topic Re: Smart Array p400 change disk position problem in ProLiant Servers (ML,DL,SL)

Smart Array p400 change disk position problem

PDP-Fan — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 09:32:06 GMT

I have here a DL380 G5 with a Smart Array p400 controller. This is a training system and somehow after swapping parts and playing with SAS cables, the original RAID1 in slots 1and 2 got moved to slots 1 and 6. Slot 6 is the 2nd slot in the 2nd bay

That means one drive has moved magically from bay1 to bay2, maybe a cabling error but thats not the problem.

I thought that adding a hot spare into slot2 and pulling the drive in slot6 would solve the problem. Data migration worked well but it turns out that a hot spare will stay a hot spare forever and the controller is waiting for a replacement of disk6.

Is there a way to change the configuration in a way that HotSpare2 becomes ArrayDisk2 and the old disk2 is removed?

I'd like to avoid setting up the server again...

Re: Smart Array p400 change disk position problem

gregersenj — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 09:54:12 GMT

Yes.

The Smart Array controller support drive roaming.

So you can move the drives around, any way you like.

Given you don't mess it up too bad.

A spare drive will allways be spare. And when you replace a filed drive, the data from the hot spare will be copied to the replacement drive. And the hot spare will become hotspare again.

When a drive is failed or removed, the controller will wait for a new drive to be inserted in the posistion of the failed/removed drive.

You must put a good drive i bay 6.

Wait for drive copy to complete.

Then remove the hotspare from the configuration.

The powerdown the server, and move the drive from bay 6, to the bay you want it in.

Power up the server, and accept the drive move has been detected (Like you did after playing with the cables).

Do not play with cables or remove / move the drive in Bay 1, at this time.

Here's a link to the smart array technology brief.
Drive roaming is on page 11

http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/getpdf.aspx/4AA5-4124ENW.pdf?ver=1.0

jag

Re: Smart Array p400 change disk position problem

PDP-Fan — Tue, 25 Aug 2015 11:26:26 GMT

Sometimes the solution is so simple, I just don't think about it....

Thanks for that. Power off, change drives, power on. So simple that I feel stupid now.... :-)

To avoid confusion I removed the spare drive before that procedure.

Chris