Cannot uninitialize EVA4400- Invalid target handle

[Ed209]

I have an EVA4400 which has had many of its disks moved around, so attempting to manage it through the web interface results in either "Command view EVA has detected this array is inoperative. Contact HP Support" or "All disk groups in the storage system are RAID1 inoperable".  

I don't need any of the data off of them, so the easiest way to get it working would seem to be to uninitialize and reinitialize it.   When I click "Uninitialize", I'm prompted to enter the word "YES" twice, then given an error message reading "Command operation failed. Invalid target handle."  Is there something I don't know about uninitializing?  (Or, alternately, is there another way to get it working after the disks were moved around by the group I inherited it from?)

The hardware and the connections should all be sound- it was working until some of the disks were removed and put back in a different order.

[giladzzz]

Hi

First of all changing disk places does not matter to the EVA unless it was done while the system was on.

You can switch off the EVA mix all the disks as you like and the system should come up.

Also you can uninitialize the EVA from the front panel. In your case it's an EVA4400 and you have

to connect to the management card if you are using the Command view in the management card just

press the link from the hardware and login to the front panel.

It it's not connected to the network you can connect with a laptop default address is 192.168.01

open explorer address https://192.168.0.1:2374

default user admin with no password.

Regards

Press the kudos star if you like

[Ed209]

Giladzzz,

Thanks for your idea- logging in to the management card is how I'm currently connecting to the system.  (I changed the IP address, but I did press the button that reset it to 192.168.0.1 first, then logged in and changed it.)  Unfortunately, that means I'm already doing what you've suggested, and it won't let me uninitialize the system. Is there anything else I should have to do, other than click on "Uninitialize" it the web interface?

[Ed209]

After shutting it down, checking all the connections, starting it up, and attempting once more to uninitialize it, it now says "Command execution failed:  Unable to process command at this time.  Retry the command or check all connections."  Retrying it produces the same result, with occasional bouts of "All disk groups in the storage system are RAID1 inoperable.  Correct the situation and click Restart to continue operation."  Is there some way to force it to uninitialize?  I really don't need the data on the disks.

[thomas_196 · Accepted solution]

The reason you cannot unintialize the array is that a previous configuration is been detected on boot by the controllers, but there is some disks missing from the disk group, they probably failed or have been removed at some stage. The EVA reports multi disk failure and generally speaking its not possible to uninitialize the array in this state.

There is methods for bypassing this.

The system configuration is stored on a disk called a quorum disk, there is multiple quorum disks in a disk group for back up purposes. If you boot the array with 8 disks that are not quorum disks, then the array detects no configuration and you can initialize the system. How do you find out which physical disks are actual quorum disks, this is not easy to find out now, when the system is down due to multiple disk failure.

so there is three options here:

1) Insert 8 disks and boot the array and then create a new system. You will probably have to try a few different combinations of disks until you get 8 which have no quorum While the array is online re-insert all the old disks and then group the in to the disk group. This will destroy any old data and quorum disks.

2) If you have another EVA4400 or similar array, you could take 8 disks from this system and then great a Disk group with the new 8 disks, then delete the diskgroup after this will destroy any old configuration on the disks. You would need to add the disks when the system is online, do not power down the system and add the disks. 

3) Contact HP support they have another method to uninitialize and array that is in a multi-disk failure condition.

I would really only use option 1 or 3, I think going with option 2 can have its own possible problems especially if the system is in production, HTH :)

Tom

[giladzzz]

Hi

I meant you can unintialize the EVA through the control panel not through command view

goto https://192.168.0.1;2374

but take care that you louse your licensing information unless you have a command view server that managed the EVA when it was working and then you have a backup of licenses on that server

look at the following eva web-based operator control panel user guide

http://h50176.www5.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.BINARYPORTLET/public/kb/docDisplay/resource.process/?spf_p.tpst=kbDocDisplay_ws_BI&spf_p.rst_kbDocDisplay=wsrp-url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252F16.197.208.169%253A25654%252Fsp4tssearch%252FbinaryDocDisplay%253FdocId%253Demr_na-c01501781-1%2526docLocale%253Den_US%26wsrp-requiresRewrite%3Dfalse&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portle...

and also

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02493406.pdf

Regards

[Ed209]

Thomas_196, I tried your first method and it worked perfectly!  Thank you so much for your help, I appreciate it.

[DataHammer]

Option 1 worked for us. Took 2 tries. Thank you very much for the post, you saved us a great deal of time!