HP ML110 G5 and Adaptec SAS RAID

[Ingo Reich]

I am building a Windows 2003 R2 server on a brand new HP ML110 G5 server. I build an array with an Adaptec Raid 2405 controller card (RAID 1 with two Seagate 500 GB SAS disks). The RAID controller card is in slot 4.
If I start a Windows Server 2003 R2 from an other disk, I can see and access this array. But if I install Windows on this array with newest sas raid drivers from Adaptec, I am able to get through the first stage of the Windows Server 2003 install where it formats the array and installs the necessary files for Windows Server to reboot and continue the install in the windows environment. This is where I have the problem, upon rebooting the server freezes during the post when it try's to access the array. The card just beeps and the access light flash in a strange pattern.
I made sure that the card is listed first in the boot sequence in the server BIOS. The HP server has newest available BIOS and the Adptec card also has newest BIOS. I changed the Adaptec 2405 to a similar new card, without any success.
There are two other interesting facts:
- If I choose CTRL-A for entering Adaptec BIOS and then try to Manage Arrays all the system hangs or reboots.
- The same controller with same two SAS drives works proper in HP ML110 G4.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You,
Ingo

[KOEHELER-IT [OK]]

We have nearly the same problem tryint to install VMWARE ESXi 3.5. The RAID-configuration was no problem, neither was the setup of ESXi, but after reboot there is a constant beeping from the motherboard and the server freezes with a blinking cursor.
There is one line of the SYSLINUX booting with beeping short before the blank screen with the blinking cursor. So there seems to be some booting going on until the server freezes.
We have also installed the most recent firmwares for both, the hp bios and the adaptec firmware.
Any ideas?

[jbainbridge]

I'd be interested to hear if anyone got anywhere with this.

I have a ML115 G5 server and Adaptec 2405 card. Installing Windows Server 2008 is fine until the first reboot ... then it hangs as it tries to boot the OS.

Many thanks,

James.

[Jake Fraser]

With regards to the ESXi issue, I believe it is to do with the ISOLINUX/SYSLINUX loader, as once it loads into ESXi, it's fine. You can shut it up and allow ESXi to load by holding down the Alt key...

I've got VMWare on the case re: the beeping. Will let you know.

Cheers
Jake

[Guillermo Avalos]

Sorry to bump an old post, but I'm plannig on building a similar system myself. Did you get it working finally?

[Jake Fraser]

I ended up buying a HP E200 smart array...

Sorry I can't give better news!

[jbainbridge]

I bought an E200 card too (cheap on ebay)!

Adaptec thought it was a problem with the HP bios. I contacted HP support and they were not interested.

[ERWIN RIVERA]

In reply to the last 2 messages.

I too have found the ML115 G5 does not work with the latest bios on an Adaptec 2405, the 5405 however does work with it running esxi4.0 and esxi 3.5u4 along with the the full version.
Will be looking at the e200 or megaraid in its place.

Thanks
Erwin

[Ronny Adams]

i have the same problem with this server + raid configuration.

if i let the server beep it continues booting after 5 minutes and at least starts the esx server 3.5u4 and 4.0i.

i have not yet encountered any kind of "screen of death".

[Florian Anker]

This week I bought a ML110G5, X3210, 2.13GHz, 2 x 2 GB, 470064-924 and an Adaptec 5405 Serial ATA RAID controller for a 200 GB RAID6 drive and I do have the same problem.

I could install Windows 2003 Server completely by holding down the Alt key until the progress bar indicating the start of the server's gui has reached the right side of the window. Afther that the operating system loads on without having need of the ALT-key being pressed. I added the adaptec drivers to the installation disk with nLite. This worked fine.
With the Adaptec Storage Manager I could flash the BIOS of the Adaptec 5405 to the actual version, so the adaptec driver version and the controller BIOS version do match.
The new BIOS software did not solve the problem of the beeps for minutes. I still have each time when booting to press the ALT-key.

I hope that HP or Adaptec will solve this problem as soon as possible or otherwise warn customers of that combination.

Greetings,
Florian

[Max Anziutti]

I had kind of same problem on an ML110G5 with an adaptec 2410SA raid controller card: while loading the hypervisor the server keeps on beeping for more than 5 minuts and the boot is very slow, if i hold alt key on keyboard the beep stops and the boot is normal.
I managed to solve the problem by booting from a USB key. Hope that this workaround may help.

[Hauke Ihnen]

Same issue here.
ML110 G5 with Adaptec SAS controler (3405).
Boot from Adaptec will fail with wild beeping and a blinking cursor.
Tried the latest firmware of ML110 - no change.

Please fix this as soon as possible, I don't want to change our standard raid controller (this adaptec SAS) because of one server not working with it.

Second issue: tried to boot from a Hardware-Raid1 device which is connected like a SATA hdd to the internal SATA controller.
Not working too - blinking cursor + beeping.

So this IS a bios issue of HP.

[jbainbridge]

This is an issue with the G5 ML110 and ML115. HP are not interested ... ??

[Hauke Ihnen]

Hmm, the thread is from 2008 and still no solution from HP.
This smells like HP don't want us to use non-HP controllers ...

[ERWIN RIVERA]

I bought a 2405 a couple of months ago but had no luck with it, with the latest firmware from Adaptec still failed on an ML115 G5.

I bought an Adaptec 5405 instead. This works very well and is now running VMWare 3.5u4 with x4 320GB Western Digital drives. Also a 3Ware 9690sa-4i running on an ML115 G5 vSphere 4.0

[Hauke Ihnen]

Is booting from the 5405 working without beeping?

[ERWIN RIVERA]

@Hauke

Yep no beeping whatsoever using firmware 17380
http://cms.adaptec.com/en-US/speed/raid/asr/fw_bios/5405_fw_b17380_exe.htm

My experience with the beeping on the Adaptec related to the hard disk compatibility.

Cheers

[stanners]

I have an ml115 g5 and an adaptec 5405 and can safely say that its certainly not compatable with windows OS's.

[ERWIN RIVERA]

I have had better luck than stanners
I have x2 ML115 and before putting vmware on them I had Win2003R2 + Adaptec 5405 and it worked great I dont have BBU on it if that makes a difference.
I have screenshots somewhere of the benchmarking good luck to all.