How to add global spare disk to DL380Gen10Plus RAID array

[MikeMak]

Hello,

I have just taken receipt of a number of DL380 Gen10 Plus servers to fulfill roles core DCs, linux servers and ESXi hosts.

In each case I need to configure RAID arrays with a global spare.

The RAID array, in each server, is a 'Broadcom MegaRAID MR416i-a x16 Lanes 4GB Cache NVMe/SAS 12G Controller for HPE Gen10 Plus'

The RAID array is not present in Intelligent Provisioning which was explained by this in the DL380 Gen10 Plus Server User Guide. "Smart array MR controllers are not supported by Intelligent Provisioning or Smart Storage Administrator."

As I'm not using windows Server GUI as the OS on any server, I also can't use the "HPE MR Storage Administrator application".

I can configure the RAID array in "System Configuration" but there is no facility to assign spare drives to the array(s).

Below is an unclear (to me anyway) entry in the HPE MR Gen10 Plus Controller User Guide. It seems to be saying that an enclosure drive slot be dedicated to be the spare drive? Is this how it's done as I can't see any way of selecting an enclosure drive slot? Is it possible to assign a spare drive in "System Utilities"? 

Configuring Spare settings
Procedure
1. From the System Utilities screen, select System Configuration > HPE MRXXX Gen10+ > Main Menu > Controller Management.
2. In the Controller Management screen, select Advanced Controller Properties .
3. In the Advanced Controller Properties screen, click Spare to configure the Spare settings.
4. In the Spare screen, enable or disable the following settings:
Persistent Spare - The option to have the system backplane or the storage enclosure drive slots dedicated as spare slots. If enabled, the replacement of a
spare drive in the same slot will automatically configure the drive as a spare.
Replace Drive - The option to copy data from a spare drive to a drive.
Replace Drive on SMART Error - The option to start a Replace operation if a SMART error is detected on a drive.
5. Click Apply Changes.

Any help appreciated.

Mike

[Fab13]

Just to know, what version of Windows are you using?

[MikeMak]

It was in the first line of my question.

Windows Server 2022 Core, Linux and ESXi hosts.

A workaround would be to install Windows Server GUI, use the MH Storage Aministrator to configure the spare disk and then rebuild to the required OS.

Haven't tried this yet, as just a theory, but surely there's a way without doing this?

[MikeMak]

Just heard from a contact at HPE that the latest version of Intelligent Provisioning now supports MR controllers.

I'm currently updating so we shall see.   

[BPSingh]

Greetings!

HPE MR Storage Administrator has been incorporated in the Intelligent Provisioning version 3.85.

Refer page number 63 for the procedure from MRSA https://www.hpe.com/psnow/doc/a00095199en_us

Alternately, if storcli is installed in the OS, then refer page 37 on the below web-link:
 
https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docId=a00048288en_us

[MikeMak · Accepted solution]

Updated Intelligent Provisioning to v3.86.

This does indeed add support for the MR controllers which meant I could create arrays and add online spares.

Interesting that I could not get the server to boot into the update application or boot into the SPP update from a USB stick created by Rufus. Tried all the options.

I had to use the HPE USB Key Utility to create the bootable USB and this worked OK.

The HPE USB Key Utility only recognizes USB sticks or 32GB or smaller so I had to buy some as it would not recognize my 128GB stick.

Got there in the end though..