Dell PERC S100 User Manual

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Dell PowerEdge
RAID Controller (PERC) S100,
PERC S300
User’s Guide
Page 2
Notes, Cautions, and Warnings
NOTE:
your computer.
A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of
CAUTION:
A CAUTION indicates potential damage to hardware or loss of data if
instructions are not followed.
WARNING:
A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal
injury, or death.
____________________
Information in this publication is subject to change without notice. © 2008—2011 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of these materials in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of Dell Inc. is strictly forbidden.
Trademarks used in this text: Dell™, the DELL logo, PowerEdge™, and OpenManage™ are trademarks of Dell Inc. Intel™ is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. AMD Sempron™ are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Microsoft
®
Server and/or other countries.
Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this publication to refer to either the entities claiming the marks and names or their products. Dell Inc. disclaims any proprietary interest in trademarks and trade names other than its own.
Models: UCS61, UCS60
February 2011 Rev. A01
are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
®
is a registered trademark and AMD Opteron™, AMD Phenom™, and AMD
®
, Windows®, and Windows
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Contents
1 WARNING: Safety Instructions
SAFETY: General
SAFETY: When Working Inside Your System
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge
2Overview
Introduction
General Information, Intended Audience, and Prerequisites for Use
Related Documentation
PERC S100 Adapter or PERC S300 Adapter Descriptions
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About RAID
RAID Terminology
3 Features
General Features
Specifications
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4 Hardware Installation
Before You Begin
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Contents
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General Considerations
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Installing the PERC S300 Adapter
Connect Physical Disks to the PERC S300 Adapter
Complete the Hardware Installation
5 Installing the Drivers
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Installing the Microsoft Windows Drivers
6 RAID Configuration and
Management
Configuring the Controller: Using the PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility
7 Troubleshooting
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System Startup Problems
Warning Messages: Dell Inc. PERC S100 Adapter or Dell Inc. PERC S300 Adapter BIOS Screen
Virtual Disk-Related Errors
Physical Disk-Related Errors
8 Appendix A
Controller Specifications
Controller Tasks
Physical Disk Tasks
Virtual Disk Tasks
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Supported RAID Levels
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Virtual Disk Specifications
9 Appendix B
RAID Technology - Understanding Disk Arrays and Virtual Disks
10 Appendix C
Regulatory Notices
FCC Notice (U.S. Only)
Industry Canada Notice (Canada Only)
CE Notice (European Union)
CE Mark Notice
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11 Appendix D
Contacting Dell
Index
Glossary
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Contents
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Contents
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1
WARNING: Safety Instructions
Use the following safety guidelines to help ensure your own personal safety and to help protect your system and working environment from potential damage.
WARNING:
(PERC) S300 adapter to liquids. To reduce risk of fire hazard, do not cover or obstruct the ventilation openings of the system in which it is installed. Do not install the controller in a zero-clearance compartment. This could result in overheating.
Do not expose the Dell PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller
WARNING:
any way.
WARNING:
damaged by static electricity. Be sure that you are properly grounded. It is recommended that you wear a grounded antistatic strap and that the system is unplugged before you install the controller.
CAUTION:
PERC S300 adapter. The connectors are keyed to prevent them from being inserted incorrectly.
CAUTION:
on any pending tasks (such as a rebuild) before it is turned off to conduct a system upgrade.
CAUTION:
PERC S300 adaper. An update might take up to five minutes per controller.
Do not operate the controller if it has been dropped or damaged in
The controller, like every other electronic part of a system, can be
Cable connectors must be mated carefully with the connectors on the
Ensure that the current RAID controller (if any) is not currently working
During a firmware update, do not reboot the system that contains the
WARNING: Safety Instructions
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SAFETY: General
Observe and follow service markings:
Do not service any product except as explained in the user documentation. Opening or removing covers that are marked with a triangular symbol with a lightning bolt might expose you to electrical shock. Components inside these compartments must be serviced only by a trained service technician.
Use the product only with Dell-approved equipment.
Operate the product only from the type of external power source indicated on the electrical ratings label. If you are not sure of the type of power source required, consult your service provider or local power company.
SAFETY: When Working Inside Your System
Before you remove the system covers, perform the following steps in the sequence indicated.
WARNING:
covers from the system, and access any of the internal components, unless the Dell documentation expressly states otherwise.
Only trained service technicians are authorized by Dell to remove
CAUTION:
after turning off the system before disconnecting the controller.
1
Turn off the system and any devices.
2
Wear grounding straps that are properly grounded before touching anything inside the system.
3
While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the chassis to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal components.
4
Disconnect your system and devices from their power sources. To reduce the potential of personal injury or shock, disconnect any telecommunication lines from the system.
To help avoid possible damage to the system board, wait five seconds
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WARNING: Safety Instructions
Page 9
In addition, take note of these safety guidelines when appropriate:
When you disconnect any cable, pull on its connector or on its strain-relief loop, not on the cable itself. Some cables have a connector with locking tabs. If you are disconnecting this type of cable, press in on the locking tabs before disconnecting the cable. As you pull connectors apart, keep them evenly aligned to avoid bending any connector pins. Also, before you connect a cable, make sure that both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned.
Handle the controller with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on the controller.
Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) events can harm electronic components inside your system. ESD, or electrostatic discharge, is the process by which static electricity can build up within a person or an object, and then discharge into another object. ESD events can harm your PERC S300 adaper, your system, and other electrical components. To prevent ESD damage, you must discharge static electricity from your body before you interact with any of the system’s internal electronic components. You can protect against ESD by touching a metal grounded object (such as an unpainted metal surface on your system’s I/O panel) before you interact with anything electronic. In addition, as you work inside the system, periodically touch an I/O connector to remove any static charge your body might have accumulated.
You can also take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge:
When unpacking the controller from its shipping carton, do not remove the controller from the antistatic packing material until you are ready to install it. Just before unwrapping the antistatic package, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.
Handle all electrostatic sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use anti-static floor pads and work bench pads.
WARNING: Safety Instructions
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WARNING: Safety Instructions
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2
Overview
Introduction
The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) S300 provides an integrated software RAID solution for Dell PowerEdge Value Servers. The PERC S300 controllers support SAS and SATA interfaces. Containing two internal connectors with four ports each, the PERC S300 adapter features eight ports for connecting drives with a maximum burst speed of up to 3 Gbps per port.
The PERC S100 adaper is targeted as a low-cost RAID solution for Dell PowerEdge Value Servers. The PERC S100 adapter solution supports SATA Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Disk (SSD) drives. The PERC S100 adapter requires no additional hardware; it runs from the I/O Controller HUB (ICH) or Platform Controller Hub (PCH) chipset on the platform motherboard.
The PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter offer the same RAID level support and functionality, including the support of up to eight physical drives.
General Information, Intended Audience, and Prerequisites for Use
This document provides information about:
•The
Controller configuration and startup procedures
Controller operating modes
PERC S100 adapter
operating system, and software support
and PERC S300 adapter, including server,
Overview
11
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This document is intended for use by system administrators and technicians who are familiar with the storage system installation and configuration.
Prerequisites for configuring and using the controller include familiarity with:
Servers and computer networks
RAID technology
Storage-interface technology, such as SAS and SATA
Related Documentation
For more information about the PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter and its relationship to the Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management documentation, see the Storage Management documentation available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
PERC S100 Adapter or PERC S300 Adapter Descriptions
The following list describes each type of controller:
The PERC S300 Adapter has two internal connectors with x4 SAS ports.
The PERC S300 Modular has two internal connectors with x4 SAS ports.
The PERC S100 adapter runs on the ICH or PCH chipset on the platform motherboard.
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Overview
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Supported Platforms
Table 2-1. Dell Systems and Support Matrix for the PERC S100 Adapter and PERC S300 Adapter
PowerEdge Server PERC Controller, with Chipset and Adapter Support per Platform
PowerEdge R210 PERC S100 adapter – Intel Ibex Peak chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
PowerEdge R210 II PERC S100 adapter – Intel Cougar Point chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
PowerEdge R310 PERC S100 adapter – Intel Ibex Peak chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Modular
PowerEdge R410 PERC S100 adapter – Intel ICH10R chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Modular
PowerEdge R415 PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Modular,
AMD SP5100 South Bridge chipsets
PowerEdge R510 PERC S100 adapter – Intel ICH10R chipsets,
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
PowerEdge R515 PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter,
AMD SP5100 South Bridge chipsets
PowerEdge T110 PERC S100 adapter – Intel Ibex Peak chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
PowerEdge T110 II PERC S100 adapter – Intel Cougar Point chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
PowerEdge T310 PERC S100 adapter – Intel Ibex Peak chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
PowerEdge T410 PERC S100 adapter – Intel ICH10R chipsets
PERC S300 adapter – Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
Overview
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Platform Requirements for the PERC S100 Controller and PERC S300 Controller
Table 2-2. Platform Requirements — PERC S100 Controller or PERC S300 Controller
Component Requirements
Processor x86, 32-bit compatible processor greater than 500 MHz. Memory 512 MB or greater. Physical
disk
Ports
Available slots
At least one Hard Disk Drives (HDD) or Solid State Disk (SSD) Drives.
NOTE:
4 SATA HDD or 4 SATA SSD physical disks. The PERC S300 controller supports cabled or hot-swap configurations of up to 8 SATA or SAS HDD physical disks.
• SATA-II HDD physical disks can be used with a PERC S100 adapter or
• SATA-II SSD physical disks can be used only with a PERC S100
• SAS HDD physical disks can be used only with a PERC S300 adapter.
• The S300 Adapter has two 8470-type internal SAS connectors on the
• The S300 Modular typically plugs into a backplane that has a single
The PERC S300 Adapter and PERC S300 Modular cards plug into 8-lane Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCI-E) slots.
The PERC S100 controller supports cabled configurations of up to
a PERC S300 adapter.
adapter.
adapter card. Each mini-SAS connector supports 4 SAS/SATA ports.
8470-type SAS connector (except for PERC S300 adapters on an R210 or T110, whose cables plug directly into the physical disks).
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Overview
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Table 2-2. Platform Requirements — PERC S100 Controller or PERC S300 Controller
Component Requirements
Operating systems
• Microsoft Windows Essential Business Server (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition (x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Foundation
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 HPC Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter SP1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise SP1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation SP1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 HPC Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard SP1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Datacenter Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Enterprise Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Enterprise Edition (x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Standard Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Standard Edition (x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Web Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 Web Edition (x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition (x86)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, 64-bit, Standard and Enterprise Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 64-bit Web Edition
Overview
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Table 2-2. Platform Requirements — PERC S100 Controller or PERC S300 Controller
Component Requirements
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Web Edition (x64)
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Web Edition (x86)
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008 SP2
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 SP2 (x86 or x64)
• Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2011
• Microsoft Windows Web Server 2008 R2
• Microsoft Windows Web Server 2008 R2 SP1
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2 (x86 or x64)
•Microsoft Windows Enterprise Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2 32-bit Web Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2, 32-bit or 64-bit, Standard and Enterprise Edition
Server 2003 R2 SP2, 32-bit or 64-bit, Standard and
Supported devices
NOTE: NOTE:
NOTE:
with Windows Hyper-V.
• PERC S100 adapter: supports Dell-supported SATA-based tape devices
NOTE:
Dell RD1000 tape device. Select Continue while in CTRL-R for RD1000 to remain first in the boot order. The RD1000 option goes to end of the boot order listing if <Ctrl><Alt><Del> is selected and you would not be able to boot to it.
• PERC S300 adapter: does not support tape devices or SATA optical disk
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 is not supported.
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 is not supported.
PERC S100 controllers and PERC S300 controller are not supported
and SATA optical disk devices.
The PERC S100 controller supports system boot to a tape using a
devices.
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Overview
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About RAID
A RAID disk array is a group of independent physical disks that provides high performance by increasing the number of drives used for saving and accessing data. A RAID disk subsystem improves I/O performance and data availability. The physical disks appear to the host system either as a single storage unit or multiple logical units. Data throughput improves because several disks are accessed simultaneously. RAID systems also improve data storage availability and fault tolerance. Data loss caused by a physical disk failure can be recovered by rebuilding missing data from the remaining physical disks containing data or parity.
NOTE:
is no redundancy for this RAID level. However, when a physical disk in a RAID 1, RAID 5, or RAID 10 fails, data is preserved because there is redundancy with these RAID levels.
Summary of RAID Levels
When a physical disk in a RAID 0 virtual disk fails, data is lost because there
•Volume logical volume on which data is stored.
RAID 0 uses disk striping to provide high data throughput, especially for large files in an environment that requires no data redundancy.
RAID 1 uses disk mirroring so that data written to one physical disk is simultaneously written to another physical disk. RAID 1 is good for small databases or other applications that require small capacity but also complete data redundancy.
RAID 5 uses disk striping and parity data across all physical disks (distributed parity) to provide high data throughput and data redundancy.
RAID 10 uses disk striping across two mirrored sets. It provides high data throughput and complete data redundancy.
uses available space on a single physical disk and forms a single
Overview
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RAID Terminology
Stripe element 1 Stripe element 5 Stripe element 9
Stripe element 2 Stripe element 6
Stripe element 10
Stripe element 3 Stripe element 7
Stripe element 11
Stripe element 4 Stripe element 8
Stripe element 12
Disk Striping
Disk striping allows you to write data across multiple physical disks instead of just one physical disk. Disk striping involves partitioning each physical disk storage space into stripes of the various sizes. These stripes are interleaved in a repeated sequential manner. The part of the stripe on a single physical disk is called a stripe element.
For example, in a four-disk system using only disk striping (used in RAID level 0), segment 1 is written to disk 1, segment 2 is written to disk 2, and so on. Disk striping enhances performance because multiple physical disks are accessed simultaneously, but disk striping does not provide data redundancy.
Figure 2-1 shows an example of disk striping.
Figure 2-1. Example of Disk Striping (RAID 0)
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Disk Mirroring
With mirroring (used in RAID 1), data written to one disk is simultaneously written to another disk. If one disk fails, the contents of the other disk can be used to run the system and rebuild the failed physical disk. The primary advantage of disk mirroring is that it provides 100 percent data redundancy. Because the contents of the disk are completely written to a second disk, it does not matter if one of the disks fails. Both disks contain a copy of the same data at all times. Either of the physical disks can act as the operational physical disk. Disk mirroring provides 100 percent redundancy, but is expensive because each physical disk in the system must be duplicated.
Figure 2-2 shows an example of disk mirroring.
Overview
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Stripe element 1 Stripe element 2 Stripe element 3
Stripe element 1 Duplicated Stripe element 2 Duplicated Stripe element 3 Duplicated
Stripe element 4 Stripe element 4 Duplicated
NOTE:
NOTE:
devices cannot be migrated to a PERC S300 controller.
Figure 2-2. Example of Disk Mirroring (RAID 1)
Mirrored physical disks improve read performance by read load balancing.
The PERC S300 controller only supports physical disks (SAS and SATA). SSD
Spanned RAID Levels
Spanning is a term used to describe the way in which RAID level 10 is constructed from multiple sets of simpler RAID levels. For example, a RAID 10 has multiple sets of RAID 1 disk arrays in which each RAID 1 set is considered a span. Data is then striped (as it is in RAID 0) across the RAID 1 spans to create a RAID 10 virtual disk.
Parity Data
Parity data is redundant data that has been generated to provide fault tolerance within certain RAID levels. In the event of a drive failure, the parity data can be used by the controller to regenerate user data. Parity data is present only for RAID 5 disk arrays.
The parity data is distributed across all the physical disks in the system. If a single physical disk fails, it can be rebuilt from the parity and the data on the remaining physical disks. RAID 5 combines distributed parity with disk striping, as shown in Figure 2-3. Parity provides redundancy for one physical disk failure without duplicating the contents of entire physical disks.
Overview
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Figure 2-3. Example of Distributed Parity (RAID 5)
stripe element1 stripe element2 stripe element3 stripe element4 stripe element5 parity (1-5)
stripe element7 stripe element8 stripe element9 stripe element10 parity (6-10) stripe element6
stripe element13 stripe element14 stripe element15 parity (11-15) stripe element11 stripe element12
stripe element19 stripe element20 parity (16-20) stripe element16 stripe element17 stripe element18
stripe element25 parity (21-25) stripe element21 stripe element22 stripe element23 stripe element24
parity (26-30) stripe element26 stripe element27 stripe element28 stripe element29 stripe element30
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Overview
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3
Features
General Features
The features of the Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) S100 and PERC S300 adapter are described in Table 3-1.
NOTE:
Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
BAS, BGI, CC and OCE run only on the operating system.
Automatic virtual disk rebuild
Background Array Scan (BAS)
Background virtual disk initialization (BGI)
Rebuilds a redundant virtual disk automatically when a failure is detected, if a hot spare is assigned for this capability.
Verifies and corrects correctable media errors on mirror, volume, or parity data for virtual disks. BAS starts automatically after a Virtual Disk is created while in the OS.
The background initialization of a redundant virtual disk creates the parity data that allows the virtual disk to maintain its redundant data and survive a physical disk failure.
Because background initialization helps the controller to identify and correct problems that might occur with the redundant data at a later time, background initialization is similar to a consistency check.
Background initialization allows a redundant virtual disk to be used immediately. Data is lost if a physical disk fails before the completion of a BGI.
NOTE:
Disk Management utility, the PERC S100 adapter/PERC S300 adapter drivers must be loaded before the BGI runs.
Although a BGI is software-initiated at the PERC Virtual
NOTE:
Management utility refers to both the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility and the PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility.
Unless mentioned otherwise, the term PERC Virtual Disk
Features
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Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
(continued)
Boot support for RAID levels
Boot support for degraded virtual disks
Cache support for virtual disks
Checkpointing Allows different types of checkpointing (background
Command queuing Command queuing is a command protocol used by SATA
Allows boot support for Volume, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10.
Enables the system to boot from degraded redundant virtual disks (RAID 1, RAID 5, or RAID 10).
Supports these cache options: None, Read Only, Read/Write. The PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter uses part of system memory for cache.
initialization, consistency check, and rebuild) to resume at the last point following a restart.
After the system restarts, background checkpointing resumes at its most-recent checkpoint.
and SAS physical disks that is supported by the PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter.
Command queuing allows the host to issue multiple input/output requests to a disk simultaneously. The disk can then decide in which order to process the commands to achieve maximum performance.
22
The SATA and SAS versions of command queuing have slightly different protocols and means of handling multiple traffic requests at the same time, but the end-purposes are comparable.
Features
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Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
(continued)
Consistency check (CC)
Disk initialization For physical disks, initialization writes metadata to the
Fault tolerance The following fault tolerance features are available with the
A consistency check is a background operation that verifies and corrects the mirror or parity data for fault-tolerant physical disks. It is recommended that you periodically run a consistency check on the physical disks.
By default, a consistency check corrects mirror or parity inconsistencies. After the data is corrected, the data on the primary physical disk in a mirror set is assumed to be the correct data and is written to the secondary physical disk in the mirror set.
A consistency check cannot be user-initiated in the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility. However, a consistency check can user-initiated when using Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management.
physical disk, so that the controller can use the physical disk.
PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter, in order to prevent data loss in case of a failed physical disk:
• Physical disk failure detection (automatic).
• Virtual disk rebuild using hot spares (automatic, if the hot spare is configured for this functionality).
• Parity generation and checking (RAID 5 only).
• Hot-swap manual replacement of a physical disk without rebooting the system (only for systems with a backplane that allows hot-swapping).
If one side of a RAID 1 (mirror) fails, data can be rebuilt by using the physical disk on the other side of the mirror.
If a physical disk in RAID 5 fails, parity data exists on the remaining physical disks, which can be used to restore the data to a new, replacement physical disk configured as a hot spare.
If a physical disk fails in RAID 10, the virtual disk remains functional and data is read from the surviving mirrored physical disk(s). A single disk failure in each mirrored set can be sustained, depending on how the mirrored set fails.
Features
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Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
Mirror rebuilding A broken mirror can be rebuilt after a new physical disk is
inserted and the physical disk is designated as a hot spare. The system does not have to be rebooted.
(continued)
Online Capacity Expansion (OCE)
Physical disks (general)
OCE is a process that allows you to add storage capacity to an existing virtual disk. In most cases additional storage capacity can be added without taking the system offline. However, if an additional physical disk needs to be added and the system does not support hot-swapping, the system must be turned off.
OCE enables you to increase the total storage capacity of a virtual disk by integrating unused storage with the virtual disk.
Data can be accessed while the physical disks are added (if a system has hot-swap capability) and while data on the virtual disk is being redistributed.
For Volume and RAID 1, OCE expands the virtual disk by using the available space of the physical disks that are already members of the virtual disk. For RAID 0, RAID 5 and RAID 10, additional capacity can be attained by adding physical disks to the virtual disk.
The PERC S100 adapter supports up to four SATA HDD or SSD physical disks. The PERC S300 adapter supports up to eight SAS or SATA HDD physical disks.
24
Features
NOTE:
interface and drive type (HDD or SSD). For example, you cannot mix a SATA and SAS interface (HDD or SSD), or HDD and SSD physical disks, in the same virtual disk.
A maximum of eight physical disks can be used for RAID 0 and RAID 5. A maximum of two physical disks can be used for RAID 1. A maximum of four physical disks can be used for RAID 10.
If a physical disk fails during system startup, the controller identifies the failed physical disk as follows:
• At the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility by
The physical disks in a virtual disk must be the same
highlighting the failed physical disk in a virtual disk in red.
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Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
(continued)
Physical disk hot-swapping (hot-swap capability)
• In a brief warning at the
or
BIOS
that a virtual disk(s) were found that are
Failed
• At Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management.
• With a bi-color Status LED on each physical disk. The green element of the Status LED is off, while the amber element flashes on and off.
NOTE:
adapter and a backplane that has removable physical disks.
NOTE:
capacity 2 TB and greater. Current and upcoming releases of PERC S300 adapters will only support upto 2 TB HDD physical disks .
Hot-swap (hot-plug) capability is the manual substitution of a physical disk for another one while the host system is powered on.
If a system supports hot-swapping, physical disks can be plugged into a system’s backplane while the controller is operating, without causing the controller to reset.
Dell Inc. PERC S300 Controller BIOS
. This alerts the user to the failed physical disk(s).
The Status LED applies only to systems with a PERC S300
PERC S100 adapters support HDD physical disks of
Dell Inc. PERC S100 Controller
screen,
Degraded
and/or
CAUTION:
only if the system has a PERC S300 adapter and a backplane that supports hot-swapping.
NOTE:
system’s cover is removed, the physical disks cannot be hot­swapped. The physical disks must be located on the backplane (behind the removable front panel) and accessible externally.
NOTE:
already been created, make sure that SAS HDD physical disks are replaced with SAS HDD physical disks, that SATA HDD physical disks are replaced with SATA HDD physical disks, and that SATA SSD physical disks are replaced with SATA SSD physical disks.
NOTE:
new disk is of equal or greater capacity to the physical disk that is being replaced.
A physical disk can be hot-swapped from a system
If a system’s physical disks are accessible only when the
When replacing physical disks in a virtual disk that has
When hot-swapping a physical disk, make sure that the
Features
25
Page 26
Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
Physical disk roaming The controller supports moving a physical disk from one
backplane slot or cable connection to another (on the same controller). The controller automatically recognizes the repositioned physical disk and logically places it in the proper order.
(continued)
WARNING:
roaming while an OCE is running at Storage Management.
NOTE:
add parts, see the Hardware Owner’s Manual, available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
Perform the following steps for physical disk roaming:
NOTE:
backplane with hot-swap capability.
NOTE:
configuration data on the physical disks.
For more information on how to open the system and
These steps do not apply to systems that have a
1
Turn off the power to the system, physical disks, and system components.
2
Disconnect the power cables from the system.
3
Move the physical disks to different slots on the backplane or to different cable connections.
4
Perform a safety check. Make sure the physical disks are inserted properly.
5
Connect the power cables and power up the system.
The controller detects the RAID configuration from the
A virtual disk is lost if you perform disk
Storage port (Storport) driver support
Stripe size Stripe size is determined by a PERC S100 adapter/PERC
26
Features
For use with Storport driver improves throughput and miniport driver interfaces.
S300 adapter algorithm. Stripe size cannot be configured by the user.
Microsoft Windows Server
2003 and later, the
Page 27
Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
Virtual disks (general) Up to eight virtual disks are supported.
The PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter allows:
• Creating virtual disks of different RAID levels on a single controller.
• Creating different RAID level virtual disks on the same physical disk, to adapt each virtual disk to the I/O that it processes.
• Building different virtual disks with different characteristics for different applications.
The PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter does not allow:
• Creating a virtual disk from a mix of different type physical disks. For example, a RAID 10 virtual disk cannot be created from two SATA-II HDD physical disks, a SAS HDD physical disk, and a SSD physical disk. All of the physical disks must be the same interface (SAS or SATA) and drive type (HDD or SSD).
(continued)
• Selecting a physical disk as a dedicated hot spare if the physical disk is a different type from the physical disk or disks.
A virtual disk refers to data storage created by the controller from one or more physical disks. Although a virtual disk can be created from several physical disks, it is seen by the operating system as a single disk.
The capacity of a virtual disk can be expanded online for any RAID level, without the operating system being rebooted.
Features
27
Page 28
Table 3-1. Features of the PERC S100 controller and PERC S300 controller
RAID Controller Feature Description
Virtual disk migration The controller supports automatic virtual disk migration
from a PERC S100 adapter to a PERC S300 adapter (or vice versa). Manual intervention for migration is not required or used by the PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter.
(continued)
Virtual disk RAID levels
Virtual disk transformation
CAUTION:
down both systems before removing or inserting the physical disks. After the migration occurs, make sure that all of the physical disks have been migrated and are present in the virtual disk.
CAUTION:
migration during an OCE.
NOTE:
SATA SSD disks. SAS disks cannot be migrated with a PERC S100 adapter.
NOTE:
dissimilar controllers or dissimilar system models when the system uses Microsoft Windows Server 2003 as its operating system.
Virtual disks at different RAID levels can be created.
Virtual disk transformation can consist of:
• Capacity expansion, using OCE (to allocate additional virtual disk space on the original physical disks or after additional physical disks are added).
Before starting a virtual disk migration, power-
The virtual disk is lost if you perform a virtual disk
The PERC S100 adapter only supports SATA HDD and
A bootable virtual disk cannot be migrated between
28
• Rebuilding (rebuilding data on a virtual disk consists of using an available hot spare or backup physical disk).
Features
Page 29
Specifications
Table 3-2 compares the specifications of the PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter.
Table 3-2. Specifications for the PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter
Specification PERC S100 adapter PERC S300 adapter
SAS technology No Yes SATA technology Yes Yes eSATA technology Yes No SSD technology Yes No Support for x8 PCI-E Host Interface No Yes I/O Controller Intel ICH10R or
Intel Ibex Peak chipsets or Intel Cougar Point
chipsets Communication to the system Integrated PCI-E lanes Communication to end devices SATA links SAS/SATA links SAS connectors No Two 4-port connectors
SATA connectors Discrete on the
motherboard Lead-free Yes Yes Supported operating systems Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Family,
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Family,
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Dell-compliant SATA compatibility Yes Yes Dell-compliant SAS compatibility No Yes
Dell 3Gb/s SAS Adapter
on all systems Two 4 -po rt c onn ect ors
on all systems
Dell-supported direct-connected end devices
*SMART error support through management applications
Backplane supported systems No Yes
Dell-compliant
physical disks
Yes Ye s
Dell-compliant physical disks
Features
29
Page 30
Table 3-2. Specifications for the PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter
Specification PERC S100 adapter PERC S300 adapter
Software-based RAID Volume, RAID 1,
RAID 0, RAID 5,
RAID 10 Maximum number of virtual disks 8 8 Support for internal tape drive Yes No Support for global hot spare Yes Yes Maximum number of hot spares Varies (by the number
of free disks in the
system)
Volume, RAID 1, RAID 0, RAID 5, RAID 10
Varies (by the number of free disks in the system)
*SMART is supported under the Windows Driver but is not supported with Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and CTRL-R. The SWRAID SMART drive status shows as "Degraded" in OpenManage Storage Services (OMSS).
30
Features
Page 31
4
Hardware Installation
Before You Begin
This chapter describes how to install the Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) S300 adapter.
NOTE:
Hardware installation instructions are not required for a system with a PERC S100 controller.
General Considerations
WARNING:
safety instructions that were shipped with your system. For additional safety information, see the Regulatory Compliance Homepage on dell.com at the following location: dell.com/regulatory_compliance.
The PERC S100 controller is an integral component of the motherboard.
Before you begin any of the procedures in this chapter, follow the
WARNING:
use proper antistatic protection when handling components. Touching components without using a proper ground can damage the equipment.
WARNING:
controller into an incorrect type of slot can potentially destroy the controller, as well as the motherboard.
CAUTION:
data. Failure to follow this accepted system management practice could result in a loss of data.
Electrostatic discharge can damage sensitive components. Always
Plug the PERC S300 controller only into a PCI-E slot. Plugging the
Before installing a controller in an existing system, back up all critical
Hardware Installation
31
Page 32
Installing the PERC S300 Adapter
NOTE:
system. For more information, see the Hardware Owner's Manual of the system on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
1
Unpack the PERC S300 Adapter and check it for damage.
2
Turn off the system and attached peripherals. Disconnect the system power cable from the electrical outlet. See the system’s
Manual
about power supplies.
3
Disconnect the system from the network and remove the cover of the system. See your system’s more information on opening the system.
4
Select an appropriate PCI-E slot. Remove the blank filler bracket on the back of the system aligned with the PCI-E slot you have selected.
The procedure to open a system and add parts might vary from system to
NOTE:
support.dell.com.
If the PERC S300 Adapter is damaged, contact Dell Support at
Hardware Owner’s
or
User’s Guide
on
support.dell.com/manuals
Hardware Owner’s Manual
for more information
or
User’s Guide
for
NOTE:
optimum performance.
NOTE:
connector.
NOTE:
system’s Hardware Owner’s Manual or User’s Guide on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
5
Align the PERC S300 Adapter to the PCI-E slot you have selected.
6
Insert the controller gently, but firmly, until the controller is firmly seated
Insert the controller into a slot that has at least eight PCI-E lanes for
Insert the controller into a slot with a PCI-E x8 or larger physical
For more information about your system’s PCI-E slots, see your
in the PCI-E slot. See Figure 4-1.
7
Tighten the bracket screw, if any, or use the system’s retention clips to secure the controller to the system’s chassis.
NOTE:
platform documentation for help with the installation.
If you are attempting to install a Modular PERC S300 refer to the
32
Hardware Installation
Page 33
Figure 4-1. Installing a PERC S300 Adapter
1
2
3
4
5
1 bracket screw 2 PERC S300 Adapter
3 PCI-E slot 4 filler bracket
5 PCI bracket
Hardware Installation
33
Page 34
Figure 4-2. Connecting the Cables
1
2
3
1 cables to the physical disks (applies to
systems with a PERC S300 adapter) or to backplanes (applies only to systems with a PERC S300 modular)
3 PERC S300 Adapter
2 SAS/SATA x4 internal
connectors (2)
34
Hardware Installation
Page 35
Connect Physical Disks to the PERC S300 Adapter
WARNING:
properly grounded to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD).
Critical system components might be damaged if the installer is not
NOTE:
supply, a SATA/SATA II power connector. Do not use both.
NOTE:
controller by removing the front panel from the system.
NOTE:
disk sequentially. This allows enough time between physical disk starts to prevent the power supply from overloading.
1
Install the physical disks into the system.
2
Connect a multiple-connector cable from the physical disks (or from the
Use either the standard power connector or, if available on the power
You can view the physical disk LEDs on a system that uses a PERC S300
The controller supports a feature that staggers the spinup of each physical
backplane) to the controller.
NOTE:
swap capability, the cables cannot be inserted directly into the physical disks. The physical disks (within their carriers) are inserted and seated in the backplane. A cable from the backplane is then connected to the PERC S300 controller.
If the system contains a PERC S300 controller and has a backplane with hot-
Complete the Hardware Installation
After the
1
controller and cables are installed, perform the following steps:
Make sure that the wire bundles and cables inside the system are not twisted. Make sure they do not interfere with fans, power supplies, heat sinks, or electrical devices.
2
Replace the cover of the system. See your system’s
or
Manual
3
Reconnect the power cable(s) and network cables, and then turn on the
User’s Guide
for more information on closing the system.
Hardware Owner’s
system.
Hardware Installation
35
Page 36
36
Hardware Installation
Page 37
5
Installing the Drivers
The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) S100 or PERC S100 adapter require controller drivers to operate with the supported operating systems.
This chapter contains the procedures for installing the controller drivers for the following operating systems:
Microsoft Windows Server 2008
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2
NOTE:
Installing the Microsoft Windows Drivers
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 R2 is not supported.
Downloading the Controller Driver Media
1
Go to
2
Select
3
Enter the PERC S100 adapter/PERC S300 adapter drivers and select
4
Choose the applicable operating system.
5
Expand the
6
Select
support.dell.com/support/downloads
Choose by Service TagEnter a Tag
Service Tag
NOTE:
Model. Navigate to Servers, Storage, Networking PowerEdge Server. Select the model of your system and select Confirm.
NOTE:
Alternatively, you can select Choose a ModelSelect
SAS RAID Controller
Download Now
Load a blank optical medium (CD-ROM or DVD) in your system.
of the system on which you want to install the
for the appropriate controller driver.
.
category.
.
Go
.
Installing the Drivers
37
Page 38
7
Use the blank optical medium to burn the ISO image.
8
Download the files for the PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter to the driver media, as indicated in Figure 5-1.
Table 5-1. Operating System And Device Driver Media
Operating System Driver Media (
to Use
Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2
Windows Server 2003 32-bit or 64-bit:
32-bit or 64-bit: USB flash drive, or floppy disk.
NOTE:
support driver load for operating system installation using a USB key
Windows Server 2003 versions SP1 and older
CD-ROM, DVD, USB flash drive, or floppy disk)
Copy all of the files to a CD-ROM, DVD,
Copy all of the files to a floppy disk.
Pre-Installation Requirements for the Controller Drivers
Make sure that your system has the latest BIOS and firmware updates from the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com/manuals
Perform the pre-installation procedures in Table 5-2 before you install the controller drivers and the operating system.
When you are ready to install the controller drivers and operating system see "Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S100 Adapter" on page 42 or "Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S300 Adapter" on page 44.
.
38
Installing the Drivers
Page 39
Table 5-2. Pre-Installation Procedures For The Controller Drivers
Procedure Steps
1
Confirm or change configuration settings at the
System
Dell PowerEdge
window
a
Boot the system. When the
(POST)
b
Wait until t he Dell PowerEdge System window
screen appears, press <F2>.
Dell Power-On Self-Test
appears. Perform the following, depending on the controller:
For a PERC S100 adapter
Settings.
confirm that the
Press <Enter>. At the sub-screen,
SATA Controller
: Scroll to
SATA
is set to a RAID
mode.
NOTE:
If necessary, use the space bar to change the
setting.
For a PERC S300 adapter
Settings
. Press <Enter>. At the sub-screen, set
SATA Controller
NOTE:
If necessary, use the space bar to change the
: Scroll to
to either
ATA
SATA
Mode or
setting.
c
Press <Esc> to exit.
d
Press <Esc> again. The following occurs:
• If no change was made at step b, the boot sequence continues.
• If a change was made at Select
Save Changes and Exit
step b
, a dialog box appears.
. Press <Enter>.
The boot sequence continues.
AHCI
.
2
Install the PERC S300 adapter (as required)
3
Initialize physical disks (as required)
NOTE:
If you decide to change from a PERC S100 adapter to a PERC S300 adapter, make sure that you also change the setting at SATA SettingsSATA Controller from a RAID mode to ATA Mode. See step b.
See "Install the PERC S300" in the Hardware Installation Guide, located on the Dell Support website at
support.dell.com/manuals. See "Initializing Physical Disks" on page 50.
Installing the Drivers
39
Page 40
Table 5-2. Pre-Installation Procedures For The Controller Drivers
Procedure Steps
4
Create a bootable
See "Creating Virtual Disks" on page 51.
virtual disk
5
Check controller options and the boot list priority
a
At the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility or PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility, use the arrow keys to select <Enter>. Make sure that
Support
b
At the
is ON. Press <Esc> to exit.
Virtual Disks
Controller Options
Toggle INT13 Boot
field, make sure the bootable virtual disk created in Procedure 4, is the first virtual disk listed.
If the bootable virtual disk is not the first virtual disk listed, see "Swapping Two Virtual Disks" on page 55.
(continued)
. Press
NOTE:
If Non-Raid virtual disks are used (and appear in the Virtual Disks list), the Swap Two Virtual Disks option is enabled only if the system contains an initialized physical disk.
c
Select
NOTE:
Continue to Boot
and press <Enter>.
If the next Procedure (6) is not applicable, continue with one of the following procedures:
• "Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S100 Adapter" on page 42
• "Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S300 Adapter" on page 44
40
Installing the Drivers
Page 41
Table 5-2. Pre-Installation Procedures For The Controller Drivers
Procedure Steps
6
Change the
Priority List for Devices (if
applicable)
Boot
To change the order of the devices (CD-ROM, optical DVD, and so on), perform the following:
NOTE:
Unless mentioned otherwise, the term PERC Virtual Disk Management utility refers to both the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility and the PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility.
(continued)
NOTE:
If the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility is open, select Continue to Boot, then press <Enter>. Press <Ctrl><Alt><Delete> to reboot the system.
a
Boot the system. When the
POST
screen appears,
press <F2>.
b
At the keys to scroll to
c
Make sure that
Dell PowerEdge System
Boot Sequence
Hard drive C:
screen, use the arrow
. Press <Enter>.
is the first device
listed.
d
To change the sequence of other devices:
•Use the <+> key to move devices up, or the <-> key to move devices down.
•Use the space bar to enable or disable a device.
e
Press <Esc> to exit.
f
Press <Esc> again. Select
Exit
NOTE:
and press <Enter>.
Continue with one of the following procedures:
Save Changes and
• "Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S100 Adapter" on page 42
• "Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S300 Adapter" on page 44
Installing the Drivers
41
Page 42
Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S100 Adapter
CAUTION:
whenever the controller software is upgraded. A previous version of the driver might not work with the latest controller software and vice versa.
NOTE:
the system when the system is turned-off and before starting step 1. Failure to do so might result in the external USB floppy disk drive not being recognized by the system.
1
Reboot the system. When the
2
Insert the Windows operating system media into the optical drive of the system.
3
When the BIOS boot manager or boot device menu appears, select the text that begins with
4
Install the applicable Microsoft Windows operating system, using the on-screen instructions.
The latest firmware, drivers and applications must be installed
When using an external USB floppy disk drive, make sure to connect it to
POST
Embedded SATA...
screen appears press <F11>.
and press <Enter>.
5
At the appears.
Select the driver to be installed
Perform the following:
window a Load Driver
For Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2:
a
Insert the CD-ROM, DVD, USB flash drive, or floppy disk that contains the files copied at "Downloading the Controller Driver Media" on page 37. Click
b
At the
Browse to folder
Browse
window, access the directory that contains the
.
controller driver files. Locate and select the files. Click
sub-screen
OK
.
42
Installing the Drivers
Page 43
For Microsoft Windows Server 2003:
a
Insert the floppy disk that contains the files copied at "Downloading the Controller Driver Media" on page 37. (An external USB floppy disk drive can be used, if your system does not have a built-in floppy disk drive).
b
Press <F6> on the keyboard, when prompted at the beginning of the Windows setup.
c
Wait until the
Additional Device
d
Insert the requested media disk (as applicable) and press <Enter>.
6
At the next
Select the driver to be installed
S100 S300 Controller...
Windows Setup
appears. Press <S> on the keyboard.
Click
window with
window, select
Next
to load the driver files.
S = Specify
Dell PERC
For Microsoft Windows Server 2003:
When you are asked to load additional drivers, press <Enter> to start the Microsoft Windows installation process.
7
From the list at the window, select the applicable operating system. Click
Select the operating system you want to install
Next
.
8
Perform the remaining operating system installation instructions. Some of the windows require user-specific password and system information. As required, contact your IT administrator for assistance.
For Microsoft Windows Server 2003 only: Two warning dialog boxes appear during the Installing Windows segment of the installation:
At the
At the
NOTE:
installation media inserted in step 5.
Software Installation
Hardware Installation
When the operating system installation process is finished, remove the
dialog box, click
dialog box, click
Yes
Yes
.
.
Installing the Drivers
43
Page 44
Installing the Controller Drivers During the Operating System Installation: For Systems with a PERC S300 Adapter
CAUTION:
whenever the controller software is upgraded. A previous version of the driver might not work with the latest controller software and vice versa.
NOTE:
the system when the system is powered-off and before starting step 1.
1
Reboot the system. When the
2
Insert the Windows operating system media into the optical drive of the system.
3
When the begins with
4
Install the applicable Microsoft Windows operating system, using the on-screen instructions.
5
From the list at the window, select the applicable operating system. Click
The latest firmware, drivers and applications must be installed
When using an external USB floppy disk drive, make sure to connect it to
POST
BIOS Boot Manager
SATA Optical Drive...
screen appears press <F11>.
window appears, select the text that
and press <Enter>.
Select the operating system you want to install
Next
.
6
Perform the on-screen instructions at the next several windows.
7
At
Install Windows - Where do you want to install Windows?,
the following:
For Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2:
a
Insert the CD-ROM, DVD, USB flash drive, or floppy disk that contains the files copied at "Downloading the Controller Driver Media" on page 37. Click
b
At the
c
Select the directory that has the controller driver files. Click OK.
Load Driver
sub-screen, click
Load Driver
.
Browse
.
For Microsoft Windows Server 2003:
a
Insert the floppy disk that contains the files copied at "Downloading the Controller Driver Media" on page 37. (An external USB floppy disk drive can be used, if your system does not have a built-in floppy disk drive).
b
Press <F6> on the keyboard, when prompted at the beginning of the Windows setup.
perform
44
Installing the Drivers
Page 45
c
Wait until the
Additional Device
d
Insert the requested media disk (as applicable) and press <Enter>.
8
At the
Select the driver to be installed
S100, S300 Controller...
Windows Setup
. Press <S> on the keyboard.
screen appears with
window, select
Click
Next
to load the driver files.
S = Specify
Dell PERC
For Microsoft Windows Server 2003: When you are asked to load additional drivers, press <Enter> to start the Microsoft Windows installation process.
9
Perform the remaining operating system installation instructions. Some of the windows require user-specific password and system information. As required, contact your IT administrator for assistance
For Microsoft Windows Server 2003 only: Two w arni ng d ialo g boxes
appear during the Installing Windows segment of the installation: – At the – At the
NOTE:
installation media inserted in step 7.
Software Installation
Hardware Installation
When the operating system installation process is finished, remove the
dialog box, click
dialog box, click
Yes
Yes
.
.
Performing the PERC S100 Controller or PERC S300 Controller Management Setup Procedure
The PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter management setup procedure is described in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management. To set up a PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter on your system, see the Storage Management procedures located at the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
Installing the Drivers
45
Page 46
46
Installing the Drivers
Page 47
6
RAID Configuration and Management
The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) S100 and PERC S100 adapter are configured by using the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility or PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility. The utility is accessed at system startup, when you are prompted to press <Ctrl><R>.
NOTE:
refers to both the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility and the PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility.
NOTE:
OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management, see the Dell Support Website at support.dell.com/manuals.
NOTE:
without the operating system and controller drivers being installed.
Unless mentioned otherwise, the term PERC Virtual Disk Management utility
To configure the PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter with Dell
The PERC Virtual Disk Management utility can be accessed and configured
Configuring the Controller: Using the PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility
Table 6-1. PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility Operations
Operation Description
Accessing the PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility
Understanding the Text Colors in the PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility
Initializing Physical Disks Describes how to initialize a physical disk for data storage. Creating Virtual Disks Describes how to create a virtual disk from the connected
Describes how to log onto the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
Describes the status of the physical disks and virtual disks, based on the color-highlighted text.
physical disks.
RAID Configuration and Management
47
Page 48
Table 6-1. PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility Operations
Operation Description
Deleting Virtual Disks Deletes one or more virtual disks that are configured for
the controller.
(continued)
Swapping Two Virtual Disks
Managing Global Hot Spares
Viewing Physical Disk Details
Viewing Virtual Disk Details
Rescanning Disks Rescans the disks to detect new or removed physical disks
Controller Options Changes the selected controller options, such as booting
Continuing to Boot Enables the system to continue booting after you use the
Swaps virtual disks to enable them to load in any order.
Enables you to create or delete a global hot spare(s).
Enables you to view detailed information about any connected physical disk.
Enables you to view detailed information about any virtual disk.
or virtual disks.
and virtual disk warnings.
PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
Accessing the PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility
1
Boot the system and wait until the message
Configure
appears.
Press <Ctrl><R> to
48
2
Press <Ctrl><R>. You have a maximum of three seconds to press <Ctrl><R>, or the
system’s boot process continues.
CAUTION:
Make sure to backup all data before changing modes.
NOTE:
system uses a PERC S100, press F2 to access the Dell system BIOS. At the SATA Settings field, make sure that SATA Controller is set to RAID Mode. If
the settings are correct and the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility still does not appear contact Dell support at support.dell.com.
RAID Configuration and Management
If SATA Controller is not set to RAID Mode, data might be destroyed.
If the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility does not appear and your
Page 49
The utility contains these fields:
An information field (yellow or red text): Located below the window name and the current build number.
Virtual Disks
: Displays the virtual disks that have been created and information about them: virtual disk number, RAID level, virtual disk size, virtual disk status, and caching mode status.
Main Menu
operations
Physical Disks
: Indicates the main
.
: Displays information about the physical disks or
PERC Virtual Disk Management
utility
ATAPI devices.
Available Keys
: Indicates the keyboard keys to use to select a line of
text or perform an operation.
NOTE:
Table B-3, located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
For a description of virtual disk and physical disk states, see Table B-2 and
NOTE:
virtual disk. The system can boot only when the bootable virtual disk is at the first position in the list.
The first virtual disk listed in Virtual Disks must be the bootable
Understanding the Text Colors in the PERC Virtual Disk Management Utility
Text within the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility is color-coded, as follows:
Table 6-2. PERC Virtual Disk Management Text Colors
Text Color Description
White text Indicates an available option or informational text. Black text, yellow
highlighting Yellow text Indicates information about the yellow-highlighted option. Green text Indicates an item that has been selected. Light blue text Indicates that the item cannot be selected.
Indicates an option or device for which you might take action.
Magenta text Indicates items that are related to hot spares or boot options. Red text Indicates a failed virtual or physical disk or a warning. For example,
informational text might be red if an option is not available.
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Initializing Physical Disks
New physical disks must be initialized before they can be used. Initialization writes controller configuration information to the physical disk.
Physical disks with the following statuses can be initialized:
Non-RAID
adapter or PERC S300 adapter.
Ready
PERC S300 adapter configuration information.
Physical disks that are Online cannot be initialized.
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the Disk Management
3
At the
Physical Disk(s)
4
Press <Enter>.
A physical disk that was configured by a non-PERC S100
— Contains no stored data but has PERC S100 adapter or
Main Menu
utility.
field u
<Ctrl><R>
se the arrow keys to select the
keys to access the PERC Virtual
Initialize
option.
5
Use the arrow keys to select
Initialize to Non-Raid
6
Press <Enter>.
7
Use the arrow keys to select a physical disk. Press <Insert> to select the
Initialize for PERC S100 (PERC S300)
.
or
physical disk, or press the <A> key to choose all selectable physical disks.
NOTE:
to initialize one physical disk at a time.
8
Press <Enter> to initialize the selected physical disk or disks.
NOTE:
Raid in the Physical Disks field of the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility. A Non-Raid virtual disk is also created and appears in the Virtual Disks field.
9
A dialog box appears, warning that any data on the physical disk will be
You can select and initialize multiple physical disks. There is no need
After a physical disk is initialized as Non-Raid, it appears as Non-
permanently lost if it is initialized. Press the <C> key to continue with initialization or press <Esc> to cancel.
Initialization takes 10–15 seconds per physical disk. A status indicator shows which physical disk is being initialized. When initialization is complete, the status indicator turns off, and all channels are re-scanned automatically.
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CAUTION:
selected for initialization. To initialize the physical disk anyway, make sure to delete the virtual disk. Be sure you want to initialize the physical disk, because all data on it (including PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter configuration information) is deleted.
If a physical disk has a virtual disk on it, the physical disk cannot be
NOTE:
Non-Raid virtual disks must be deleted in order to use the physical disks with the PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter. Deleting the Non-Raid virtual disks initializes the Non-Raid physical disks and changes their state to Ready.
NOTE:
When Non-Raid physical disks are installed in the system, their associated
Typically, continue with the next procedure, Creating Virtual Disks.
Creating Virtual Disks
You can create virtual disks after the physical disks are initialized, especially if the virtual disk is a bootable virtual disk for your system. If you have not decided what RAID level to use, see the Raid Technology Guide, located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
Before You Begin
At any point in this procedure, return to a prior state by pressing <Esc>.
A maximum of eight virtual disks can be created with the PERC Virtual Disk Management
Avoid mixing of redundant and non-redundant raid levels on the same set of physical disks.
utility.
NOTE:
available capacity on the physical disks.
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the
The Create Virtual Disk operation is not selectable when there is no
<Ctrl><R>
Disk Management utility.
3
At the
Virtual Disk
Main Menu
. Press <Enter>.
field, use the arrow keys to select
keys to access the PERC Virtual
Create
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4
At the
Physical Disks
field, select the physical disk(s) on which to
create a virtual disk:
a
For each physical disk, press the <Insert> key to select the physical disk. (The physical disks can be inserted in any order.)
b
After selecting the physical disk(s) to be included in the virtual disk, press <Enter>.
5
At the
User Input
field, use the arrow keys to select a virtual disk type (RAID level). Press <Enter>. (Only the virtual disk types that can be created with the selected physical disk(s) are indicated; they are highlighted in white text).
6
If hot spares are applicable:
a
At the
User Input
field, use the arrow keys to select a dedicated hot
spare. Press <Enter>.
NOTE:
selecting the Manage Global Hot Spare(s) option.
b
At the
A global hot spare can be assigned after a virtual disk is created, by
Physical Disks
field, select the physical disk to use as a
hot spare (if applicable). Press <Insert> to select it.
c
Press <Enter> to add the hot spare. Press the <C> key to confirm the change.
7
Select a size for the virtual disk, depending on the available free space of the physical disks. Review the choices indicated in Table 6-3. (Virtual disk size changes are displayed at the
Input
8
After you choose the virtual disk size, press <Enter>.
9
At the
10
Press the <C> key to confirm that you want to create the virtual disk.
11
At the
to Boot
NOTE:
Disks field. If necessary, use the Swap Two Virtual Disks option to place the bootable virtual disk in the first position.
fields.)
NOTE:
space of the physical disks and by the RAID level that you select.
The maximum size of the virtual disk is affected by the available free
User Input
Main Menu
field, select a
field, perform other operations or select
and press <Enter>.
The boot virtual disk must be the first virtual disk listed in the Virtual
Create Virtual Disk
Caching Mode
. Press <Enter>.
and
Continue
User
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Table 6-3. Selection of Virtual Disk Sizes
To Create This Virtual Disk Size
< 2.199 TB Use the <Page Up> or <Page Down> keys to select a size in large
> 2.199 TB
Perform This Task
increments
or
Use the up arrow or down arrow keys to select a size in small increments.
Continue with "Creating Virtual Disks" on page 51.
1
Press the <Page Up> or the up arrow key to increase the virtual disk size.
2
At the maximum size, a dialog box appears in the field. It inquires if you want to limit the size of the virtual disk or exceed the normal maximum size.
3
Press <Esc> to create a larger virtual disk.
4
Press the <Page Up> or the up arrow key, until the desired or maximum available size has been attained.
5
Continue with "Creating Virtual Disks" on page 51.
NOTE:
maximum size of the virtual disk is limited by the size of the physical disk with the smallest capacity.
When physical disks of different capacities are used, the
User Input
NOTE:
enabled on the controller, as described in "Controller Options" on page 58.
If you want to have a bootable virtual disk, make sure that INT 13 support is
Deleting Virtual Disks
CAUTION:
deleted, including the first-listed virtual disk in the field, do not delete the first­listed virtual disk. It may be the system’s bootable virtual disk. Deleting the bootable virtual disk erases the operating system and the controller drivers.
CAUTION:
adapter or PERC S300 adapter configuration information (metadata) remains on the disk. If the removed physical disk causes a virtual disk to fail, and the virtual disk is then deleted and a Rescan is performed, re-inserting the physical disk causes the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility to merge the re-inserted physical disk's
Although any virtual disk in the Virtual Disks field can be
When a physical disk is removed from a system, the current PERC S100
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configuration information with the existing configuration information. The previously deleted virtual disk re-appears in the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
CAUTION:
the system before you delete the virtual disk.
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the Disk Management
3
At the
Make sure that all physical disks that are part of a virtual disk are in
utility.
Main Menu
<Ctrl><R>
field, select
Delete Virtual Disk(s)
keys to access the PERC Virtual
<Enter>.
4
Perform one of the following:
Select each virtual disk in the
to delete. Press <Insert>
Virtual Disks
to confirm each selection.
field that you want
OR
Press <A> to select all virtual disks for deletion.
NOTE:
5
Press <Enter>.
CAUTION:
selected virtual disk(s). Deleting a virtual disk permanently destroys all data that is on the virtual disk, as well as the virtual disk itself. This action cannot be undone.
The text color of the selected virtual disk(s) changes to green.
A dialog box appears, describing the consequences of deleting the
. Press
54
6
Press the <C> key to confirm the deletion.
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Swapping Two Virtual Disks
Use the Swap Two Virtual Disks option of the Management utility to arrange
CAUTION:
system’s bootable virtual disk. The bootable virtual disk must always be the first­listed virtual disk at Virtual Disks.
Before You Begin
•The
Swap Two Virtual Disks
Do not swap the first-listed virtual disk at Virtual Disks if it is the
virtual disks in a different order.
option is enabled only if there is at least one
PERC Virtual Disk
initialized physical disk in the system. For example, if all the physical disks in the system are Non-Raid, the
Swap Two Virtual Disks
option is
disabled.
It is recommended that the bootable virtual disk be a redundant virtual disk-type, such as RAID 1, RAID 5, or RAID 10, to preserve data in case a physical disk in the virtual disk fails. As required, swap that virtual disk into the first position at disk 1. See the
Swap Two Virtual Disks
Virtual Disks
, if it is not already virtual
option below.
The boot device and the boot order are user-selectable.
The swap feature is available only with the PERC Virtual Disk Management
NOTE:
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the Disk Management
3
At the
Main Menu
utility
Only two virtual disks can be swapped at a time.
.
<Ctrl><R>
utility.
field, select
keys to access the PERC Virtual
Swap Two Virtual Disks
<Enter>.
4
Use the arrow keys to highlight a virtual disk at the
Virtual Disk
Press <Insert>.
5
Use the arrow keys to highlight another virtual disk. Press <Insert>.
6
Press <Enter> to swap the virtual disks.
.
Press
field.
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Managing Global Hot Spares
This option enables you to create a global hot spare from a selected physical disk, or to delete a global hot spare.
NOTE:
Normal status at the Physical Disks field. If the physical disk is in Online status, it is being used by a virtual disk and cannot be selected as a hot spare.
Create a Global Hot Spare
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the Disk Management
3
At the <Enter>.
4
Select
5
Use the up or down arrow key to select a physical disk(s) for use as a global hot spare(s). Press <Insert>.
A global hot spare can be created only if a physical disk is in Ready or
<Ctrl><R>
utility.
Main Menu
field, select
Manage Global Spare(s)
Assign Global Hot Spare(s).
keys to access the PERC Virtual
. Press
Press <Enter>.
6
Press <Enter> to add the global hot spare.
7
Press the <C> key to confirm the action.
Delete a Global Hot Spare
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the Disk Management
3
At the
Main Menu
utility.
field, select
<Ctrl><R>
keys to access the PERC Virtual
Manage Global Spare(s)
<Enter>.
4
Select
5
Use the up or down arrow key to select the physical disk(s) to delete as a
Unassign Global Hot Spare(s)
. Press <Enter>.
global hot spare(s). Press <Insert>.
6
Press <Enter> to delete the global hot spare.
7
Press the <C> key to confirm the action.
. Press
56
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Viewing Physical Disk Details
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the Disk Management
3
At the
Main Menu
utility.
field, select
Press <Enter>.
4
Use the arrow keys to choose a physical disk.
5
Physical disk information is displayed at the top of the window:
Physical disk number
Channel number
Physical disk size
<Ctrl><R>
keys to access the PERC Virtual
View Physical Disk Details
.
Physical disk status:
New/Non-Raid/Ready/Online
Amount of free space
Manufacturer and model number
6
When finished, press <Esc> to return to the main window.
Viewing Virtual Disk Details
1
Power-up the system to start booting.
2
When prompted, press the Disk Management
3
At the
Main Menu
utility.
field, select
<Enter>.
4
Use the arrow keys to choose a virtual disk.
5
Virtual disk information is displayed at the top of the window and in the
Virtual Disks
field:
Virtual disk number
•RAID level
<Ctrl><R>
keys to access the PERC Virtual
View Virtual Disk Details
. Press
•Size
Status (
6
When finished, press <Esc> to return to the main window.
NOTE:
the virtual disk, highlighted by green text.
R/W, R, NA
The Physical Disks field indicates the physical disks that are in
)
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Rescanning Disks
This option enables you to rescan all channels and detect new or removed physical disks or virtual disks.
To perform a rescan, select
Rescan Disks
from the
Main Menu
field and press <Enter>. (The activity indicator, in the information field at the top of the window, spins while the physical disks are being polled).
•The
Rescan Disks
option rescans all the channels, searches for new or removed physical disks, and re-reads the configuration information from each physical disk.
NOTE:
through a rescan.
Sometimes when a physical disk has failed, it can be brought online
Controller Options
The Controller Options feature enables you to select INT 13 boot support and select whether the boot process pauses when an error occurs. The boot process pauses when Pause if... is enabled and a virtual disk becomes Degraded or has Failed. Press <Enter> to continue booting.
View the error message on the window. If Pause... is OFF, the error message is displayed briefly, but the system continues to boot.
1
At the
Options
Main Menu
. Press <Enter>.
field, use the arrow key to select
Controller
2
At the
Controller Options
field, use the up or down arrow keys to
scroll to the desired controller option. See Table 6-4.
3
When finished, press <Esc> to return to the main window.
Table 6-4. Controller Options
Controller Option Description How to Operate
INT13 Boot Support Determines whether the BIOS
installs INT 13 support (physical disk seek, read, and write operations for a PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter).
58
RAID Configuration and Management
Press <Enter> to toggle between ON and OFF.
Page 59
Table 6-4. Controller Options
Controller Option Description How to Operate
Pause if Degraded When ON, the BIOS stops
booting when a degraded virtual disk is found.
Pause if Failed When ON, the BIOS stops
booting when a failed virtual disk is found.
Press <Enter> to toggle between ON and OFF.
Press <Enter> to toggle between ON and OFF.
Continuing to Boot
After using the normal booting process by selecting Continue to Boot in the Main Menu field and pressing <Enter>.
PERC Virtual Disk Management utility,
return the system to its
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60
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Page 61
7
Troubleshooting
To get help with your Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter, contact your Dell Technical Service representative or access the Dell Support Web site at support.dell.com.
The chapter discusses four major categories of troubleshooting:
Normal tasks that cannot be performed during system startup.
Warning messages that might appea or
Controller BIOS
Functions that cannot be performed with virtual disks.
Functions that cannot be performed with physical disks.
NOTE:
refers to both the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility and the PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility.
Unless mentioned otherwise, the term PERC Virtual Disk Management utility
Dell Inc. PERC S300 Controller BIOS
r at the Dell Inc. PERC S100
screen.
System Startup Problems
The following table indicates potential PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter-related causes for system startup problems.
Table 7-1. System Does Not Boot
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
Controller mode is set incorrectly at System Setup
1
At system startup, when the
Tes t ( POS T)
the
Dell Inc. PowerEdge BIOS
screen appears, press <F2> to enter
Dell Power-On Self-
screen.
2
Scroll to make sure that the following is true:
• For a PERC S100 adapter: is set to a RAID mode.
• For a PERC S300 adapter: is set to
NOTE:
RAID Mode to ATA Mode.
SATA Settings
ATA Mode
Data might be lost when switching from
or
. Press <Enter> and
SATA Controller
SATA Controller
AHCI
Troubleshooting
.
61
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Table 7-1. System Does Not Boot
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
Boot Mode, Boot Sequence
and/or
Boot Sequence Retry
set incorrectly
Bootable virtual disk is in a failed state
,
are
1
At system startup, when the Dell appears, press <F2> to enter the
PowerEdge BIOS
2
Scroll to
Boot Settings
make sure that
3
Scroll to
Boot Sequence
make sure that
screen.
Boot Mode
Hard drive C: (* PERC
POST
screen
Dell Inc.
. Press <Enter> and
is set to
BIOS
. Press <Enter> and
S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter
the first device listed. * The variable text displayed here might be:
Embedded SATA 1, Slot 1 SAS
.
4
Scroll to that the setting is
5
Press <Esc> to exit and continue booting.
NOTE:
PowerEdge BIOS
Boot Sequence Retry
Enabled
If changes are made at the
screen, a dialog box appears and
, or
Integrated
. Make sure
.
Dell Inc.
asks you to save your changes and then exit.
1
Press <Ctrl><Alt><Del> to restart.
2
After the system restarts, press <Ctrl><R>. Check the status of the bootable virtual disk at the
Virtual Disk Virtual Disks Details
field, or by highlighting
and pressing
<Enter>.
.
)
is
View
The boot order is incorrect for a bootable virtual disk
62
Troubleshooting
3
Check for missing or offline physical disks.
1
When prompted at system startup, press <Ctrl><R> to access the Management utility
2
Check
Virtual Disks
.
PERC Virtual Disk
and make sure that the
bootable virtual disk is the first virtual disk listed.
3
As required, use the
Disks
option to reposition the virtual disks.
Swap Two Virtual
Page 63
Table 7-1. System Does Not Boot
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
A Non-Raid virtual disk is no longer in the first position in the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility list after the system is rebooted
NOTE:
Non-Raid virtual disk, creating a virtual disk in Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management changes the virtual disk order and displaces the bootable Non-Raid virtual disk from the first position. PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapter then attempts to boot from the first virtual disk.
NOTE:
can be created from Non-Raid physical disks (which are physical disks initialized at a non-PERC S100 adapter or a non­PERC S300 adapter).
When booting from a
A Non-Raid virtual disk
1
When prompted at system startup, press <Ctrl><R> to access the Management
2
Check bootable Non-Raid virtual disk is no longer in the first position.
3
Use the swap the virtual disks and place the bootable Non­Raid virtual disk in the first position of the
Virtual Disks
Virtual Disks
utility.
Swap Two Virtual Disks
field.
PERC Virtual Disk
and determine if the
option to
Table 7-2. The PERC Virtual Disk Management Option Does Not Display
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
The PERC S100 adapter mode is set incorrectly in the system BIOS
The PERC S300 adapter is not seated correctly
See Table 7-1 for the correct SATA Setting.
Make sure that the PERC S300 adapter is installed in the correct slot and is properly seated.
Troubleshooting
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Warning Messages: Dell Inc. PERC S100 Adapter or Dell Inc. PERC S300 Adapter BIOS Screen
The Dell Inc. PERC S100 Controller BIOS screen or Dell Inc. PERC S300 Controller BIOS screen is one of the first screens to appear during your
system’s boot sequence. If the system’s virtual disks were in Normal or Ready status before a system boot, the boot sequence continues normally to the Microsoft Windows system.
But, if a virtual disk is in Degraded or Failed status, or if specific options in the Controller Options field were changed previously at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility, the warning messages described in Table 7-3 through Table 7-6 appear during the boot sequence. For other issues, see Ta bl e 7- 7 .
Server 2008 or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating
64
Troubleshooting
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Table 7-3. Warning Messages: Dell Inc. PERC S100 or PERC S300 Adapter BIOS
Warning Message Corrective Action
WARNING: Found virtual disks that are Degraded
This warning message appears when at least one virtual disk is in a Degraded state and Pause if Degraded is set to ON at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
The following message appears after the warning is displayed:
--- Press <Enter> to continue, or <CTRL><R> to enter setup ---
Press <Enter> to allow the operating system to continue with the boot sequence, or press PERC Virtual Disk Management utility to investigate the cause of the Degraded virtual disk.
To investigate the cause, check for the following:
• Whether a physical disk in the virtual disk has failed or has gone offline. Check the status at the field. A virtual disk and the number of physical disks that have failed:
– For a virtual disk at RAID 1 or RAID 5, a single physical disk
– For a virtual disk at RAID 10, the failure of a physical disk in
Degraded
failure causes a
each of the mirror sets creates a RAID 10. The failure of two physical disks in the same mirror set creates a
status depends on the RAID level of the
Degraded
<Ctrl><R>
status.
Failed
status for the RAID 10.
to enter into the
Physical Disks
Degraded
status for the
• Whether the controller has failed, due to a firmware failure or a component failure. A failed controller causes a virtual disk not to boot.
For the virtual disk to recover from Degraded status, the failed physical disk must be replaced and the virtual disk must be rebuilt, using Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management. When the rebuild operation is completed, the virtual disk status changes from Degraded to Ready. For a description of the rebuild function, see located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
Storage Management,
Troubleshooting
65
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Table 7-4. Warning Messages: Dell Inc. PERC S100 or S300 Adapter BIOS
Warning Message Corrective Action
(continued)
WARNING: Found virtual disks that are Failed
This warning message appears when at least one virtual disk is in a Failed state and Pause if Failed is set to ON at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
The following message appears after the warning is displayed:
--- Press <Enter> to continue, or <Ctrl><R> to enter setup ---
Press <Enter> to allow the operating system to continue its boot, or press <Ctrl><R> to enter into the Management disk.
NOTE:
operating system from booting.
To investigate the cause, check for the following:
• Determine if a single or multiple physical disks in a non-
• Determine if two or more physical disks in a redundant virtual
A boot virtual disk that is in a Failed state prevents the
redundant virtual disk have failed. If "yes," data is lost. Recover the lost data from a backup storage source.
disk have failed. If "yes," data is lost. Recover the lost data from a backup storage source.
utility to investigate the cause of the
PERC Virtual Disk
Failed
virtual
66
NOTE:
mirrored set, the redundant virtual disk goes to a Degraded status but data is not lost. If two physical disks fail in one of the mirrored sets, the redundant virtual disk goes to a Failed status and data is lost.
Troubleshooting
For a RAID 10, if a single physical disk fails in each
Page 67
Table 7-5. Warning Messages: Dell Inc. PERC S100 or S300 Adapter BIOS
Warning Message Corrective Action
(continued)
WARNING: Found virtual disks that are Degraded and Failed
This warning message appears when multiple virtual disks are in Degraded and Failed state and Pause if Degraded or Pause if Failed are set to ON at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
The following message appears after the warning is displayed:
--- Press <Enter> to continue, or <Ctrl><R> to enter setup ---
Press <Enter> to allow the operating system to continue its boot, or press <Ctrl><R> to enter into the Management and
Failed
NOTE:
operating system from booting.
To investigate the cause, check for the following:
• Whether the virtual disk is in the physical disks of a RAID 1 or RAID 5 virtual disk has failed, or one of the physical disks of a RAID 10 virtual disk has failed. Press <Ctrl><R> or missing. Remove and replace a failed physical disk. A second physical disk failure could cause a disk to change to
utility to investigate the cause of the
virtual disks.
A boot virtual disk that is in a Failed state prevents the
Degraded
and verify if the physical disks are offline
Failed
status.
PERC Virtual Disk
Degraded
status because one of
Degraded
virtual
• Whether the virtual disk is in a more of the physical disks have failed. Press <Ctrl><R> or missing. Remove and replace the failed physical disk or disks.
and verify if the physical disks are offline
Failed
status because one or
Troubleshooting
67
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Table 7-6. Warning Messages: Dell Inc. PERC S100 or S300 Adapter BIOS
Warning Message Corrective Action
(continued)
BIOS NOT INSTALLED ­User Disabled INT13 BIOS Load
This warning message appears when:
The
INT13 Boot Support
option has been set to OFF
at
the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
Bootable devices do not function with the controller when INT 13 Boot Support is set to OFF. (ON is the default setting, which allows bootable devices to function with the controller).
NOTE:
You can set INT 13 Boot Support to OFF when you want to boot the system from another boot device (for example, another hard-drive). It is recommended that you use only your system’s current boot device.
If INT 13 Boot Support is set to OFF and another boot device is not selected, the following occurs:
• The boot sequence stops after
User Disabled INT 13 BIOS Load
• A second warning message appears:
BIOS Not Installed -
appears.
No boot device available - strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility, F11 for BIOS boot manager
.
When the system’s boot sequence stops, perform the following:
1
Press <Ctrl><Alt><Del> to exit from the boot sequence.
2
Turn off your system, then restart it.
3
When instructed during the start-up sequence, press <Ctrl><R> to access the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
4
At the
Controller Options
5
At
Main Menu
field, use the arrow key to scroll to
. Press <Enter>.
INT13 Boot Support
press <Enter> and change
to ON.
6
Press <Esc>.
7
At the
Continue to Boot
NOTE:
Main Menu field, use the arrow key to scroll to
. Press <Enter>.
The system boot sequence continues to the operating
system.
OFF
68
Troubleshooting
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Table 7-7. Other Errors Appearing on the BIOS
Issue Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
1
The RAID 0 goes offline and the RAID 1 becomes degraded in a PowerEdge R210 system with two drives.
Faulty physical disk
Boot system into CTLR-R and replace faulty drive.
2
Delete the failed RAID 0 and then create a new RAID 0. Now RAID 0 is optimal and RAID 1 is still degraded.
3
Install OS on the RAID 0 and backup RAID 1.
4
Delete and Recreate RAID 1 and restore backup data.
When attempting to update system backplane firmware and or Hard drive firmware using DUPs the updates fail.
eSata devices appear in Ready state in CTLR-R
During CTRL-R, S100/S300 do not display greater than eight Virtual Disks.
Unable to delete Virtual Disks when there are more than eight Virtual Disks present in the system.
DUPs are not supported.
Issue with the physical connection
The function is not supported.
The function is not supported.
Use the DOS utilities
Remove the devices from eSata port and plug them into the chassis.
NOTE:
eSATA devices are blocked
from virtual disk creation.
Remove all physical disks except for the last one(s) added. Then proceed with deleting the virtual disks that are not needed. Remember to take account of the virtual disks that are currently being used.
Remove all physical disks except for the last one(s) added. Then proceed with deleting the virtual disks that are not needed. Remember to take account of the virtual disks that are currently being used.
Virtual disk rebuild status while during CTLR-R
Rebuild is not supported in Ctrl-R.
Boot to a supported OS. Rebuild starts. To view rebuild status, install a supported storage application.
Troubleshooting
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Table 7-7. Other Errors Appearing on the BIOS
Issue Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
S100 rom option not visible during S300 controller use in the system.
S100 and S300 co­existence in the same system is not supported. S100 option rom becomes disabled when S100 and S300 are available.
Remove S300 adapter and reboot system to select F1 and select RAID for boot BIOS.
The S100 rom option appears during POST boot.
NOTE:
the system, the windows driver manager displays the additional driver.
If both controllers are used in
Virtual Disk-Related Errors
Use the information on the following tables as guidelines for troubleshooting the controller.
Table 7-8. Cannot Create a Virtual Disk
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
The physical disk is not displayed
This error might be because:
– The controller cannot communicate with the
physical disks.
Insufficient free space available on the selected physical disks
Incorrect number of physical disks selected for the desired RAID level
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Troubleshooting
– A cable might be loose or defective.
Re-seat the physical disks in the backplane and check their cables.
There must be sufficient available free space on the physical disk(s) used by the virtual disk.
See "Understanding RAID Levels" in the RAID Technology Guide, located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals, for a description of RAID levels and the allowable number of physical disks used with each RAID level.
Page 71
Table 7-8. Cannot Create a Virtual Disk
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
(continued)
The desired physical disk is unavailable
The system already has a maximum of eight virtual disks
Table 7-9. A Virtual Disk is in a Failed State
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
The virtual disk has lost one or more physical disks
A
physical disk in the virtual disk
has failed or has been removed
Determine whether the physical disk:
• Is a dedicated hot spare and unavailable for use in another virtual disk.
• Is full or has insufficient available capacity.
Delete unused virtual disks.
CAUTION:
on the virtual disk.
Replace the failed physical disk(s) and restore the data from a backup storage source.
• Re-install the original physical disk if it was inadvertently removed. Perform a rescan.
• Check the status of the physical disks in the virtual disk. Replace any failed disk(s), if necessary. Restore the data from a backup storage source.
Deleting a virtual disk destroys all data
The virtual disk has lost the maximum allowable physical disks per RAID level
After any change, perform a rescan to verify if the disk is still in a Failed state.
One or more physical disks have failed.
– If the virtual disk is non-redundant, the failure
of a single physical disk can cause the virtual disk to fail.
– If the virtual disk is redundant, two or more
physical disks have failed and the virtual disk cannot be rebuilt.
Create a new virtual disk. Restore the data from a backup storage source.
Troubleshooting
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Table 7-10. A Virtual Disk is in a Degraded State
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
A physical disk was removed
Physical or mechanical problems with the physical disk
The virtual disk has lost redundancy
• Install the original physical disk, if it was inadvertently removed, or replace it with a new or used physical disk.
• Initialize a new physical disk. Perform a
Rescan
for all physical disks that are replaced.
•If the physical disk was not removed, check that its cables are correctly installed.
•Check if the physical disk in the virtual disk has failed.
• If a physical disk was recently removed and replaced, check that it is correctly positioned in the backplane. Check the cable connections at the physical disk and at the motherboard. Perform a rescan.
• One or more physical disks in the virtual disk have failed. Due to the failed physical disk or disks, the virtual disk is no longer maintaining redundant (mirrored or parity) data. The failure of an additional physical disk results in lost data.
Corrupted metadata in the virtual disk
72
Troubleshooting
• Replace the physical disk or disks. Rebuild the physical disk using Storage Management. See the applicable Storage Management screen,
located on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
1
Delete the virtual disk that has the failed metadata.
2
Assign the physical disk as a hot spare to rebuild a redundant virtual disk.
3
To create a non-redundant virtual disk, delete and rebuilt the data on a virtual disk, and restore the data from a backup storage source.
Page 73
Table 7-11. Cannot Assign a Dedicated Hot Spare to a Virtual Disk
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
The RAID level does not allow a dedicated hot spare to be created
The designated physical disk does not have sufficient capacity to be a dedicated hot spare
The physical disk is already part of a virtual disk
The physical disks are of different types
Hot spares cannot be created for Volume or RAID 0 virtual disks.
The capacity of the physical disk selected to be a dedicated hot spare must be equal to or larger than the capacity of the smallest physical disk in the virtual disk. For example, if the physical disk selected for a dedicated hot spare is 160 GB, and the physical disks in the virtual disk are 80 GB, 160 GB, and 500 GB, a dedicated hot spare can be assigned. That is because the physical disk selected for the dedicated hot spare is larger than the smallest (80 GB) physical disk in the virtual disk.
A dedicated hot spare cannot be assigned to another virtual disk.
The physical disk used as a dedicated spare must be the same type as the physical disks that are already part of the virtual disk. For example, if a virtual disk consists of SATA-II physical disks, the dedicated hot spare must be a SATA-II physical disk.
Table 7-12. Cannot Create a Global Hot Spare
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
There are no empty physical disks available or the physical disks have not been initialized
Install additional physical disks and initialize them. If existing physical disks have a status of New they need to be initialized.
WARNING:
data on the physical disk is lost.
NOTE:
initialized, if desired, but it is no longer Non-Raid (initialization adds PERC S100 adapter/PERC S300 adapter configuration information to the physical disk).
When a physical disk is initialized, all
A physical disk with a Non-Raid status can be
Troubleshooting
73
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Table 7-12. Cannot Create a Global Hot Spare
(continued)
The physical disk is already part of a virtual disk
The physical disk assigned as the global hot spare has failed
The physical disk assigned as the global hot spare is missing
A global hot spare cannot be selected if it is already part of an existing virtual disk.
When prompted at system startup, press <Ctrl><R>to access the Management
At the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility, select View Virtual Disk Details and press <Enter>. Determine whether the physical disk that is designated as the global hot spare has a status of Failed.
• Check to see if the physical disk is malfunctioning or is physically disconnected.
• Select another physical disk as the global hot spare.
• Check to see if the physical disk was removed from the backplane or cable connection, or whether the cables from the controller to the physical disk are disconnected or faulty.
utility.
PERC Virtual Disk
• Perform a rescan to verify that the physical disk is still missing.
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Troubleshooting
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Physical Disk-Related Errors
Table 7-13. The Physical Disk Fails
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
A physical disk is not visible in the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility or is offline
A physical disk is highlighted red at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility
• Check that the cables are properly connected.
• For PERC S300 adapters only: check that the physical disk is installed properly in the system’s backplane.
• For PERC S300 adapters only: check the system’s backplane for damage.
• For PERC S300 adapters only: reinstall the physical disk and make sure that it is seated correctly in the system’s backplane.
•Perform a devices attached to the controller, or (b) fix an error caused by deleting or initializing a virtual disk.
• Replace the physical disk. Depending on the RAID level of the virtual disk, data might be lost.
• Perform a rescan to confirm that the new disk was discovered.
Rescan
, to (a) update the status of storage
Table 7-14. A Dedicated Hot Spare Fails
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
The controller cannot communicate with the hot spare
The dedicated spare is not visible in the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility or is offline
• Check that the cable from the controller to the physical disk is connected properly.
• Make sure that the physical disk is still assigned as a global or dedicated hot spare.
•Check if the physical disk assigned as the hot spare has failed.
The controller cannot communicate with the hot spare.
• Check if the physical disk has been removed or has failed.
• Check for a loose or bad cable.
Troubleshooting
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Table 7-15. The Wrong Physical Disk was Removed
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
A physical disk has been removed from a virtual disk
Table 7-16. Cannot Initialize a Physical Disk
Likely Causes to Check Corrective Actions
The physical disk cannot be initialized
The removal of one physical disk from a virtual disk causes:
• A Volume or RAID 0 virtual disk to change to status.
• A RAID 1 and RAID 5 virtual disk to change to
Degraded
• A RAID 10 virtual disk to change to (when a physical disk is removed from one of the mirrored sets).
Re-insert the removed physical disk and perform a Rescan of the virtual disk.
Check whether or not the physical disk is:
• Already a member of a virtual disk.
• Currently a global or dedicated spare.
status.
Degraded
Failed
status
•Reporting an
Only physical disks that are Ready can be initialized.
Offline
state.
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Troubleshooting
Page 77
Appendix A
Controller Specifications
This section contains information about the Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) S100 and S300 adapter specifications:
Read, write, and cache policy
Physical and virtual disk tasks
Virtual disk specifications
Supported RAID levels
Read, Write, and Cache Policy
A
Table A-1 indicates the supported by the PERC S100 Adapter and PERC S300 adapter.
Table A-1. Read, Write, and Cache Policy for the PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter
Category Supported by PERC S100 Adapter, PERC
Cache Settings Yes Read/Write Yes Read Only Yes None (Read/Write) Yes
CAUTION:
Write Through, Non Read Ahead (WT, NRA). To enable Write Back (WB), a UPS is recommended.
The current default for Write-Cache mode enablement is
read
, write, and cache policies that are supported/not
S300 adapter
Appendix A
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Controller Tasks
Table A-2 indicates the tasks that are supported or not supported by the PERC S100 Adapter and PERC S300 adapter.
Table A-2. PERC S100 Adapter and PERC S300 Adapter Tasks
PERC S100 adapter or PERC S300 adapterTask Name
Enable alarm No Disable alarm No Quiet alarm No Test alarm No Set check consistency rate No Rescan controller No Create virtual disk Yes
Supported by PERC S100 adapter, PERC S300 adapter
Physical Disk Tasks
Table A-3 indicates the physical disk tasks that are supported/not supported by the controllers at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
NOTE:
refers to both the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility and the PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility.
Unless mentioned otherwise, the term PERC Virtual Disk Management utility
Table A-3. Physical Disk Tasks
Physical Disk Task Name Supported by PERC S100 adapter,
PERC S300 adapter
Blink/Unblink Only with a system that has a
PERC S300 adapter and a backplane
Assign and unassign global hot spare Yes
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Virtual Disk Tasks
Table A-4 indicates the virtual disk tasks that are supported/not supported by the controllers.
Table A-4. Virtual Disk Tasks
Virtual Disk Task Name Supported by PERC S100 adapter, PERC S300
adapter
Assign and unassign dedicated hot spare
Create virtual disk Yes Reconfigure Yes Delete (any) virtual disk Yes Start a check consistency Yes Cancel check consistency Yes Initialize virtual disk No (if using the PERC Virtual Disk
Yes
Management utility) Yes (if doing a BGI in Storage Management)
Supported RAID Levels
Table A-5 indicates the RAID levels that are supported by the PERC S100 Adapter and PERC S300 adapter.
Table A-5. Supported RAID Levels for the PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter
RAID Level Supported by PERC S100 adapter,
PERC S300 adapter
Volume Yes (only when using the PERC Virtual Disk
Management utility) RAID 0 Yes RAID 1 Yes RAID 5 Yes RAID 10 Yes
Appendix A
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Virtual Disk Specifications
Table A-6 indicates the virtual disk specifications that apply to the PERC S100 Adapter and PERC S300 adapter.
Table A-6. Virtual Disk Specifications for the PERC S100 adapter and PERC S300 adapter
Virtual Disk Specification Value
Maximum number of virtual disks per controller 8 Minimum virtual disk size 102 MB Maximum virtual disk size No maximum size;
there may operating
system size limitations Maximum number of physical disks per virtual disk 8 Maximum number of virtual disks per physical disk 8 Maximum number of physical disks that can be
concatenated Maximum number of physical disks in a Volume 1 Maximum number of physical disks in a RAID 0 8 Maximum number of physical disks in a RAID 1 2 Maximum number of physical disks in a RAID 5 8 Maximum number of physical disks in a RAID 10 8 Minimum number of physical disks that can be
concatenated Minimum number of physical disks in a Volume 1 Minimum number of physical disks in a RAID 0 2 Minimum number of physical disks in a RAID 1 2 Minimum number of physical disks in a RAID 5 3 Minimum number of physical disks in a RAID 10 4
N/A
N/A
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Appendix A
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B
Appendix B
RAID Technology - Understanding Disk Arrays and Virtual Disks
A disk array consists of the physical disks that are connected to a controller. A virtual disk is data storage created by a controller from one or more physical
disks. The virtual disk is viewed by the operating system as a single disk. The Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller (PERC) S100 controller and PERC
S300 controller allows:
SAS HDD (PERC S300 controller only), SATA HDD, and/or SATA SSD (PERC S100 controller only) physical disks to co-exist on a single controller.
Physical disks of the same type (SAS HDD, SATA HDD, SATA SSD) but of different capacities.
Virtual disks to be at different RAID levels on the same controller, but not supported on the same group of physical disks.
Because some RAID levels enhance performance while others improve reliability, it is important to consider your needs when planning a virtual disk configuration.
The ability of the controller to provide online expansion to virtual disks across multiple physical disks and controllers becomes extremely valuable when storage expansion is a requirement.
Appendix B
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Understanding RAID Levels
A PERC S100 controller or PERC S300 controller supports the following RAID levels:
Table B-1. RAID Levels and Characteristics
RAID Level Main Characteristics Advantages
Volume (can be created only using the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility or PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility. Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management can manage a Volume but cannot create it.)
NOTE:
mentioned otherwise, the term PERC Virtual Disk Management utility refers to both the PERC S100 Virtual Disk Management utility and the PERC S300 Virtual Disk Management utility
Unless
A virtual disk type that links available space on a single physical disk and forms a single logical volume on which data is stored.
• Concatenation allows access to a single physical disk.
• Concatenation does not provide performance benefits or data redundancy.
• When a physical disk in a concatenated virtual disk fails, data is lost from that virtual disk. Because there is no redundancy, data can be restored only from a backup.
RAID 0 (striping) Provides the highest
performance, but no data redundancy. Data in the virtual disk is striped (distributed) across two or more physical disks.
82
Appendix B
RAID 0 virtual disks are useful for holding information, such as the operating system paging file, where performance is extremely important but redundancy is not.
Page 83
Table B-1. RAID Levels and Characteristics
RAID Level Main Characteristics Advantages
(continued)
RAID 1 (mirroring) Mirrors data on one physical
disk to another, to provide basic redundancy.
In the event of a single physical disk failure a second copy of the data exists, which can be used to restore the data to a new, replacement physical disk.
RAID 10 (striped mirror sets)
Combines mirrored and striped sets; data are striped across mirrored sets of physical disks.
RAID 10 allows multiple physical disk failures, up to one failed physical disk in each mirror that has been striped.
In the event of a single physical disk failure (per mirror set) a second copy of the data exists, which can be used to restore the data to a new, replacement physical disk.
Useful when only two physical disks are available, and when data integrity is more important than storage capacity.
• Offers better performance than a simple mirror because of the additional physical disks.
• Requires twice the disk space of RAID 0 to offer redundancy.
• When a physical disk in a RAID 10 virtual disk fails, the virtual disk is still functional. Data is read from the surviving mirrored disk.
Appendix B
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Table B-1. RAID Levels and Characteristics
RAID Level Main Characteristics Advantages
(continued)
RAID 5 (striping with parity)
Stripes data, as well as parity, across all physical disks in the virtual disk. Parity information is interspersed across the virtual disk.
In the event of a single physical disk failure, parity data exists on the remaining physical disks, which can be used to restore the data to a new, replacement physical disk.
• Offers exceptional read performance, as well as redundancy.
• Requires only one extra physical disk to offer redundancy.
• For most systems with three or more physical disks this is the best choice as a RAID level.
Disk States - Virtual and Physical Disks
The following tables indicate the statuses that can appear at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility.
Table B-2. Physical Disk States
State Definition
ATAPI Indicates a peripheral device (CD-ROM, DVD, or tape drive) instead
of a physical disk. An ATAPI device cannot be initialized or added to a virtual disk.
Non-Raid A physical disk has been moved from another, non-PERC S100
controller or non-PERC S300 controller.
Online The physical disk has been initialized and is part of a virtual disk. Ready The physical disk has been initialized but is not currently used in a
virtual disk.
Failed A failed physical disk appears as Failed only when (a) View Virtual
Disk Details is selected, and (b) the virtual disk to which the physical
disk belongs is selected. The Failed status is reported only when the physical disk is part of a virtual disk.
Spare A physical disk that is assigned as a dedicated or global hot spare.
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Table B-3. Virtual Disk States
State Definition
Degraded A physical disk in a redundant virtual disk has failed. Additional failures
might result in lost data.
Failed One or more physical disks have failed. The virtual disk has gone offline.
The virtual disk cannot restore the data.
Non-Raid A Non-Raid physical disk is automatically linked to a Non-Raid virtual
disk for use with a PERC S100 controller or PERC S300 controller.
Normal A virtual disk has been created and its preparation process has been
completed.
Ready A redundant virtual disk has been created, and is ready for additional
preparation.
Failure States
Whether a virtual disk is marked as Failed or Degraded depends upon what RAID level virtual disk it is, and how many physical disks of the virtual disk have failed. In Table B-4 note the changes in state.
If a rescan of all channels is performed after disconnecting a physical disk, the state of every virtual disk using the disconnected physical disk changes from the Ready state to either the Failed or Degraded state, depending on the virtual disk’s RAID level.
For additional information about rescanning to update storage configuration changes, see the OpenManage documentation available on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com/manuals.
Table B-4. Failure Status by Virtual Disk RAID Level
Virtual Disk RAID Level Failure Status Description
RAID 1, RAID 5 Degraded A single physical disk fails. RAID 10 Degraded A single physical disk fails in one or
more of the mirrored sets. Volume, RAID 0 Failed A single physical disk fails. RAID 1 or RAID 5 Failed Two or more physical disks fail. RAID 10 Failed Two physical disks in a mirrored set
fail.
Appendix B
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Creating Virtual Disks: Future Expansion
When creating virtual disks, consider whether or not the virtual disk capacity needs to be expanded in the future.
For a
Microsoft Windows operating system, format the virtual disks with New Technology File System (NTFS). Microsoft Corporation provides a utility (diskpart.exe) that can dynamically extend an NTFS file system onto any unused adjacent space.
Note also that using a single partition per virtual disk makes expansion much easier.
NOTE:
operating system is running.
NOTE:
Windows operating systems, or on the Microsoft Corporation website (microsoft.com) for other versions. Use the correct version for your operating system.
The diskpart.exe utility version depends on which version of the Windows
The diskpart.exe utility can be found on the CD for some versions of
Understanding Physical Disks
Physical Disk States
Within the management applications, physical disks can be part of one or more virtual disks and can exist in the states indicated:
Table B-5. Minimum and Maximum Physical Disk Configurations
RAID Level Minimum Number of Physical Disks Maximum Number of Physical Disks
RAID 0 2 8 RAID 1 2 2 RAID 10 8 8 RAID 5 3 8
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Appendix B
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Rescanning Physical Disks for Changes in State
The physical disk information displayed at the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility is the state of the physical disks when they were last scanned. If a rescan has not been performed, the information displayed is the state of the physical disks at boot time.
Every time a physical disk is connected or disconnected while online, a rescan is performed. A rescan is automatically performed when Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management detects that a physical disk has been added or removed.
Dedicated Hot Spares
A dedicated hot spare is a backup physical disk for the redundant virtual disk to which it is assigned. The physical disk that is used as a dedicated hot spare cannot be a member of an existing virtual disk. When the hot spare is activated, it becomes the receptacle for the data from the failed physical disk member of the volume, without interrupting the system or requiring your intervention.
A dedicated hot spare can be assigned to any redundant virtual disk, and up to four hot spares can be assigned to a virtual disk. However, a dedicated hot spare cannot be assigned while a task is running on the virtual disk.
A global hot spare can be assigned when a virtual disk is created in the PERC Virtual Disk Management utility. A global hot spare can be added at any time when Storage Management is used.
If there is enough space available on the dedicated hot spare, and a disk failure occurs, the rebuild process for the virtual disk starts automatically.
Dedicated hot spare assignments do not apply to a non-redundant virtual disk.
NOTE:
state, or if the SAS/SATA cable to the physical disk or power cable is disconnected.
A virtual disk is marked Failed or Degraded if a physical disk reports a Failed
A dedicated hot spare is often preferred to a global hot spare, especially for critical data. This is because a dedicated hot spare guarantees that the virtual disk has a backup physical disk assigned exclusively to it in case of a failure.
For additional information, see "Managing Global Hot Spares" on page 56.
Appendix B
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Global Hot Spares
A global hot spare is a backup physical disk that can be used by any redundant virtual disk. It is not assigned (dedicated) to any specific virtual disk.
Virtual disks can typically be rebuilt by using a global spare disk, as long as the global hot spare is not already part of the virtual disk and has enough available capacity. Unlike a dedicated hot spare, a global hot spare can be assigned at anytime, even while tasks are running on virtual disks.
If there is enough space available on the global hot spare, and a disk failure occurs, the rebuild process for the virtual disk starts automatically.
88
Appendix B
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C
Appendix C
Regulatory Notices
Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) is any signal or emission, radiated in free space or conducted along power or signal leads, that endangers the functioning of a radio navigation or other safety service or seriously degrades, obstructs, or repeatedly interrupts a licensed radio communications service. Radio communications services include, but are not limited to, AM/FM commercial broadcast, television, cellular services, radar, air-traffic control, pager, and Personal Communication Services (PCS). These licensed services, along with unintentional radiators such as digital devices, including computers, contribute to the electromagnetic environment.
Electromagnetic Compatibility is the ability of items of electronic equipment to function properly together in the electronic environment. While this system has been designed and determined to be compliant with regulatory agency limits for EMI, there is no guarantee that interference may not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause interference with radio communications services, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, you are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient the receiving antenna.
Relocate the system with respect to the receiver.
Move the system away from the receiver.
Plug the system into a different outlet so that the system and the receiver are on different branch circuits.
If necessary, consult a Dell Technical Support representative or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions.
For additional regulatory information, see the owner’s manual or user’s guide for your system.
Appendix C
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Dell computers are designed, tested, and classified for their intended electromagnetic environment. These electromagnetic environment classifications generally refer to the following harmonized definitions:
Class A is typically for business or industrial environments.
Class B is typically for residential environments.
Information Technology Equipment (ITE), including devices, expansion cards, printers, input/output (I/O) devices, monitors, and so on, that are integrated into or connected to the system must match the electromagnetic environment classification of the system.
A Notice About Shielded Signal Cables: Use only shielded cables for connecting devices to any Dell device to reduce the possibility of interference with radio communications services. Using shielded cables ensures that you maintain the appropriate Electromagnetic Compatibility classification for the intended environment. Cables are available from Dell at dell.com.
Most Dell computers are classified for Class B environments. However, the inclusion of certain options can change the rating of some configurations to Class A. To determine the electromagnetic classification for your system or device, see the following sections specific for each regulatory agency. Each section provides country-specific Electromagnetic Compatibility/EMI or product safety information.
FCC Notice (U.S. Only)
FCC, Class A
This product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This product generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction manual, may cause harmful interference with radio communications. Operation of this product in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in which case you will be required to correct the interference at your own expense.
90
Appendix C
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FCC, Class B
This product generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instruction manual, may cause interference with radio and television reception. This product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This device may not cause harmful interference.
This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
CAUTION:
expressly approved by Dell Inc. could void your authority to operate this equipment.
These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference may not occur in a particular installation.
The FCC regulations provide that changes or modifications not
If this equipment does cause harmful interference with radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, you are encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient the receiving antenna.
Relocate the system with respect to the receiver.
Move the system away from the receiver.
Plug the system into a different outlet so that the system and the receiver are on different branch circuits.
If necessary, consult a representative of Dell Inc. or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions.
Appendix C
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The following information is provided on the device or devices covered in this document in compliance with FCC regulations:
Product Name PERC S100, PERC S300
Company Name: Dell Inc.
Worldwide Regulatory Compliance & Environmental Affairs One Dell Way Round Rock, Texas 78682 USA 512-338-4400
Industry Canada Notice (Canada Only)
Industry Canada, Class A
This Class A digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe A est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du
Canada.
Industry Canada, Class B
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003 Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du
Canada.
CAUTION:
modifications not expressly approved by Dell Inc. could void your authority to operate this equipment.
The Industry Canada regulations provide that changes or
CE Notice (European Union)
Marking by the symbol indicates compliance of this Dell system to the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive 89/336/EEC and the Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC of the European Union. Such marking is indicative that this Dell system meets the following technical standards:
EN 55022 — "Information Technology Equipment — Radio Disturbance Characteristics — Limits and Methods of Measurement."
EN 55024 — "Information Technology Equipment - Immunity Characteristics - Limits and Methods of Measurement."
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EN 61000-3-2 — "Electromagnetic Compatibility - Part 3: Limits - Section 2: Limits for Harmonic Current Emissions (Equipment Input Current Up to and Including 16 A Per Phase)."
EN 61000-3-3 — "Electromagnetic Compatibility - Part 3: Limits - Section 3: Limitation of Voltage Fluctuations and Flicker in Low-Voltage Supply Systems for Equipment With Rated Current Up to and Including 16 A."
EN 60950 — "Safety of Information Technology Equipment."
EN 55022 emissions requirements provide for two classifications:
Class A is for typical commercial areas.
Class B is for typical domestic areas.
To determine which classification applies to your system, examine the FCC or ICES information on the regulatory label located on the back, side, or bottom panel of the system.
If the FCC or ICES information on the label indicates a Class B rating, the following Class B statement applies to your system:
This Dell device is classified for use in a typical Class B domestic environment.
A "Declaration of Conformity" in accordance with the preceding directives and standards has been made and is on file at Dell Inc. Products Europe BV, Limerick, Ireland.
Appendix C
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CE Mark Notice
This equipment complies with the essential requirements of the European Union Directive 1999/5/EC.
94
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D
Appendix D
Contacting Dell
For customers in the United States, call 800-WWW-DELL (800-999-3355).
NOTE:
information on your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog.
Dell provides several online and telephone-based support and service options. Availability varies by country and product, and some services may not be available in your area. To contact Dell for sales, technical support, or customer service issues:
Visit
1
2
Click your country/region at the bottom of the page. For a full listing of country/region click
If you do not have an active Internet connection, you can find contact
support.dell.com
All
.
.
3
Click
4
Select the appropriate service or support link based on your need.
5
Choose the method of contacting Dell that is convenient for you.
All Support
from the Support menu.
Appendix D
95
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96
Appendix D
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Index
B
background initialization, 21 BIOS, major functions, 47 boot device, warning
message, 68
boot priority list
changing it, 41
checking controller options, 40 boot support, RAID levels, 22 booting the system after using
the BIOS configuration utility, 59
C
cache policy, 77
controller drivers,
pre-installation
requirements, 38 controller options, changing, 58 controller options, changing
them, 58 controller tasks, supported by
PERC S100 adapter, PERC
S300 adapter, 78
D
dedicated hot spares, 87 degraded virtual disks, warning
message, 65 Dell system BIOS
configuring the chipset, 39
CE Mark Notice, 94 CE Notice (European Union), 92 checkpointing, 22 chipsets, configuration at the
Dell system BIOS, 39 Command Queuing, 22 consistency check, 23 continuing to boot the
system, 59 controller driver, download
procedure, 37
device driver installation
procedure, 37
disk arrays, understanding
them, 81 disk roaming, 26 drivers
installation, 42, 44
Index
97
Page 98
E
electrostatic discharge,
protecting against, 9
errors, physical disks
dedicated hot spare has failed or is
in error, 75
Failed status is displayed, 75
errors, virtual disks
Failed status, 71
hot spares
dedicated, 87 global, 88
hot spares, global, managing
them, 56
hot swapping, 25
I
virtual disk has been deleted, 73
ESD protection, 9
F
fault tolerance, 23 FCC Notice (U.S. only), 90 features of the PERC S100
adapter, PERC S300 adapter, 21
G
global hot spares, 88 global hot spares, manage, 56
Industry Canada Notice (Canada
only), 92 initialization, physical disks, 23 installation
PERC S300 Adapter, 32 PERC S300 adapter, 32
installing the controller drivers,
PERC S100 adapter, 42 installing the controller drivers,
PERC S300 adapter, 44 installing the operating system
and drivers, PERC S100
adapter, 42 installing the operating system
and drivers, PERC S300
adapter, 44
H
hardware installation
completion, 35 general considerations, 31 PERC S100 adapter, PERC S300
adapter, 31
98
Index
INT13 disabled, warning
message, 68
M
Management Setup, 45 mirror rebuilding, 24
Page 99
O
OCE, 24 offline virtual disks, warning
message, 66 Online Capacity Expansion, 24 options
changing controller options, 58
options, controller, 58
P
PERC S100 controller,
Management Setup, 45 PERC S100 Virtual Disk
Management utility, PERC
S300 Virtual Disk
Management utility
access to it, 48
PERC S300 Adapter
installation, 32
PERC S300 adapter
installation, 32
PERC S300 controller,
Management Setup, 45
physical disk tasks, supported by
PERC S100 adapter, PERC S300 adapter, 78
physical disks
automatic rebuild, 21 connecting them to the PERC
S300 controller, 35 errors, 75 troubleshooting, 75 view disk details, 57
physical disks, general
description, 24
platform requirements for the
PERC S100 controller, PERC S300 controller, 14
R
RAID configuration and
management, 47
RAID levels, supported by PERC
S100 adapter, PERC S300
adapter, 79 RAID technology, 81 read policy, 77
PERC Virtual Disk Management
utility
major functions, 47 physical disk details, viewing, 57 physical disk hot swapping, 25 physical disk initialization, 23 physical disk roaming, 26
regulatory notices, 89
CE Mark Notice, 94 CE Notice (European Union, 92 FCC Notice (U.S. only), 90 Industry Canada (Canada
only), 92 related documentation, 12 rescan disks, 58
Index
99
Page 100
rescanning
for changes in state, 87
V
Virtual Disk Management
utility, 47
S
configuring the controller
using the PERC S100, 47
safety
general, 8 safety instructions, 7 working inside your system, 8
specifications, PERC S100
adapter, PERC S300
adapter, 77 specificationsÖ virtual disks, 80 Storport, driver support, 26 stripe size, 26 support for RAID level, 22
T
text colors, PERC S100 Virtual
Disk Management utility,
PERC S300 Virtual Disk
Management utility, 49
virtual disk specifications, for
PERC S100 adapter, PERC S300 adapter, 80
virtual disk tasks, supported by
PERC S100 adapter, PERC S300 adapter, 79
virtual disks
background initialization, 21 boot support for degraded virtual
disks, 22 cache support, 22 creating, future expansion, 86 errors, 70 general description, 27 migration, 28 PERC S100 Virtual Disk
Management utility, PERC
S300 Virtual Disk
Management utility, 48 swapping the order of two
disks, 55 transformation, 28 troubleshooting, 70 view details, 57
transformation, virtual disks, 28 troubleshooting, PERC S100
adapter, PERC S300 adapter, 61
100
Index
virtual disks, understanding
them, 81
W
warning message
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