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Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

 
Glenn Hudgins
Advisor

ML115 G5 RAID issues

I have seen this same issue on the forums and have chatted with HP support, all to no avail. While doing the setup of the nVidia RAID as a simple mirror, I found that there is no way to make it bootable in the MediaShield BIOS. I was following the pdf instructions for MediaShield and the option to make the array bootable is not there. There is no "[B] Set Boot" option listed under the array list screen on my server. After chatting with HP online support, they said to update the BIOS and they gave me 2 other downloads for nVidia drivers & software. Of course all of these updates require Windows to use - gee thanks. I broke the unbootable RAID, installed W2K3 server, installed all the recommended updates (my BIOS was already at the latest level but I went ahead and updated anyway). Went back and enabled the RAID, set it for a simple mirror (2-disks) - and still it says "N/A" under boot in MediaShield with no option to make it bootable. I even looked for updates for MediaShield BIOS without much luck. Attached are screen shots of the MediaShield screens and POST screens. Also, the RAID array is viewable in the system BIOS and even shows during POST.
8 REPLIES 8
Johan Guldmyr
Honored Contributor

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

Good morning.

Do you have to set it to bootable in the nvidia raid config?

Have you tried to install an OS on it?
Erdogan Temur
HPE Pro

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

Hi,

I attach configuration guide. Please check.

This is how we thank each other in the forum

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/helptips.do?#33

Regards.
Erdogan
Kind Regards,
Erdogan.
No support by private messages. Please ask the forum!

Accept or Kudo

Glenn Hudgins
Advisor

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

Thanks for the replies Johan & Erdogan. To answer Johan, I have set the NVIDIA RAID to bootable in the system BIOS. There is no option to set it to bootable in the NVIDIA's MediaShield BIOS on my version. I was able to install Windows Server 2003 and install the NVIDIA drivers during install - Windows accepted both drivers with no issues per the NVIDIA MediaShield instructions. Upon reboot, the system just goes to a black screen and does nothing. When I checked the system BIOS it showed the 1st bootable device as the NVIDIA RAID array. The MediaShield BIOS shows Boot as N/A. Thanks for the pdf file, Erdogan. The screen shots look exactly like what I see on my system. I had used the newest NVIDIA drivers off HP's site. I downloaded the driver off your pdf file but when I checked the servers it works with HP doesn't show the ML115 but it might work. I think I'll try it one more time and see. I also have a ML110 with an Intel embedded RAID and it was very easy to setup. This NVIDIA has been a nightmare.
Glenn Hudgins
Advisor

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

Erdogan, I checked out the driver after downloading it and it says it's for an Adaptec RAID array controller. Are you saying to use that driver for the embedded NVIDIA RAID array controller that's on my server? At this point I'm willing to try it if you say it will really work.
Erdogan Temur
HPE Pro

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

Use this driver and install the os.

NVIDIA nForce RAID Driver for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x32 Editions
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/SoftwareDescription.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=3683705&prodNameId=3683706&swEnvOID=1005&swLang=8&mode=2&taskId=135&swItem=MTX-e3e8163725074ce4bf4fe3148b
Kind Regards,
Erdogan.
No support by private messages. Please ask the forum!

Accept or Kudo

Glenn Hudgins
Advisor

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

Erdogan, thanks for the updated driver link. That was the same driver I had used previously. I'm going to try to create the RAID again tomorrow when I get another matching Western Digital hard drive. One thing one of the HP support people said was to try 2 identical make/model hard drives. Currently I have a Seagate 160 GB drive and a Western Digital 160 GB drive. I've mixed hard drives with SCSI before but never with SATA drives so maybe that's the problem. The HP support person wasn't sure but suggested I try it. I've tried everything else other than an add-on SATA RAID card and I'm just about ready to buy one. Thanks again for your help.
Johan Guldmyr
Honored Contributor

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

Haven't installed one of these in a while but in one you had to install it first on one disk and then create a mirror afterwards.. but I think that was on the ml110
Glenn Hudgins
Advisor

Re: ML115 G5 RAID issues

FINALLY!!! Got this thing to work. I'm not 100% sure if this is an NVIDIA issue or a SATA issue, but I did finally get the RAID array to work. I ended up having to use two identical hard drives from Western Digital (same exact models) and everything worked this time. Previously I was trying to use two different manufacturers hard drives of the same size (160GB) and a HP support person suggested using two of the same drives. There was one other issue that I had seen others have with the USB floppy drivers wanting to ask for the NVIDIA drivers again after Windows reboots for the continued installation process. I Googled it and found a great workaround on this same forum. Just had to add some additional driver text to the txtsetup.oem file on the NVIDIA driver disk and it worked like a champ.