Replace Hard Disk - 8MB EISA Configuration Partition

[Daniel_148]

Have a 2500 Proliant with mirrored harddrives (software array), one went out, replaced with a new one which came up in the disk manager with a 8MB "EISA Configuration" partition, leaving me with not enough disk space to create a new mirror set. Couldn't find any reference to this anywhere, what is it and how do I get rid of it. None of the other disks have that "issue"

Thanx

[Ernest Ford]

The EISA configuration partition contains the config files that the older servers needed to run the CMOS setup. If your Proliant needs it it'll be on the disk that you boot from. It's safe to delete it.

[Daniel_148]

Unfortunately I can't delete it, there is absolutely nothing I can do with that 8MB partition, all the options a grayed out. Any blank disk I insert in any of the available slots will come up in the disk manager with that Eisa Configuration partition. I have the Compaq SmartStart CD set but can't seem to find a tool with which to wipe a hard disk.

[Sunil Jerath]

Hello Daniel,
If you want to wipe the Hard Drive completely then you can use the System Erase utility either from the Smart Start CD or via a diskette by downloading the SP22002 from the following link:
http://h18007.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/17918.html
Just make sure that you want to do this because once this utility is run then there is no turning back. You have to reconfigure your system from scratch.

Regards,

[Ernest Ford]

Daniel,

I need to clarify a couple of points - are you saying that ANY disk you install shows the EISA partition? Where are you getting these disks from - are they unused? Also, I had assumed that when you said the "disk manager", you were referring to the disk manager in Windows - either NT4 or 2K - is this correct?

Be very careful if you use the system erase utility - I believe that erases the system partition on the boot disk, which is something you would want to avoid.

[Daniel_148]

Hi,

thank you for your help. As for the disk manager, yes, the one in Windows, 2000 Server in this case.

The drives are not unused, they were part of a RAID 5 storage array, all files and partitions have been removed and the disks did not have an 8MB EISA condifuration partition when they were part of the array. So I am assuming that partition is being created the moment I put the drive into the slot and re-start the machine.

I don't want to have to reinstall the server from scratch after running system erase just to completely wipe one of several drives in that server. There has to be way to access a disk in a way that the diskmanager cannot, but without taking the whole server down.

I assume I could remove the working harddrives (from the now broken mirror set), run system erase from the SmartStart CD with just the drives in the machine that I want wiped. After that I should be able to just plug the other drives back in and everything should be back to normal.

Does that sound like a valid approach?

Thanks.

[Ernest Ford]

Let me start by saying I've never used the System Erase utility, but as I understand it, it's purpose is to erase the system partition which USUALLY is only found on the disk the system boots from - it may also erase configuration information stored in CMOS memory on the system board.

Whilst I have trashed the system partition and cleared CMOS config on my servers before, it was always prior to a clean install so I have no idea what impact it will have on a production server.

I believe that if the RAID5 array those disks were removed from was where the server was booting from, it may be normal for all of them to have the EISA configuration partition on them, and it's not unusual for it not to show in the disk manager.

I'd be hesitant to remove the good disks and run System Erase because I'm not sure of the impact on CMOS memory, although it theoretically should work - if everything in the server is from Compaq, when you put back the good disks the server should boot and automatically reconfigure itself. I've got some non-Compaq cards in my servers (Prosignias) and I would probably have to go and manually re-enter the configurations for those cards. I'd prefer to remove the good disks, boot from a DOS diskette - a Win98 boot diskette or even the Win98 CD should be OK - and use FDISK to remove the EISA configuration partition from the disk I'm planning to reuse. You could also try booting from the Win2K CD and let it run to the point where it lets you delete the existing partitions and wipe the disk using that. This way the CMOS memory remains untouched and after I re-install the disks, I'd expect the system to boot to where it was before I started.