Add IDE drive to ML 350 G3

[Alan McInroy]

I would like to add a cheap ide drive to my proliant ml350. page 4-12 of the pdf document "pro 350 setup+use" says that this is not supported. I tried it anyway! I could not get it to work.(actually the system recognises the drive but always tries to boot from it bypassing the scsi drives)I went to setup controller card order, it seems the ide controller must be in spot 2 of 4(1 is smart controller 3and 4 are the scsi controllers the only option available for ide controller is 2)I can accept that the book is right and it is not supported, but would it work if I installed an ide pci controller card? I do not want to boot from the ide drive. Thank you.

[Jaime Bolanos Rojas. · Accepted solution]

Alan, this is one of the time where not supported means not possible. Quite a few people already tried that, but the architecture for the system just was not made to have an IDE drive on it.
Basically your system is specting to find scsi hard drives and no matter what we do, is not going to read from ide internal port to another drive.

Regards,

Jaime.

[e4services]

By design most IDE Chip Sets force the boot strap. And besides the onboard IDE controller may not provide full functionality, also by design of Compaq/HP to limit use to CDs.
Yes, you can add an IDE controller, but the controller must have a configurable BIOS, like the SCSI, that can be customized to not boot attached devices. You will find that inexpensive/simple controllers will not offer such a thing and will function similarly to the onboard, hijacking the boot strap.
Try the Adaptec, if I remember it does have a configurable BIOS

[e4services]

I just checked. The Adaptec ASH-1233 ULTRA ATA/133 CARD does have a configurable BIOS. During the boot cycle, the card will post and show the following message:

Sil 0680 ATA/133 Controller Bios Version 3.2.10
Copyright © 1997-2003 Silicon Image, Inc.
Press F3 to enter Configuration Utility

Press F3 to enter the BIOS. The card will then display the devices attached to the card and will show to Enter the set number of the drive that you want to become/or remove as the boot drive.

[Alan McInroy]

e4services: It looks like I was too hasty in assigning points! This is exactly the kind of answer I was hoping to find. Someone who had made this work. I assumed the other answer was correct (he appeared to be from HP) Is there a way to reassign points?

[Hasso Meyer-Jordan]

Hi Alan!

I've connected an Hitachi 500GB UDMA6 IDE drive. The ML350 G3 is running at Windows Server 2003 SP1.

I've created only an extended partition with an logical volume at the IDE drive. So the system didn't boot from this drive.

But there is another problem: the HP BIOS designers apparently forces to recognize harddisks with PIO mode (DVD writer are recognized e.g. with UDMA2 instead!!), and WS 2003 seems to be not able to correct this or doesn't offer a switch to change the mode.

With Linux I've successfully switched the IDE drive to UDMA5 (because ML 350 G3 IDE chipset "CSB5" is an UDMA5 [ATA100] controller, not UDMA6).

(With PIO mode I've rates about 2MB/sec, with UDMA5 about 58MB/sec.)

(Thank you, HP/Compaq!)


So I'm looking for a method to force the IDE drive to UDMA with Windows Server 2003.


Cheers,
Hasso

[LT Chia]

Me too put in a hard drive and notice that it is in PIO mode (Windows Server 2003) and runs very slow. Is there any one managed to tweak it to run as Ultra DMA mode?

[Hasso Meyer-Jordan]

Hello Alan, hello LT Chia!

First @Alan:
Yes, onboard IDE controller is only placable to position 2 at boot/controller priority. At my system the SmartArray with the bootable partition is at position 1 - similar to your configuration.
The system is reliably booting from SmartArray like expected - I don't think the reason is my only extended partition at the IDE drive. Boot/controller priority seems to be working correctly in this case, I think.

(But keep in mind: at onboard CSB5 controller HP/Compaq BIOS didn't allow > PIO4 for harddisks.)


@LT Chia & Alan:
IMO there's no way to get onboard CSB5 IDE controller running in > PIO4 mode for harddisks.
(HP/Compaq BIOS support would be necessary - and there isn't.)

(By the way: My DVD writer is running at UDMA2. So it's technically possible.)

I've added a fine Promise Ultra133 TX2 controller (66MHz PCI) to the server. Now my UDMA6 IDE harddrive is successfully running at UDMA6 speed (without booting from it).

But don't use the 32-bit slot (by the way 33MHz) - at this slot I wasn't able to prevent booting from connected IDE drives althoug in boot/controller priority it was ordered at the last position (5).

One of the two PCI-X busses works for me - the one which wasn't used by SmartArray (to prevent reducing to 66MHz).

Another 8 hours to find/solve this unexpected disfunction of HP/Compaq BIOS (including Promise support, too).
(THANK YOU, HP/Compaq - AGAIN!)


By the way: be careful of high temperature with a fast IDE drive at bad cooled 5,25" slot positions (little airflow).

Max. cable length is aditionally a problem with a separate controller.


Cheers,
Hasso

[Alan McInroy]

e4services, I hope you are still monitering this thread. I purchased the adaptec controller you mentioned. Also a three foot cable! You are correct when the system boots I am prompted to push f3.

When I enter the config utility I am indeed presented with two choices: f1 add hdd f2 remove hdd (my drive is recognized here)

I enter f2 my only option is a question: do you want to change the boot configuration? y/n?

I have tried both each time the system boots and says drive C is a non system disk.

Maybe I am missing something? I still can't bypass the system trying to boot from the ide device.

[Hasso Meyer-Jordan]

Hi Alan!

I'm not e4services, but I'll reply anyway:

Have you read my post, too?

I didn't know the Adaptec controller (probably an externally purchased part) and it's abilities to permit booting from or pushing drive C: into the list of drives.

Are you using the 32-bit slot or one of the 64-bit slots for the Adaptec?

I assume your controller will also subordinate itself to the HP/Compaq BIOS controller and boot order, if you're not using the 32-bit slot.

Tell us about your results.


Hasso

[Alan McInroy]

Hasso, I did read your post. Thank you for your prompt reply. I tried one of the 64 bit slots and had an irq conflict, so I moved it to a 32 bit slot. I didn't try all of the 64 bit slots however, so I could move it again.

I entered the bios setup and confirmed that the adaptec controller is at the bottom of the boot order.

Thank you.

[Hasso Meyer-Jordan]

Hi Alan!

I had a SmartArray at slot 2 (PCI bus 1) and finally the Promise controller at slot 3 (PCI bus 2). Few cards => few interrupts ;-).

But even with more cards: a ServerWorks chipset should have enough interrupt channels, shouldn't it?

With my Promise controller at slot 5 (the 32-bit slot) I'd this "another mass storage controller" (or similar) at position 5 in controller/boot order list, too. But the system had tried to boot from this controller anyway.

Therfore the "trick" with the more suitable 64-bit slot / PCI bus 2.

Hasso

[Alan McInroy]

Hi Hasso

Looking at the documentation that came with my server(pdf doc named Pro350 setup and use)I found a drawing of the system board. This drawing does not match the slots actually existing on my system!

I have tried all the 64 bit slots with the exception of the slot my array controller is plugged into. The three slots I have tried are labeled bus 2, bus 5, bus 5 by the pdf document.

It would be nice if I could draw a picture to show you my setup.

Anyway if I plug the adaptec controller into any of the three 64 bit slots I recieve this error on reboot:

1706-Extended BIOS data area memory has been corrupted. Array controller interrupt 13h BIOS cannot continue. System halted.

That doesn't sound good.

Alan

[Hasso Meyer-Jordan]

Hi Alan!

Get a better matching set of documentation via download if you want. But it shouldn't be helpful at this point. (Be sure to look for generation 3 [G3].)

Bus "2" and "5", you're right. The same here (not 1 and 2). My Promise controller runs at the free PCI bus 5 at slot 3.

Your error message: probably controller BIOS memory overlapping. Should originally dynamically mapped at different addresses. Strange.
(Perhaps a special problem with your Adaptec controller [larger BIOS] in opposite to my Promise controller?)

Do you have updated your mainbord BIOS to the most current version?
Do you have updated your SmartArray BIOS to the most current version? (Be sure to have a recent backup of your array disks if you're performing such fundamental tasks!!)

(I did both, too.)

I'm looking forward to your results.


Hasso

[Alan McInroy]

Hasso, I need to flash the bios I am sure it is not up to date. Trying to determine the correct procedure looks complicated! Something about on the cd or use a usb drive. I will have to do it later I am out of time today.

Thanks for your input. I will let you know what happens.


Alan

[Hasso Meyer-Jordan]

Updating mainboard BIOS and SmartArray BIOS is easy! From within Windows possible!

Go to HPs Download Center and get the two single files.

One of it should be (e.g.) "Online ROM Flash Component for Windows - HP ProLiant ML350 G3 (D14) version 2004.09.15 (15 Oct 04)"
as a single file like "cp00????.exe". This single file is already included in the PSP (see below).


Or get the whole PSP 7.51 (ProLiant Service Pack, e.g. "psp-7.51.w2k3.i386.exe" for WS2k3) which will update all matching BIOSes and drivers at this server at the same time.


Cheers,
Hasso

[Alan McInroy]

Hasso

I finally got back to this project today!

I have everything updated with curent software including the system BIOS and the array controller.

When I get a chance I will try to install the card again. I hope this works.

I will reply when I am done.


Alan

[Alan McInroy]

Hasso

Eureka! It finally works. The first time I rebooted after updating I recieved the error I had produced while using the 32 bit slot before.(non system disk) At least I didn't get the bad error.

I went to the system setup and changed the cards irq from 11 to 10. Wallah it worked.

Thanks for all your help.

Alan

[Alan McInroy]

Hasso

I neglected to mention tat I assigned some points for you.

Alan

[Hasso Meyer-Jordan]

Hi Alan!

Great that it finally works! I love to conquer stubborn systems!

But I didn't understand precisely what you've done with the controller after upgrading BIOSs.

At first reboot you had the controller at a 64-bit slot but got (by chance) the same error like in former times with controller at 32-bit slot?
At next reboot (with changed irq assignment) it was ok?

Or is your controller now running at the 32-bit slot (with changed irq assignment)?


Hasso

P.S. Thank you for the points!

[Alan McInroy]

Hasso

Your first thought is correct. I have the card in a 64 bit slot. 64 bit is where all of these actions took place.

Previously in any 64 bit slot I recieved the system halt message.

Clearly the updated firmware made the difference.


I was elated, I was close to giving up and going with an external usb drive. I am glad I persisted.

You were right that was the easiest bios flash I have ever done! ComPaq got something right.

Thanks again

Alan