Brainteaser?

[Roy Main]

I didn't look up the part numbers, but I am assuming the drives your bought are HP/Compaq branded hard drives?

If the answer to that question is no - you will have problems.

If the answer to that question is yet - try the server with just the new drives only. You did not mention the Array Configuration Utility. Have you used this to configure the drives?

You can also try the drives without the 221 controller and use them on the embedded scsi. That will also reduce the devices you need to troubleshoot.

Again, I did not look up the part numbers so, so far, the other assumption is that these drives are compatible w/your system.

[Hugo Teerds]

Thank you for your reply Roy,

The disks are Compaq alright. Here is the copy of the data I get from System Management and Insight Manager:

Status: OK
Action: No Action Required
Capacity: N/A !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Model: COMPAQ HC0183172A
Firmware Version: 3208
Serial Number: LKF56780000019070VZE
Service Hours: N/A
S.M.A.R.T. Support: Not Available
Placement: External
Stats Preserved: No Software Support

Drive Indicators
Used Realloc: 0
Spinup Time: N/A !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Timeouts: 0
Self Test Errors: 0

Drive Statistics
Sectors Read: N/A
Sectors Written: N/A
Hard Read Errors: 0
Hard Write Errors: 0
Recovered Read Errors: 0
Recovered Write Errors: 0
ECC Corrected Reads: 0
Seek Errors: 0

SCSI Bus Information
Parity Errors: 0
Physical Width: Wide (16 bits)
Phase Errors: 0
Current Width: Narrow (8 bits) !!!!!!!!!!!!
Select Timeouts: 0
Current Speed: Fast
Message Rejects: 0

The other one is exactly the same, except of course the serial number.

I have already (often) tried the server with only these two disks, normally they are connected (in the Storage System) to the external port of the on board SCSI controller, port 2. But also when I disconnect the RAID set from the Smart Array controller 221 and put the Storage System on that controller, nothing changes.

The erase utility tells me in both situations that there are no drives attached. The Array configuration utility also shows no disks. As does the test utility and the firmware upgrade utility. Anything that looks at them at this low BIOS level dos not see them. Yet in Windows they are there, albeit not functional.

The numbers of the disks and the Compaq stickers are on the disks, and do not look tampered with, nor do they look different in any respect from the ones that are on the other drives. The documentaion for the Storage system /F gives no information about the specific drives, but mentions compatibility with Wide ultra SCSI-3 drives, also wth the 10.000 rpm 9.1 Gb version. The newer Storage System /U documentation also mentions specifically the p/n 336358-B21 drives (HC018372A) and larger versions.

[Hugo Teerds]

Thank you George, I had not found that one. Although the error message is different, I tried to update the firmware with the mentioned Rompaqs. Both however failed to detect the two affected drives. Also when I put them on the 221 Samrt Array Controller, the same happened. So I did not succeed in updating the firmware of the disks.

What puzzles me most is that in Windows, and the register the disks are identified correctly, but in the BIOS not one utility sees them at all. I would have expected that the other way around, with Windows reading system parameters from BIOS. Or is my knowledge of how things work aging?
But thanks anyway, I know the moment I write off the disks is nearing, but it gave me a pleasant evening again searching for a clue . . . .

[George Jires]

Hi Hugo,

in this case,the only advice that I can giv you is about firmware . Be sure once again,is BIOS in your server and firstly in your Smart Array Controller last version ? See this page:
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/locate/20_1131.html#4
and
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/14694.html

Good luck , George .

[Roy Main]

Hello Hugo,

Sorry this is going on so long. I would have to say that you should be troubleshooting with the very basics: the server, the two drives in the internal bays, and the embedded scsi controller. Make sure your server ROM is up to date.

If the firmware update will not work like this, and the system does not recognize the drives, and the drives cause a POST failure message, then I have to conclude that the drives are bad or they are non-Compaq.

You mentioned that all indications physically are that the drives are genuine Compaq. Where did you get them? I would get them replaced at this point.

[Hugo Teerds]

Sorry I reply so late.

It turned out to be faulty disks as you suspected. I replaced them by new ones of the same kind and have had no problems ever since.

I tried to assign you all points, but that did not wrk. I am sorry for that. What can I be doing wrong?

[Roy Main]

I don't know about the points. But don't worry about it.

Thanks for letting me know what was wrong.