ML 350 G3 SATA controller problems

[mut ante]

hi all:

Our current system is a ProLiant ML 350 G3 and has 3 disks of 72.8GB 10K Wide Ultra 320 SCSI for windows 2k3 server system and another 3 disks of 300GB 10K Wide Ultra 320 SCSI for critical data storage. These disks are in two RAID 5 arrays. The controller for these disks is the Smart Array 641 Controller.

Because we need more data storage for non critical data, we thought of adding a PCI SATA controller along with SATA disks. This solution is quite affordable when there is no need for reliability for data stored on these disks.

We started by adding a VIA VT6421 SATA Controller to the free PCI slot, connected a 640GB SATA (Samsung???) disk to it and it worked fine. Last week we tried to connect to the SATA Controller a second disk of the same model. The problems started. The VIA SATA Controller could only recognize the disk connected to its first channel. At first we thought that the controller went badly and with a different controller it would be ok. So we tried with an INITIO INIC1622TA2 S-ATA Controller. With this controller, on boot up, we could see that the controller identified both SATA disks, but we couldn’t make the system to boot up from the original 72.8GB disks array. After the system tried to boot from the network it showed the non system disk message. So we checked the BIOS settings and on the boot up sequence panel, after the cd-rom and floppy, is the smart array controller.

So our question is where did we go wrong??? Our line of thought is straight forward. What area we missing?

Help, comments and advices are well appreciated.

Thanks in advance

mut


links:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/peripherals/serial-ata_raid/vt6421/
http://www.initio.com/pdfs/Initio%20INIC-1620TA2_1622TA2_1623TA2%20Databook%20v1.4.pdf

[Xteven]

If you check the BIOS of the server you will find two options the Standard Boot Order and the Boot Controler Order.
In the standar boot order you selec the secuence for the CD-rom, Floppy, storage controller. But the boot controller order you select the order of the controllers.

Make sure that the original controller is in the first place.

Xteven

[mut ante]

hi all:

First of all, I would like to thanks the comment.
I followed Xteven suggestion to the problem.

I took INITIO INIC1622TA2 S-ATA Controller and placed it on PCI slot 5. I powered the server and went to the Boot Controller Order BIOS menu and changed the configuration from:

Ctrl1 - PCI Slot1 - HP Smart Array 641
Ctrl2 - PCI Embedded - Compaq Integrated
Ctrl3 - PCI Embedded - Compaq 64bit ... Port2
Ctrl4 - PCI Embedded - Compaq 64bit ... Port1
Ctrl3 - PCI Slot5 - Other mass storage devices

to:

Ctrl1 - PCI Embedded - Compaq 64bit ... Port2
Ctrl2 - PCI Embedded - Compaq Integrated
Ctrl3 - PCI Slot1 - HP Smart Array 641
Ctrl4 - PCI Embedded - Compaq 64bit ... Port1
Ctrl3 - PCI Slot5 - Other mass storage devices

I didnâ t have much of expectations on this change because at first glance the original configuration looks ok. Neither the less, I tested the change, and as expected the problem maintained.

There is some information that I would like to share with you. I couldnâ t change Ctrl2 - PCI Embedded - Compaq Integrated to anywhere else. Another thing that I previously forgot to mention is that when the INITIO Controller is connected to the motherboard, Smart Array controller initialization doesnâ t show during boot up.

Help is still needed and much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

mut