the original redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives using the amount of space in the set of remaining hard disks utilizes the free capacity to form a new redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives, wherein the new redundant array (300,400,502,504,602) of independent drives is generated in an absence of a spare hard disk.