Netserver netraid - problem finding drives

[Nick Meredith]

I have recently been given an HP Netserver LT6000R U3 (with 3 internal 18.2GB drives connected to an Integrated NetRAID controller) and a Compaq StorageWorks EK1502 drive enclosure (containing 11 x 18.2GB drives - the enclosure can house 14).

I have been tasked with turning the Netserver into a new DB server using Windows 2003.

I started off without the external array connected and I ran the ctrl+M Netraid Express Tools and set up the three internal disks as a single RAID 5 logical drive and then installed Windows Server 2003 quite happily.

Then, I connected the external array and started the server up again. It took ages (over a minute) from after scanning the drives before finally showing the summary screen and then going into ctrl+M again.

When going into the configure option, no drives, controllers or in fact anything appear on channel 1, but channel 0 still shows the three disks previously configured. On entering configure, it scans channel 0 very quickly, but channel 1 takes about 10 seconds on each id (but is just as quick with no drives inserted).

If I change the BIOS back to SCSI and do a ctrl+C, all drives are reported as you would expect.

SCSI 0:

ID 5 - HP SAFTE; U160/M BP1023
ID 7 - 53C1010-33
ID 9,11,12 - three disks

SCSI 1:
ID 0,1,2,3,4,5 - drives
ID 7 - 53C1010-33
ID 8,12,13,14,15 - drives

Here scanning for the drives is pretty much immediate.

I'm afraid I'm not really up to speed on the hardware, I have no manuals or disks and am rather lost.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what's wrong (or indeed if what I'm trying to do is even possible).

Thanks,

Nick

[kris rombauts]

Hi Nick,

seems the connection is good because the SymBIOS SCSI controller (when raid functionality is disabled) shows all drives on the external enclosure, so there seems no conflict.

However the Netraid controller is for sure never tested and supported with this external enclosure. i.e. the management controller in that enclosure is not compatible with the Netraid controller and this will cause issues along the way as they don't talk the same management protocol, so even if the Netraid controller would want to work with the drives in the external enclosure there will still be a issue from the monitoring and management side of things.


The best option to choose for is find a SCSI or raid controller that is supported with that external enclosure (and works in the LT6000r), but forget the internal Netraid, after all you want a stable server for your database i guess....


HTH

Kris

[e4services]

Nick, we get this when one of the drives is bad. Using the SCSI with the RAID controller off again to check all the physical drives. My guess is that one is bad and hanging the bus.