LPr unable to create utility partition

[Chris Dorow]

I want to replace my current Raid 5 hard drives with bigger ones. I have a NetRAID-3si controller and Windows NT4 Server. After backing up the old drives, I tried creating the HP Utility Partition using an older Navigator disk (L.18.02) that came with the server. But, when it tries to boot, the system hangs while trying to load the CDROM driver. Is there another way of creating the Utility Partition other than using the Navigator disk? Also, does anyone know if a newer version of the Navigator disk addresses this problem?

[Theo Hill_1]

The utility partition installed from the L.18.02 is so old, why would you want to install it? Everything is out of date so there is not point in using it. If you had a more recent version of Navigator, I would recommend you use that. If not, anything you need for the LPr that is in the utility partition is located here:

http://h20004.www2.hp.com/soar_rnotes/bsdmatrix/matrix50457en_US.html

[Chris Dorow]

I'm sorry, I wasn't clear why I needed it...

Without the Utility Partition, restoring from a tape backup causes some applications to not start correctly. Specifically, Exchange 5.5 and ARCServeIT do not startup correctly. I suspect that their configuration records partiton information. I was able to boot NT4 by modifying the boot.ini file. But, I have no idea what to change for the 2 applications to make them work. My hope was to use the navigator disk to create the partition as a "place holder" so that the partion table would look like the old drives and then restore from my tape backup. But, alas, due to some unknown reason my navigator disk hangs during the boot process.

So, all I really need is a way to create the partition before installing the OS.

Any ideas? Any utility that I can use from DOS to create the partition?

[Terri Harris]

With NT and the HP utility partition, the utility partition is seen as Disk # 1 or Partition # 1. Consequently your NT system boot partition is partition # 2. So this can create a restore problem.
I would recommend using DOS FDISK, and create a 30 MB DOS partition. Then try your restore.
If this does not work:

1. What System BIOS version is currently installed on this LPr?

2. Do you have any other HP Navigator CDs?

You can also email Netserver support at:

NetSrvTech_Support@hp.com

[e4services]

There is a documented way to replace the smaller drives with larger one WITHOUT using backup/restore from the HP archives.

But if you are still attempting to restore onto your new drives, a newly created RAID with 18 GB drives, try just reinstalling the OS as you did originally. If that was with the Navigator disk, then do it again to the new drives. Then restore from the backup to bring everything up to (your) date. But definately update all your drivers and BIOS after the operation.

[Chris Dorow]

Terri:

There is something special about the HP utilities partition that causes NT to "skip" that partition. Effectively hiding it from NT. So, the BOOT.INI calls for the boot partition to still be the first partition.

e4services.com:

I would be interested in that article. It would get me over the hump for now - but I am still stuck if the original disks crash!

I have brought both the BIOS and NetRaid firmware up to the current levels. Unfortunately, HP wouldn't give me a copy of the latest Navigator disk - saying that they don't know how to recreate one and nothing in stock.