topic Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow. in MSA Storage

Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Igor_31 — Fri, 12 Mar 2004 05:29:57 GMT

I have installed the array (RAID 0) with existing partitions (Basic NTFS) in MSA1000.
VR (version 4.0) does not recognized it.
Besides I can not import it in existing pool -
VR "sees" local server disks only.
How can i force VR to recognize this array(unit) in MSA1000?
I can not delete data in this array.
Thank You.

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Uwe Zessin — Fri, 12 Mar 2004 06:49:00 GMT

Igor,
you can only 'import' an existing file system into a _new_ pool.

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Igor_31 — Fri, 12 Mar 2004 09:49:51 GMT

Sorry, I don't understand.
What is it meaning "... 'import' ... into a _new_ pool."?
What is a new_pool?
I have already a pool created in VR before importing.
Besides I inserted a raw disk massive as a test into MSA1000 and created other pool. The results of importing are same. VR sees only local disk.

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Uwe Zessin — Fri, 12 Mar 2004 11:48:11 GMT

Apologies, but I have problems understanding you, too. Let's see if we can sort that out. Don't be upset if the following is known to you.

(I was enclosing 'new' between '_' as a sign of emphasis.)

VR uses Window's disks for its pools. Once a disk is a member of a pool you can only get through VR at the disk, because, if I recall correctly, it appears as offline to windows.

There are two ways to create a new pool

1) use an 'unformatted' Windows disk, format it as a VR storage unit and make a new empty pool from it

2) use a Windows disk that has already an NTFS filesystem on it, 'convert' it into a VR storage unit and make a new pool from it, containing one virtual disk. You have kept your data.

Last time I checked it was not possible to take another disk with data on it, add it to an existing pool and have that data being retained. It appears that this has changed with VR version 4.0.

--

Now, you write you have already created a pool. If VR sees only local disks as you say, I have to conclude that you have created a pool on a local disk, right?

Next, you write that you have created a logical disk on the MSA1000 and
created another pool - that sounds to me that you now have two pools:
1. on the local disk
2. on the MSA1000

If above is true, then I don't understand why you say that VR sees only local disks.

Another possibility is that you have created the second pool on another local disk and attempted to add a logical disk from the MSA1000 to this pool.
Then you would have two pools on two local disks.

Which guess is right?

--

Have you checked if you can see the MSA1000 logical disks in Windows' device manager? Is Secure Path somehow involved?

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Igor_31 — Mon, 15 Mar 2004 03:22:40 GMT

No, It is not quite right.
I have the VR's pool of disks which located in MSA1000 .
Recently I migrated a disk from other(!) Proliant server to MSA1000.
And now I can not to import this disk in VR's
pool. When I am trying to import this disk in the existing pool i can see only local(!) disks which located in the server (the importing wizard of VR shows me server's local disks only).

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Uwe Zessin — Mon, 15 Mar 2004 14:00:47 GMT

Igor,
what is on the disk that you have put in the MSA1000? Can you access the data from Windows?

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Igor_31 — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 02:10:22 GMT

Yes. I can access to this disk from Windows
without problem. Windows sees it as basic disk with NTFS. ACU sees it too. Nevertheless VR does not recognize to import this disk in existing pool.
Very strange.

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Uwe Zessin — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 02:19:03 GMT

Yes, that looks strange. What version of VR are you running?

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Igor_31 — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 02:22:36 GMT

The Virtual Replication version is 4.0.
Windows is Windows 2003 server Enterprise Edition.

Re: Virtual Replicator does not recognize an array anyhow.

Uwe Zessin — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 07:46:06 GMT

Hello Igor,
one last idea: do you have some free space left in the pool (1% of the disk to be imported)? I recall that the import of an existing file systems requires some space for the meta data.