Drives Failing

[Ayman Altounji]

When I install Win2000 using the integrated installation or manual.
2 of my drives fail during the gui Win2000 install.
I am using raid5 ultra3 9.1gb drives running the latest rompaq.
I have the same problem on more than 1 server.If I install nt4.0 I have no problems at all. Strange but true.
I have 512mb of ram installed.
Has anybody come across this before ?

[Ayman Altounji]

Download and follow the instructions that are found in the Compaq Engineering white paper on "Implementing Microsoft Windows 2000 on Compaq x86 Server Products" at this web address.
http://www.compaq.com/partners/microsoft/windows2000/whitepapers.html

The OS install will only see and use the first logical drive that has been configure on the array of drives. After the OS is booting from the first logical array volume, you must use the Disk Manager Utility in the OS to partition and setup the rest of the logical array volumes and partitions in the OS.

[Ayman Altounji]

Thanks for your help.

I found a customer advisory "EM000111_CW07" which explains the problem I am getting.

Maybe I should wait for Whistler 2000 or install a real operating system instead.

[Ayman Altounji]

Is there a fix for this as I'm getting the same problem. I'm running raid5 over three ultra3 18.2gb 15K drives. I've tried smartstart v4.90 and 5.0. The server has the latest rompaq. Any ideas?

[Ayman Altounji]

After 4 or 5 phone calls compaq finally admitted there was a problem and replaced all 11 of my integrated array controllers with 431 controllers for free.

There has been a firmware update since then for the integrated array controller which seems to have fixed the issue also.

[Ayman Altounji]

I just spoke to Compaq Etch Support on this issue. The inboard controllers in the DL580s that use a Micron chip set are the source of the problem.

I would have 2-3 drives in each array on my DL580s while installing Win2000. The problem only exists during installation and the servers will run fine on the on-board controller after installation is complete. So, Compaq loaned me a 431 to use to get Win2000 installed and then had me return it.

I'm told that there's replacement on-board controller that does not use the Micron chip set that will fix this problem and their shipping them out to me this week.

[Ayman Altounji]

We've had problems with false drive failures on DL580 with Integrated SMART controllers and 3 or 4 disks on RAID5. For us, it happened with NT 4.0 either at install, or when the machine was doing something. It's been with Compaq since January.
The information we've had from Compaq has been limited to:
- We've reproduced the problem
- Use a 431 controler to bypass the problem
- We know that the ROCs (Raid-On-Chip) with Micron memory chips have a timing problem
- I can't tell you how to identify the Micron chips
- I can send you another ROC, but I can't tell you if it will fix the problem
- All this is documented in an Engineering Advisory, and I'm not going to send you any of it because you're external to Compaq
- The problem is currently with Engineering in Houston, who are redesigning the ROC as a solution.