DL385 G2 - Unable to expand array

[Tony Karlovich]

I have a DL385 G2 server. I added 2 - 146 GB drives to the server. It currently has a raid 5 with 6 - 146 GB drives. When I go into the ACU I am unable to see or get the array expansion option. What could I be doing wrong? Do I need to do something before the option is availible?

[Tony Karlovich]

This is also a windows 2003 server. I am using the 8.10.1 array configuration utlitiy and I ran and updated all firmware and the PSP.

[KarloChacon]

ok

what is the controller where are talking about?

[Tony Karlovich]

Smart Array P400

The only thing I could find was in the help it mentioned something about it not being able to preform the function if the controllers cache is disabled. But I checked and the cache is enabled and the controller also isnt currently under going any expansion, migration, extension or rebuild.

[KarloChacon · Accepted solution]

see the value that say "battery Pack count" = 0

that's the reason

your p400 needs the battery for the cache in order to perform the expansion

so you need

Battery-backed write cache upgrade: 383280-B21

check p400 specs you will see this

# Online array expansion (with BBWC upgrade)
# Online logical drive extension (with BBWC upgrade)
# Online RAID level migration (with BBWC upgrade)
# Online strip size migration (with BBWC upgrade)


http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12400_na/12400_na.html


topic already discussed here too I means at forums

[Tony Karlovich]

So I ordered the battery recived it and went to install it and realized i also needed a cable to run from the battery to the controller so I ordered the cable. Anything else special I should do before installing this thing? Also noticed a 512mb cache upgrade is availible. Is that what the second battery compartment I saw was for? If so will that make the expansion sun any faster? LAst time I expanded a array it took like a week to run a 80 GB expansion on a DL380. This is a DL385 g2 with currently 600 GB array I am expanding another 149GB. Hopefully this runs quicker than the DL380 I did in the past.

[KarloChacon]

no your good

battery and cable are OK.

for the controller settings you can change the Expand priority (low medium high) so it can be faster

updating to 512 for me won't be any faster just a few difference if you really need it for something else I mean the 512 but just for EXPAND and EXTEND process it is not worth it