DL 380 G2 Dead raid controller ?

[Paul Duane_4]

I've inherited a DL 380 G2 and when i start up Smart Start, it can't find any bootable devices, and i think this is because of the raid controller. Is there anyway to bypass the raid controller and just have it boot from SCSI ?

[Mark Matthews]

Hi Paul,

Yes just move the SCSI cable coming from the back of the drive cage to one of the onboard SCSI connectors rather than the Array Controller.

[Víctor Cespón]

The DL380 G2 has a Smart Array 5i onboard, in a mini-PCI slot. If you see the SmartArray message on boot (bright red and white letters), then it's working. Enter controller BIOS pressing F8, and see if it detectes any disks or logical units.
If it can't detect any disks, then maybe it's a SCSI cable or backplane problem.
Also, reseat Smart Array on the motherboard.

[Mark Matthews]

Hi Paul,

Are you using the onboard 5i Array controller?
The Smart 5i array controller is on a separate board.
It'll be a small board that plugs flat into the system board.

This basically changes the onboard (ordinary) SCSI connectors to Array controller connectors.

If you unplug this from the board, you can leave the drive cage plugged into the same connectors, but they will be normal SCSI now.

[Paul Duane_4]

I've had a look for the Smart Array Bios, but no sign, when i look at the board, i can;t see a Raid card anywhere, according to the system board map it is beside the proc's.

I've started up smart start and it says it can see the the RAID 5i onboard controller but no bootable devices attached to it.

If i try to load the Array utilities, it cannot detect anything

Backplane issue ??

[Mark Matthews]

Please see my attachment, item 4.
The 5i has 4 black plastic 'keys' that you must turn in order to get it off the sys board.
When turned just pull it straight up and off the sys brd.

The cable coming from the drive cage should be attached to Item 5.

If you can get the 5i out, leave the cable attached to 5 and this will mean you are just using the onboard SCSI controller NOT the 5i.

See if you can see the disks then...

If not I would suggest changing the cable coming off the drive cage, then changing the drive cage backplane itself.

Do the disks light up at all when the server is POSTing?

Thanks
Mark...

[Brian_Murdoch]

Hi,

One small addition to Mark's advice.

If you decide to remove the Smart Array 5i controller from the system board it will generate an "Interlock" error by default and you will see an amber "Interlock" led lit beside the PCI riser cage.

Change Switch 1 near the back of the server to the "On" position so that interlock errors cannot be generated by the missing Smart Array 5i controller.

Please see attached document. The DL380 G2 can live perfectly happily without the 5i controller if you set this switch.

Regards,

Brian

[ANgie SAre]

Hi Paul
A really unusual question- not computer related at all. Are you Paul Duane from Adelaide. Went to school with David Sare?
Please email dsare@ozemail.com.au
HAs been trying to track you down
thanks Angie Sare (David's Wife)