ML115 G5 and WHS PP3 install woes.

[Paul_Seabright]

I'm trying to install Windows Home Server, Power Pack 3 onto a brand new ML115 G5. The server spec is 1Gb ram, Optron 2.2GHz processor and a 160Gb SATA HD.
Being new to servers and WHS, I thought I'd try to install WHS to the ML115 as it came out of the box with no RAID configured. I confirm that in the BIOS, the nVida RAID function is disabled.

Everytime I runsetup from the WHS DVD, I get a BSOD with nvstor.sys indicated as being at fault.

My questions are;
1. Has anybody tried this before - what were your results?
2. Do you need aditional drivers? If so , which ones?

Many thanks for your help,

Paul

[Paul_Seabright]

Update.

I've been succesful, using the suppplied Easy setup CD. (DOH!)

My next question is....
Anyone set up WHS on a RAID volume? What is the correct driver to use for the embeded controller??

Many thnks,

Paul

[Glenn Hudgins]

Paul,

To setup the Nvidia RAID you'll need the RAID drivers, 2 identical SATA drives (I tried 2 different mfg drives and couldn't get it to work). Newegg.com sells the same Seagate drive that comes with the server (don't forget to get a 2nd SATA cable too). Just make sure you get the same model number hard drive. You'll also need a USB floppy drive or a flash drive (I used the floppy drive) to load the drivers. First you'll need to add the 2nd drive, then enable the RAID in the BIOS. Next after saving the BIOS settings, reboot and go into the Nvidia RAID BIOS (using F10 during POST). Set the type of RAID you want RAID 0,1 or 5 (need 3 drives for RAID 5). See the install instructions on HP's web for the Nvidia RAID. You can get all the drivers and other docs here: http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/DriverDownload.jsp?prodNameId=3683706〈=en&cc=us&taskId=135&prodTypeId=15351&prodSeriesId=3683705. You'll have to load the Nvidia drivers during the Windows install to use the RAID array and that will wipe out anything already installed on the 1st drive. Using a RAID 1, or mirror, is a good idea to have your entire drive backed up in case of drive failure. There's lots of other posts on this forum that can help in case you get stuck.

[spile1]

RAID and WHS are not happy bedfellows according to all the forums I have ever read. I use the same hardware as you and WHS takes care of all the disks. Like you I used the drivers on the CD and/or from the HP website - using the Windows 2003 drivers.

[Paul_Seabright]

I have been able to install WHS on a 1.5TB RAID 5 array.

These are the steps I took to achieve this.

1. Copy the folder found on the HP Easy Setup CD at ?:\driver\Chipset\w2k3 to your hard drive and expand. Copy everything to the root directory of a USB stick.
2. Reboot the ML115 with the WHS setup CD in the drive. When the installation has started, plug the USB stick into the Mother board USB port.
3. When you see the message ' Hard drive capable of hosting WHS not found. Would you like to try additional storage drivers?' navigate to ?:\NFref_924_srv\IDE\WinXP\sataraid on the USB stick.
4. This should then make the RAID array available, and the installation will continue to the end.

A couple of points to note.
Remember to remove the USB stick before the server reboots, otherwise it will prevent windows rebooting.
When the system reboots into the text mode part of the installation, where you would normally select F6 to load additional storage drivers DON'T! It's not neccesary.

5. Install the HP NC-Series Broadcom Driver for WS2003 (file is called cp012593.exe)
6. Run setup.exe (found in :\NFref_924_srv) to install the nVidia raid manageement tool.
7. Finally, using Device Manager, update the driver for the RAID - should update to version 10.3.54.10 dated 6/10/2009.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Paul