PCServer704 - Performing Common Tasks

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Service Hints & Tips

Document ID: GKEY-3H8F32

PCServer704 - Performing Common Tasks

Applicable to: World-Wide

Performing Common Tasks

The Create/Delete Array menu of the ServeRAID configuration program contains the more common tasks for configuring disk arrays. Use the following procedures to complete these tasks.

'Creating a Disk Array—
'Defining Logical Drives—
'Defining a Hot-Spare Drive—
'Deleting a Disk Array—
'Deleting a Logical Drive—
'Redefining Space in an Array—
'Defining the State of a Drive—
also
"Results of a Hard Disk Drive Failure"
"Logical and Hard Disk Drive Status Indications"
"Replacing a Faulty Drive"
"Rebuilding a Logical Drive"

Creating a Disk Array
To create a disk array using the ServeRAID configuration program:

Note

To create an array using hard disks in an existing array, see 'Redefining Space in an Array.—

1.

Start the server using the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

2.

Select Create/Delete Array/Log Drive from the Main Menu.

3.

Select Create Disk Array from the Create/Delete Array menu.

The cursor becomes active in the Bay/Array selection list.

Note

Carefully determine which drives to include in the array before beginning the selection process. If you change your mind after selecting the drives for an array, you can delete the array (by selecting Delete Disk Array from the Create/Delete Array menu) and then begin again.

4.

Select each drive you want in the array by using the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight the drive and then pressing Enter. As you select each drive, the status will change from RDY (Ready) to ONL (Online).

5.

When you have selected all the drives you want to include in the array, press Esc. The cursor will become active in the menu.

Note

When the stripe unit size is 8 K or 16 K, the maximum number of drives in an array is 16.

When the stripe unit size is 32 K or 64 K, the maximum number of drives in an array is 8.

6.

If you have drives you did not use in this array and you want to create another array, you can do one of the following:

Define the logical drive or drives for this array; then create another array and its logical drives. See 'Defining Logical Drives—.

Create another array now by repeating steps 2 through 5 in this procedure; then define logical drives for both arrays.

Note

You must define at least one logical drive for each array created before you can exit from the ServeRAID configuration program.

Defining Logical Drives
After you have created an array, you must define a logical drive. You can use the Administration and Monitoring program or the ServeRAID configuration program. When you use the Administration and Monitoring program from the active operating system desktop, you do not have to restart the server. Refer to the README file on the Administration and Monitoring program for instructions for the operating system. (You cannot leave the ServeRAID configuration program until you define
the logical drives for any arrays created.)

To define a logical drive:

1.

Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

2.

Select Define Logical Drive from the Create/Delete Array menu. The following screen appears; the cursor is active in the Bay/Array list.

3.

Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight the array you want to define; then press Enter. The Select RAID Level pop-up window appears, and the cursor is active in the window.

Note

The system automatically assigns RAID level 0 to any logical drives defined in an array containing only one hard disk drive. When this is the case, the Select RAID Level pop-up window will not appear.

If only two hard disk drives are in the array, the Select RAID Level pop-up window appears, but RAID level 5 is not selectable because you need at least three hard disk drives in an array to assign RAID level 5 to one of the logical drives. More than one logical drive can be defined in the array. The maximum number of logical drives you can define is eight; the maximum number of physical drives in an array is 8 or 16, depending on the stripe unit size.

Note

1.

If you are planning to change RAID levels using the Administration and Monitoring program, the maximum number of logical drives that can be defined is 7. The RAID conversion procedure requires one free logical drive.

2.

When the stripe unit size is 8 K or 16 K, the maximum number of drives in an array is 16. When the stripe unit size is 32 K or 64 K, the maximum number of drives in an array is 8.

4.

Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight the RAID level you want to assign to these logical drives; then press Enter.

Note

Because the level you assign can influence the space needed for the drive, you must assign a RAID level before you enter the size of the logical drive.

The Logical Drive list contains the logical drive ID, the size of each logical drive, the RAID level you assigned to that logical drive, and the date that the logical drive was created.

The status of the logical drive also is shown.

OKY

means that all is well with the drive.

CRT

means that you must replace the hard disk drive or rebuild the logical drive. (You will have received a message during system startup telling you what has happened to the drive.)

OFL

means that the logical drive is irrecoverable; the data on that drive is lost.

If this is the first logical drive to be defined, the Logical Drive Size pop-up window shows the space in the array that is available for logical drives.

If other logical drives have been defined, the Allocation Table appears, showing the logical drive sizes already created, and the amount of free space available.

5.

Type the size, in megabytes, that you want for the logical drive; then press Enter. A pop-up window appears, asking you to confirm your action.

Information about the new logical drive appears in the Logical Drive list.

Note:

The size appearing in the Logical Drive list might be different from the size you typed. The size of a logical drive is determined by a number of factors, but basically the size must be divisible by the number of drives in the array.

Consider the following scenarios:

Scenario 1:
The array consists of three 1 GB drives. You assign RAID level 0 (which uses all the drives in the array with no parity storage), and type 1000MB. The number in the Size (MB) field will be 999, which is the number closest to and lower than 1000 that is divisible by 3.

Scenario 2:
The array consists of three 1 GB drives. You assign RAID level 1, which provides a disk mirroring that stripes data across all drives in the array. Because the data is mirrored, the capacity of the logical drive is 50 per cent of the physical capacity of the hard disk drives grouped in the array. Type 1000MB ; the number in the Size (MB) field will be 999. The physical capacity used is 2000 MB, twice that of the logical drive size. The number that is closest to or lower than 2000 and is divisible by 3 is 1998. The logical drive size is 999, which is 50% of the physical capacity.

Scenario 3:
The array consists of three 1 GB drives, and you assign RAID level 5. Data is striped across all three drives in the array, but the space equivalent to that of one drive is used for redundant storage. Therefore, if you type 1000MB , the number in the Size (MB) field remains 1000 because it is divisible by 2 (drives), which is the space available for data.

If you do not use the entire array for this logical drive, you can create another by assigning either the same or a different RAID level for an additional logical drive. You can have as many as eight logical drives among eight disk arrays.

To return to the Create/Delete Array menu, press Esc. To define more logical drives, repeat steps 1 through 5 of this procedure.
To leave this screen, select Exit or press Esc. A pop-up window appears asking you to
confirm your action.
To save the changes, select Yes. To maintain the disk-array configuration that was in place before you made changes,
select No.
To ensure that the server operates correctly, you must select Initialize Logical Drive. This sets the drive to a
predetermined state. The initialization process overwrites any data on the drive with zeros.

a. Select Initialize/Synchronize Log Drive from the Main Menu; then select Initialize Logical Drive.

b. Select the logical drives you want to initialize from the Logical Drive list by pressing the Spacebar
(the selected drives will appear highlighted). To start the initialization, press Enter.
A pop-up window appears, asking you to confirm your action.

Attention

If you select Yes in the Confirm pop-up window, information in the logical drive will be overwritten with zeros.

c. Select Yes to confirm that you want to initialize this logical drive.

The initialization process begins, and you can see its progress in the Pct. Int. (Percent Initialized) column of the Logical Drive list.

d. To stop the initialization at any time, press Esc. Then press Esc again to return to the menu or press Enter to
continue initializing the drive.

e. If you defined the drive as RAID level 5, select Initialize/Synchronize Log Drive from the Main Menu; then,
select Synchronize Logical Drive before storing data.

Note

To back up the disk-array configuration to diskette, you will need a 3.5-inch formatted diskette.

To back up the disk-array configuration:
a. Select Advanced Functions from the Main Menu.
b. Select Backup config. to diskette.

Follow the instructions on the screen. A pop-up window shows the default file name of CONFIG.
You can change the file name by typing over the default. The Backup program will assign a
file-name extension of .ips.

Defining a Hot-Spare Drive
You can define a hot-spare drive from the Create/Delete Array/Log. Drive menu or the Rebuild/Device Management menu (see 'Defining the State of a Drive—).

To define a drive as a hot-spare drive from the Create/Delete Array/Log. Drive menu:

1.

Start the server using the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

2.

Select Create/Delete Array/Log. Drive from the Main Menu.

3.

Select Define/Undefine Hot-spare Drive. The cursor will become active in the Bay/Array selection list.

4.

Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight the RDY (Ready) drive you want to define as the hot spare; then press Enter. The RDY changes to HSP (Hot Spare). You can press Enter again to toggle between HSP and RDY.

5.

Press Esc when you have finished. The cursor will become active in the Create/Delete Array/Log. Drive

6.

If you want to create a disk array, go to 'Creating a Disk Array—.

7.

If you are finished:

a.

Select Exit or press Esc. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm your change

b.

Select No if you do not want the drive you selected to be a hot spare; select Yes to define it as a hot-spare drive.

c.

Back up the disk-array configuration information to diskette. See 'Backing Up The Disk-Array Configuration— for instructions.

Note

The changes you make are not saved until you
until you confirm them by selecting Yes in the Confirm pop - up window

Deleting a Disk Array

Attention

All the data and programs in the array are lost during this procedure. Before proceeding, back up any data and programs that you want to save.

To delete a disk array:

1.

Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

2.

Select Create/Delete Array/Log Drive from the Main Menu.

3.

Select Delete Disk Array from the Create/Delete Array menu. The cursor will be active in the Array list.

4.

Select the array that you want to delete.

5.

Press Del.

6.

If you do not want to delete the array, select No To delete the array, select Yes.

Notes

1.

To use hard disks from the existing array when creating a new array, you must confirm the deletion of the existing array.

2.

In some operating systems, deleting an array and associated logical drives might change the drive letters assigned to the existing drives.

If a defunct drive is still in a bay, the status shows a Defunct Hot-spare (DHS) drive. You can select Rebuild/Device Management, then reset the drive state by selecting Set Device State (see 'Defining the State of a Drive—). If the drive is good, set the drive state to Hot-Spare ( HSP ); then, select the drive again and set the drive to Ready ( RDY ). If the drive is defective, replace it with a good drive; then set the new drive state to Ready ( RDY ).

Deleting a Logical Drive

1.

Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

2.

Select Create/Delete Array/Log Drive from the Main Menu.

3.

Select Delete Logical Drive from the Create/Delete Array menu and press Enter.

4.

Press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to highlight the logical drive that you want to delete.

5.

Press Del. The Confirm pop-up window appears.

6.

If you do not want to delete the logical drive, select No. To delete the logical drive, select Yes.

7.

Select Exit or Esc to return to the main menu.

Note

In some operating systems, deleting an array and associated logical drives might change the drive letters assigned to the existing drives.

Redefining Space in an Array
You can redefine space in a disk array in a number of ways. For example, you can combine a number of small logical drives to create a larger one, or you can redefine the existing logical drive into several smaller drives. Also, you can install additional hard disk drives and create a larger logical drive than was possible with the existing storage capacity.

One method to redefine space in an array is to change the RAID level assigned to a logical drive. For example, if you assigned RAID level 1 to a logical drive and then decided you needed the capacity offered with RAID level 5, you can use this procedure to replace the existing logical drive with a logical drive assigned the new RAID level.

To redefine the space in a disk array, first you must delete the array. In all cases, when you delete an array, all the data and programs in the array are lost.

If you have data and programs that you want to save, they must be backed up and then restored. You might want to use a high-speed backup device, such as a tape drive, for that purpose.

To redefine the space in an array:

Note

You need a 3.5-inch, formatted diskette to backup the configuration file, as described in this procedure.

1.

Back up all data and programs in the array.

2.

If needed, install additional hard disk drives.

Attention

In all cases, when you delete an array, all the data and programs in the array are lost.

3.

Start the ServeRAID configuration program

4.

Delete the existing array:

a.

Select Create/Delete Array/Log Drive from the Main Menu.

b.

Select Delete Disk Array. The cursor will be active in the Bay/Array selection list.

c.

Select the array that you want to delete.

d.

Press Del. The Confirm pop-up window appears.

e.

If you do not want to delete the array, select No. To delete the array, select Yes.

Note

To use the hard disks from the existing array when creating a new array, you must confirm the deletion of the existing array. After you make your selection, the Confirm pop-up window will disappear, and the cursor will be active in the menu.

If you want to define a hot spare drive, see 'Defining the State of a Drive— for step-by-step instructions.

Create a new disk array and define logical drives.

See 'Creating a Disk Array— for instructions on creating a disk array and defining logical drives.

5.

After you have established the new array and logical drive or drives, select Initialize/Synchronize Log Drive from the Main Menu; then select Initialize Logical Drive to prepare the drives in the array to receive data. This sets the drive to a predetermined state. Any data existing in the drive is overwritten with zeros.

6.

If you defined the drive as RAID level 5, select Initialize/Synchronize Log Drive from the Main Menu; then, select Synchronize Logical Drive before storing data. Once synchronization starts, it cannot be interrupted until the operation is complete.

7.

Insert a 3.5-inch formatted diskette in the primary diskette drive, select Advanced Functions from the Main Menu; then select
Backup config. to diskette. Follow the instructions on the screen.

8.

Exit the ServeRAID configuration program by pressing Esc or selecting Exit from the Main Menu. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm your action.

9.

Reinstall the operating system and device drivers, then restore the data and programs.

Drive Maintenance
The following information is about the status indicators for logical and hard disk drives, and the results of a hard disk drive failure. It also contains procedures for defining the state of a hard disk drive and replacing defunct drives.

Obtaining Drive Status: Use the following procedure to see the ID, capacity, type of errors that occurred, and other information about each of the hard disk drives attached to the RAID adapter.

1.

Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

2.

Select Rebuild/Device Management from the Main Menu.

3.

Select Display Drive Information from the Rebuild/Device Management menu. The cursor becomes active in the Bay/Array selection list.

4.

Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight each of the drives in the Bay/Array selection list. As a drive is highlighted, the drive information appears.

Soft Errors displays the number of SCSI Check Conditions Returned from the Drive status messages
(except Unit Attention messages) since the Device Error Table was last cleared.

Hard Errors displays the number of SCSI I/O processor errors or Predictive Failure. Analysis (PFA errors)
that occurred on the drive since the Device Error Table was last cleared.

Parity Errors displays the number of parity errors that occurred on the SCSI bus since the
Device Error Table was last cleared.

Misc Errors displays the number of other errors (such as selection timeout, unexpected bus free, or SCSI phase error)
that have occurred on the drive since the Device Error Table was last cleared.

5.

Press Esc to return to the previous menu.

Notes

The status of the hard disk drive determines the status of the logical drives in the array in which the hard disk is grouped.
The device error table, located in the RAID adapter NVRAM, collects statistics on the number and type of errors that
occurred on all hard disk drives attached to the RAID adapter.

After correcting a problem with the disk array, you might want to clear the table, so that any subsequent errors can be
identified quickly. Select Erase Device Error Table from the Rebuild/Device Management menu.

Bay/Array Selection List
The physical devices connected to each Channel are defined in the Bay/Array selection list as follows:

Status

Meaning

CDR

A CD-ROM drive is installed.

DDD

A drive in the Online (ONL) or Rebuild (RBL) state has become defunct; it does not respond to commands.

DHS

A hot spare or standby hot spare drive enters the Defunct Hot-spare (DHS) state if it fails to respond to the adapter commands.

EMP

No device is present in the bay. This state is represented on the screen with blanks or dashes (- - -).

HSP

A hot-spare drive is a hard disk drive that is defined for automatic use when a similar drive fails. The drive capacity of the replacement HSP drive must be equal to or greater than the capacity of the drive being replaced. You must have at least four hard disk drives if you want a hot spare and RAID level 5.

ONL

The drive is online and part of an array.

RBL

The drive is being rebuilt. A physical hard drive can enter the RBL state if:
' A good working drive replaces a defunct (DDD) drive that is part of the critical logical drive. At the end of a successful rebuild, the state of the physical drive becomes online (ONL), and the state of the corresponding logical drives changes to OKY.
' An online drive that is part of a logical drive becomes defunct (DDD) and an HSP or SHS drive with the same or greater capacity is available. The state of the hot-spare drive becomes RBL during the rebuild. When the rebuild completes successfully, the state changes to ONL; the former hot-spare drive is now part of the logical drive.
' A Ready (RDY) or Standby (SBY) drive replaces a defunct (DDD) drive that is part of the critical logical drives. The state of the RDY or SBY drive becomes RBL during the rebuild. At the end of a successful rebuild, the state
of the drive becomes online (ONL); the drive is now part of the logical drive.
For more information on rebuilding a drive, see 'Rebuilding a Logical Drive.—

RDY

The ready drive is recognized by the adapter and is available for definition. A RDY drive becomes EMP when the drive is physically removed from the bay.

SBY

A standby drive is a hard disk drive that has been spun down. Devices such as tape drives and CD-ROM drives are considered to be in a Standby state.

SHS

A standby hot-spare is a hot spare drive that has been spun down. If a drive becomes defunct and no suitable Hot-Spare drive is available, a Standby Hot-Spare of the appropriate size spins up, and enters the Rebuild process. You must have at least four hard disk drives if you want a standby hot spare and RAID level 5.

TAP

A tape drive is installed.

Logical Drive States
The state of the logical drive is determined by the state of the physical drives. Replacing a defunct drive with a good drive changes the state of the logical drive from offline (OFL) to critical (CRT) or good (OKY). When a defunct drive is replaced in a critical logical drive, the data is rebuilt in the replaced drive, before the state of the logical drive changes to OKY.

Status

Meaning

OKY

The drive is in a good functional state.

FRE

The drive is not defined.

OFL

The logical drive is offline and not accessible.
This state occurs if one or more physical drives
in a non-redundant logical drive (RAID level 0) is defunct.
This state occurs if two or more physical drives
in a non-redundant logical drive (RAID levels 1 and 5) are defunct.

CRT

A logical drive that is defined as RAID level 1 or 5 contains a defunct physical drive. A critical (CRT) logical drive is accessible despite a physical drive failure.

Note

If the logical drive is critical, you must rebuild the defunct drive.

Defining the State of a Drive
To define the state of a physical hard disk drive attached to the RAID adapter, you can use the Administration and Monitoring program or the ServeRAID configuration program. By using the Administration and Monitoring program from the active operating system desktop, you do not have to restart the server. Refer to the README file on the Administration and Monitoring program for instructions for the operating system.

To define the state of a drive from the ServeRAID configuration program:

1.

Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

2.

Select Rebuild/Device Management from the Main Menu.

3.

Select Set Device State. The cursor will become active in the Bay/Array selection list.

4.

Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight the appropriate drive; then, press Enter. The Drive States pop-up window appears, listing all hard disk drive states.

5.

Highlight the appropriate drive state and press Enter. The cursor will become active in the Bay/Array selection list, and will display the new state.

The numbers shown on the left in the Bay/Array selection list area in the previous figure are the bay numbers. See 'Bay/Array Selection List— for an explanation of the bay numbers.

6.

If you want to create a disk array, go to 'Creating a Disk Array—.

7.
a.

If you are finished:
Select Exit or press Esc. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm your change.

Note

The changes you make are not saved until you confirm them by selecting Yes in the Confirm pop-up window.

b.

Select No if you do not want the drive you selected to use the new drive state. Select Yes to accept the new drive state.

c.

Back up the disk-array configuration information to diskette. See 'Backing Up The Disk-Array Configuration—.

Results of a Hard Disk Drive Failure
Depending on the circumstances, a drive failure can result in several possible situations.

Scenario 1:
Only one hard disk drive fails. A hot-spare drive is defined that is the same size or larger than the failed drive.

The hot spare will take over immediately.

Note

Any logical drives with RAID level 0 are blocked during the Rebuild process, and remain blocked until unblocked. The ServeRAID configuration program automatically unblocks all drives at the end of the rebuild operation.

Scenario 2:
Only one hard disk drive fails. A hot-spare drive is not defined or is smaller than the failed drive. The logical drives in the array are assigned RAID levels 0, 1, 5, or a combination of these levels.

All data in logical drives assigned RAID level 0 will be lost. In this array, the logical drives that are assigned RAID level 1 or 5 will be in Critical (CRT) state. The logical drives assigned RAID level 0 will be in the Offline (OFL) state.

Scenario 3:
If more than one drive in an array fails, all the data is lost in all of the logical drives of the array. For this reason, it is important that you replace and rebuild a defunct drive as soon as possible.

Logical and Hard Disk Drive Status Indications
The status of the hard disk drive determines the status of the logical drives in the array in which the hard disk is grouped.

A single hard disk drive failure, (indicated by a DDD status in the Bay/Array selection list), generates a CRT status for the array's logical drives that are assigned levels 1 and 5. Data in logical drives with a CRT is not lost. You must replace the one defunct hard disk drive promptly, and perform a Rebuild operation. If two hard disk drives were to fail, all of the data in the array would be lost.

After you install a new hard disk drive, the Replace process changes the drive status from DDD to RBL if the array contains a CRT logical drive. After the Rebuild process, the hard disk drive status changes from RBL to ONL.

A multiple hard disk drive failure causes logical drives in that array that to have an Offline (OFL) status. This means that data is lost in all the logical drives in that array, regardless of which RAID level is assigned.

Replacing a Faulty Drive

Note

The LEDs on the hard disk drive tray provide information about the status of the drive.

The following is a summary of the LED states and their meanings.

Green

Amber

Description

On

Off

Drive tray is powered on; the hard disk drive is inactive; and the drive should not be removed.

Blinking

Off

The hard disk drive is inactive. The hot-swap drive can be removed safely.

On

On or Blinking

The hard disk drive is in use, and should not be removed.

Off

Off

The drive is defective, or no power is being supplied to the drive. The hot-swap drive can be removed safely.

Check the drive for damage. If the drive is not damaged, check the position of the drive. If it is not inserted correctly, reposition the drive. Verify that the drive is positioned correctly.

Use the following procedure to replace a faulty drive using the ServeRAID configuration program:

1. Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).

If the drive failed while the system was powered down, a message identifying the defunct drive appears the next time the system is powered on.

2. Physically replace the drive or assign a hot-spare or other appropriate drive as a replacement:

Attention

Removing the wrong hard disk drive can cause loss of all data in the array.

3. If you are assigning a hot-spare or another appropriate drive to replace the defunct drive, go to 'Rebuilding a Logical Drive— . If you are physically replacing the hard disk drive, go to step 4.

4. Press the power-off switch on the drive tray. When the green LED begins to blink, it is safe to remove the drive.

5. Unlock the drive by turning the knob clockwise 90 degrees.

6. Disconnect the drive from the connector on the backplane, by grasping the handle on the drive tray and pulling the drive out of the server. Store the drive in a safe place.

7. Install the hard disk drive:
a. Move the tray knob to the unlocked position.
b. Position the drive tray assembly vertically, with the connector facing the rear of the server.
c. Align the side of the tray with the raised guides on the bottom of the bay. (Note the arrows pointing towards the backs of the bays.)
d. Slide the drive tray to the rear of the bay until it connects to the backplane. Be sure it is connected properly to the backplane.
e. Move the tray knob to the locked position.

Note

The green light on the front of the drive tray illuminates, indicating that the drive was installed correctly.

8. Go to 'Rebuilding a Logical Drive.—

Rebuilding a Logical Drive
Review the following information before you rebuild a logical drive.

If the logical drive is critical, you must rebuild the defunct drive. Data in a logical drive assigned RAID level 0 is lost during a rebuild. If the drive was backed up before it failed, you can restore the data to this drive. If a physical drive being rebuilt contains logical drives defined as RAID level 1 or 5 and a logical drive at RAID level 0, the RAID level 0 drive is blocked to external access during the rebuild.

- If you initiated the rebuild through the Administration and Monitoring program, you must unblock the RAID level 0 drive when the rebuild is complete.
- If you initiated the rebuild through the ServeRAID configuration program and the rebuild was interrupted, drives with RAID Level 0 can be automatically unblocked when you restart the server.
- Only one rebuild operation can take place at a time.
- The drive being rebuilt must be the same size or larger than the failed drive.
- If multiple hot-spare drives are available, the adapter searches all bays on each channel for a hot-spare drive of the appropriate size; the first one found enters the Rebuild state.

Under the following circumstances, a Rebuild operation can be completed quickly:

- The defunct (DDD) drive was not defective.
- The drive is in the same bay.
- No write operations or configuration changes that require rebuilding data in the drive have occurred since the hard disk drive entered the DDD state.

If you are using one of the Administration and Monitoring programs provided with the disk-array model, you can use it to identify the defunct drive and designate a drive to replace the defunct drive without restarting the server. Refer to the README file on the Administration and Monitoring program for instructions on the operating system.

To replace a faulty drive using the ServeRAID configuration program:
1. Start the ServeRAID configuration program. When the Following drives not responding prompt appears, press F5 to continue loading the ServeRAID configuration program.

2. Select Rebuild/Device Management from the Main Menu.

3. Select Rebuild Drive from the Rebuild/Device Management menu. The cursor becomes active in the Bay/Array list.

4. Select the replacement drive that you want to use for the rebuild operation. A pop-up window appears.

Select Same Location if you physically replaced a hard disk drive in the same bay.
Select New Location to assign a hard disk drive in a new location. You will be prompted to select the drive that you want.

Information and status messages about each stage of the rebuilding process appears on the screen.

5. When the rebuilding process is completed, press Esc to return to the Main Menu.
The new configuration will be saved automatically.

6. Backup the new configuration (see 'Backing Up The Disk-Array Configuration—).

7. Select Exit to end the ServeRAID configuration program.

8. Remove the diskette and press Ctrl+ Alt+ Del to restart the system.

Search Keywords

Hint Category

Hard Drives, Hardware Maintenance Information

Date Created

19-05-97

Last Updated

22-01-99

Revision Date

30-05-99

Brand

IBM PC Server

Product Family

PC Server 704

Machine Type

8650

Model

Various

TypeModel

Retain Tip (if applicable)

Reverse Doclinks
and Admin Purposes

Note
	To create an array using hard disks in an existing array, see 'Redefining Space in an Array.—

1.	Start the server using the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).
2.	Select Create/Delete Array/Log Drive from the Main Menu.
3.	Select Create Disk Array from the Create/Delete Array menu.

Note
	Carefully determine which drives to include in the array before beginning the selection process. If you change your mind after selecting the drives for an array, you can delete the array (by selecting Delete Disk Array from the Create/Delete Array menu) and then begin again.

4.	Select each drive you want in the array by using the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight the drive and then pressing Enter. As you select each drive, the status will change from RDY (Ready) to ONL (Online).
5.	When you have selected all the drives you want to include in the array, press Esc. The cursor will become active in the menu.

6.	If you have drives you did not use in this array and you want to create another array, you can do one of the following:

	Define the logical drive or drives for this array; then create another array and its logical drives. See 'Defining Logical Drives—.
	Create another array now by repeating steps 2 through 5 in this procedure; then define logical drives for both arrays.

Note
	You must define at least one logical drive for each array created before you can exit from the ServeRAID configuration program.

1.	Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).
2.	Select Define Logical Drive from the Create/Delete Array menu. The following screen appears; the cursor is active in the Bay/Array list.

Note
	The system automatically assigns RAID level 0 to any logical drives defined in an array containing only one hard disk drive. When this is the case, the Select RAID Level pop-up window will not appear.

Note
	1.	If you are planning to change RAID levels using the Administration and Monitoring program, the maximum number of logical drives that can be defined is 7. The RAID conversion procedure requires one free logical drive.
	2.	When the stripe unit size is 8 K or 16 K, the maximum number of drives in an array is 16. When the stripe unit size is 32 K or 64 K, the maximum number of drives in an array is 8.

Note
	Because the level you assign can influence the space needed for the drive, you must assign a RAID level before you enter the size of the logical drive.

OKY	means that all is well with the drive.
CRT	means that you must replace the hard disk drive or rebuild the logical drive. (You will have received a message during system startup telling you what has happened to the drive.)
OFL	means that the logical drive is irrecoverable; the data on that drive is lost.

Note:
	The size appearing in the Logical Drive list might be different from the size you typed. The size of a logical drive is determined by a number of factors, but basically the size must be divisible by the number of drives in the array.

Attention
	If you select Yes in the Confirm pop-up window, information in the logical drive will be overwritten with zeros.

Note
	To back up the disk-array configuration to diskette, you will need a 3.5-inch formatted diskette.

1.	Start the server using the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).
2.	Select Create/Delete Array/Log. Drive from the Main Menu.

3.	Select Define/Undefine Hot-spare Drive. The cursor will become active in the Bay/Array selection list.
4.	Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight the RDY (Ready) drive you want to define as the hot spare; then press Enter. The RDY changes to HSP (Hot Spare). You can press Enter again to toggle between HSP and RDY.
5.	Press Esc when you have finished. The cursor will become active in the Create/Delete Array/Log. Drive
6.	If you want to create a disk array, go to 'Creating a Disk Array—.
7.	If you are finished:
a.	Select Exit or press Esc. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm your change
b.	Select No if you do not want the drive you selected to be a hot spare; select Yes to define it as a hot-spare drive.
c.	Back up the disk-array configuration information to diskette. See 'Backing Up The Disk-Array Configuration— for instructions.

Note
	The changes you make are not saved until you until you confirm them by selecting Yes in the Confirm pop - up window

Attention
	All the data and programs in the array are lost during this procedure. Before proceeding, back up any data and programs that you want to save.

1.	Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).
2.	Select Create/Delete Array/Log Drive from the Main Menu.
3.	Select Delete Disk Array from the Create/Delete Array menu. The cursor will be active in the Array list.
4.	Select the array that you want to delete.
5.	Press Del.

Notes
	1.	To use hard disks from the existing array when creating a new array, you must confirm the deletion of the existing array.
	2.	In some operating systems, deleting an array and associated logical drives might change the drive letters assigned to the existing drives.

3.	Select Delete Logical Drive from the Create/Delete Array menu and press Enter.
4.	Press the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key to highlight the logical drive that you want to delete.
5.	Press Del. The Confirm pop-up window appears.
6.	If you do not want to delete the logical drive, select No. To delete the logical drive, select Yes.
7.	Select Exit or Esc to return to the main menu.

Note
	You need a 3.5-inch, formatted diskette to backup the configuration file, as described in this procedure.

1.	Back up all data and programs in the array.
2.	If needed, install additional hard disk drives.

Attention
	In all cases, when you delete an array, all the data and programs in the array are lost.

3.		Start the ServeRAID configuration program
4.		Delete the existing array:
	a.	Select Create/Delete Array/Log Drive from the Main Menu.
	b.	Select Delete Disk Array. The cursor will be active in the Bay/Array selection list.
	c.	Select the array that you want to delete.
	d.	Press Del. The Confirm pop-up window appears.
	e.	If you do not want to delete the array, select No. To delete the array, select Yes.

Note
	To use the hard disks from the existing array when creating a new array, you must confirm the deletion of the existing array. After you make your selection, the Confirm pop-up window will disappear, and the cursor will be active in the menu.

5.	After you have established the new array and logical drive or drives, select Initialize/Synchronize Log Drive from the Main Menu; then select Initialize Logical Drive to prepare the drives in the array to receive data. This sets the drive to a predetermined state. Any data existing in the drive is overwritten with zeros.
6.	If you defined the drive as RAID level 5, select Initialize/Synchronize Log Drive from the Main Menu; then, select Synchronize Logical Drive before storing data. Once synchronization starts, it cannot be interrupted until the operation is complete.
7.	Insert a 3.5-inch formatted diskette in the primary diskette drive, select Advanced Functions from the Main Menu; then select Backup config. to diskette. Follow the instructions on the screen.
8.	Exit the ServeRAID configuration program by pressing Esc or selecting Exit from the Main Menu. A pop-up window will appear asking you to confirm your action.
9.	Reinstall the operating system and device drivers, then restore the data and programs.

1.	Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).
2.	Select Rebuild/Device Management from the Main Menu.
3.	Select Display Drive Information from the Rebuild/Device Management menu. The cursor becomes active in the Bay/Array selection list.
4.	Use the Up Arrow key or the Down Arrow key to highlight each of the drives in the Bay/Array selection list. As a drive is highlighted, the drive information appears.

Status	Meaning
CDR	A CD-ROM drive is installed.
DDD	A drive in the Online (ONL) or Rebuild (RBL) state has become defunct; it does not respond to commands.
DHS	A hot spare or standby hot spare drive enters the Defunct Hot-spare (DHS) state if it fails to respond to the adapter commands.
EMP	No device is present in the bay. This state is represented on the screen with blanks or dashes (- - -).
HSP	A hot-spare drive is a hard disk drive that is defined for automatic use when a similar drive fails. The drive capacity of the replacement HSP drive must be equal to or greater than the capacity of the drive being replaced. You must have at least four hard disk drives if you want a hot spare and RAID level 5.
ONL	The drive is online and part of an array.
RBL	The drive is being rebuilt. A physical hard drive can enter the RBL state if: ' A good working drive replaces a defunct (DDD) drive that is part of the critical logical drive. At the end of a successful rebuild, the state of the physical drive becomes online (ONL), and the state of the corresponding logical drives changes to OKY. ' An online drive that is part of a logical drive becomes defunct (DDD) and an HSP or SHS drive with the same or greater capacity is available. The state of the hot-spare drive becomes RBL during the rebuild. When the rebuild completes successfully, the state changes to ONL; the former hot-spare drive is now part of the logical drive. ' A Ready (RDY) or Standby (SBY) drive replaces a defunct (DDD) drive that is part of the critical logical drives. The state of the RDY or SBY drive becomes RBL during the rebuild. At the end of a successful rebuild, the state of the drive becomes online (ONL); the drive is now part of the logical drive. For more information on rebuilding a drive, see 'Rebuilding a Logical Drive.—
RDY	The ready drive is recognized by the adapter and is available for definition. A RDY drive becomes EMP when the drive is physically removed from the bay.
SBY	A standby drive is a hard disk drive that has been spun down. Devices such as tape drives and CD-ROM drives are considered to be in a Standby state.
SHS	A standby hot-spare is a hot spare drive that has been spun down. If a drive becomes defunct and no suitable Hot-Spare drive is available, a Standby Hot-Spare of the appropriate size spins up, and enters the Rebuild process. You must have at least four hard disk drives if you want a standby hot spare and RAID level 5.
TAP	A tape drive is installed.

1.	Start the ServeRAID configuration program (see 'Starting the ServeRAID Configuration Program—).
2.	Select Rebuild/Device Management from the Main Menu.
3.	Select Set Device State. The cursor will become active in the Bay/Array selection list.