topic Re: Smart Array in Disk Enclosures

Smart Array

Gary_69 — Mon, 03 Feb 2003 17:22:26 GMT

We have a Prolient 1500 configured with a 32 bit Smart Array controller controlling 2 logical drives configured as RAID5 booting Win 2000 Server. We recently added a second 32 bit Smart Array controller and an external drive unit with four 4.2 Gig drives configured as one logical drive. The EISA config recognizes the second array but I cannot see the additional drive space in Disk Manager?

Is this configuration possible and if so, what might I be missing.

Thanks in advance for any guidence.

Gary

Re: Smart Array

JohnWRuffo — Mon, 03 Feb 2003 19:39:09 GMT

Check to see if the additional card has been added to the SCSI Addapters (in control pannel) make sure the driver is loaded and started.

Re: Smart Array

Thomas Williamson — Mon, 03 Feb 2003 19:57:29 GMT

Check the Array Controller Utility. You should be able to setup the RAID in there first.

Re: Smart Array

Jez Thomas — Wed, 05 Feb 2003 19:59:30 GMT

Let me see if I got this right:
You have 3 or more HDDs internally on SmartArray controller #1. You have 4 HDDs exterally on SmartArray #2.

Internally, you have a single RAID5, with 2 NT partitions on. Externally, you have configured the new RAID array, but you can't see it from NTs disk manager to format it.

So first thing you might be missing is a more accurate description of your problem - I might be trying to slve the wrong thing here. I recon it would help if we knew the model of SmartArray controller.

I hope you're not missing a backup. I suggest you do this before you go much further.

This is old kit (PL1500), so you might be having some sort of firmware / driver problem.

Now I would normally recommend that you update all the firmware and install the latest SupportPaq, however the latest stuff almost certainly won't have been tested on a PL1500, so you might find that does more damage than good. I think it's probably a matter of finding the right balance of firmware and driver(s), but I wouldn't be able to advise on exactly what you should use.

Try Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 if you havn't already done that.

Re: Smart Array

Gary_69 — Wed, 05 Feb 2003 20:55:10 GMT

Thanks to all who replied.

The issue has been resolved and the problem was determined to be driver related. When the server was initially setup they used a Smart Array SCSI /p driver whiched seemed to work for that controller but as soon as we installed the second array controller with the correct driver upon reboot we receieved a 'no boot device' stop message. Basically from there we ran system erase and reinstalled server and allowed setup to detect the hardware. We used the driers native to server. Now it sees everything, we have the integrated SCSI controller on the system board, a 32 bit Smart Array controller in slot 4 (using one channel attached to an external storage box and nothing on the other channel)and a 32 bit Array Controller in slot 6 (with one channel attached to an external storage box and the other channel on the internal cage).

As to the controller, they're like the original Compaq EISA SCSI Array controllers. I don't even know if they gave them a model number back then?

Again, thanks for the time.

Gary