Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller 6E User Manual

Download

Dell™ PowerEdge™ Expandable

RAID Controller (PERC) 6/i,

PERC 6/E and CERC 6/i

User’s Guide

Notes, Cautions, and Warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of

your system.

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.

____________________

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, PowerVault, Dell Precision, and

OpenManage are trademarks of Dell Inc.; MegaRAID is a registered trademark of LSI Corporation; Microsoft, MS-DOS, Windows Server , W indows, and W indows V ista are either trademarks or registered

trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries; Citrix XenServer is a trademark of Citrix Systems Inc. and/or one or more of its subsidiaries, and may be registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Off ice and in other countries; VMware is a registered trademark of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions; Solaris is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.; Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States or other countries; Novell and NetWar e are registered trademarks, and SUSE is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc. in the United States and other countries; Red Hat and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are registered trademarks of Red Hat, Inc.

Other trademarks and trade names may be used in this document 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 UCC-60, UCP-60, UCPM-60, and UCP-61

June 2009 Rev. A01

Contents

1 WARNING: Safety Instructions . . . . . . . . 11

SAFETY: General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

SAFETY: When Working Inside Your System

Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge

SAFETY: Battery Disposal

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

. . . . . . 12

. . . . . . 13

2Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controller Descriptions . . . . . . 15

PCI Architecture

Operating System Support

RAID Description

Summary of RAID Levels

RAID Terminology

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3 About PERC 6 and CERC

6/i Controllers

PERC 6 and CERC 6 Controller Features . . . . . . . . . 21

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Using the SMART Feature

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Contents 3

Initializing Virtual Disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Background Initialization

Full Initialization of Virtual Disks

Fast Initialization of Virtual Disks

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

. . . . . . . . . . 26

Consistency Checks

Disk Roaming

Disk Migration

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Compatibility With Virtual Disks Created on PERC 5 Controllers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Compatibility With Virtual Disks Created on SAS 6/iR Controllers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Migrating Virtual Disks from SAS 6/iR to PERC 6 and CERC 6/i

Battery Management

Battery Warranty Information

Battery Learn Cycle

Virtual Disk Write Cache Policies

Write-Back and Write-Through

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . 30

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

. . . . . . . . . . . . 32

. . . . . . . . . . . 32

Conditions Under Which Write-Back is Employed

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Conditions Under Which Write-Through is Employed

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Conditions Under Which Forced Write-Back With No Battery is Employed

. . . . . . . . . . . . 33

4 Contents

Virtual Disk Read Policies

Reconfiguring Virtual Disks

Fault Tolerance Features

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Physical Disk Hot Swapping

Failed Physical Disk Detection

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

. . . . . . . . . . . . 36

. . . . . . . . . . . 37

Redundant Path With Static Load Balancing Support

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Using Replace Member and Revertible Hot Spares

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Patrol Read

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Patrol Read Feature

Patrol Read Modes

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

4 Installing and Configuring Hardware . . . 41

Installing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters . . . . . 41

Installing the Transportable Battery Backup Unit (TBBU) on PERC 6/E

Installing the DIMM on a PERC 6/E Adapter

Transferring a TBBU Between Controllers

Removing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters

Removing the DIMM and Battery from a PERC 6/E Adapter

Disconnecting the BBU from a PERC 6/i Adapter or a PERC 6/i Integrated Controller

Setting up Redundant Path Support on the PERC 6/E Adapter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

. . . . . . 47

. . . . . . . 48

. . . . . 49

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

. . . . . . . . . . . 54

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Reverting From Redundant Path Support to Single Path Support on the PERC 6/E Adapter

. . . . . . . . . 58

Removing and Installing the PERC 6/i and CERC 6/i Integrated Storage Controller Cards in Dell Modular Blade Systems (Service-Only Procedure)

Installing the Storage Controller Card

. . . . . . . 60

Contents 5

. . . 59

5 Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Installing Windows Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Creating the Driver Media

Pre-Installation Requirements

Installing the Driver During a Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Operating System Installation

Installing the Driver During a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista Installation

Installing a Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Driver for a New RAID Controller

Updating an Existing Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, or Windows Vista Driver

Installing Linux Driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System Using the Driver Update Diskette

Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Using the Driver Update Diskette

Installing the RPM Package With DKMS Support

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

. . . . . . . . . . . 64

. . . . . . . . . . . . 65

. . . . . . . . . 66

. . . . . . . . . . 67

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

. . . . . 71

. . . . . . . . . . 71

6 Contents

Installing Solaris Driver

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Installing Solaris 10 on a PowerEdge System Booting From a PERC 6 or CERC 6/i Controller

Adding/Updating the Driver to an Existing System

Installing NetWare Drivers

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Installing the NetWare Driver in a New NetWare System

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Installing or Updating the NetWare Driver in an Existing NetWare System

. . . . . . . . . . . . 76

. . . 74

6 Configuring and Managing RAID. . . . . . . 77

Dell OpenManage Storage Management . . . . . . . . 77

Dell SAS RAID Storage Manager

. . . . . . . . . . . . 77

RAID Configuration Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

BIOS Configuration Utility

Entering the BIOS Configuration Utility

Exiting the Configuration Utility

Menu Navigation Controls

Setting Up Virtual Disks

Virtual Disk Management

Creating Virtual Disks

Initializing Virtual Disks

Checking Data Consistency

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

. . . . . . . 79

. . . . . . . . . . . 80

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

. . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Importing or Clearing Foreign Configurations Using the VD Mgmt Menu

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Importing or Clearing Foreign Configurations Using the Foreign Configuration View Screen

Managing Preserved Cache

Managing Dedicated Hot Spares

Deleting Virtual Disks

Deleting Disk Groups

Resetting the Configuration

BIOS Configuration Utility Menu Options

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

. . . . . . . . . . . . 93

. . . . . . . . . . 94

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

. . . . . . . . . . . . 96

. . . . . . 96

Physical Disk Management

Setting LED Blinking

Creating Global Hot Spares

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Removing Global or Dedicated Hot Spares

. . . . 106

Contents 7

Replacing an Online Physical Disk . . . . . . . . 107

Stopping Background Initialization

. . . . . . . . 108

Performing a Manual Rebuild of an Individual Physical Disk

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Controller Management

Enabling Boot Support

Enabling BIOS Stop on Error

Restoring Factory Default Settings

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

. . . . . . . . . . . 110

. . . . . . . . 111

7 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Post Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Virtual Disks Degraded

Memory Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Pinned Cache State

General Problems

Physical Disk Related Issues

Physical Disk Failures and Rebuilds

SMART Errors

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Replace Member Errors

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

. . . . . . . . . 123

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

8 Contents

Linux Operating System Errors

Controller LED Indicators

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Drive Carrier LED Indicators

. . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

A Regulatory Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

B Corporate Contact Details (Taiwan Only)

Glossary

Index

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

135

Contents 9

10 Contents

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: There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is incorrectly

installed. Replace the battery only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. See "SAFETY: Battery Disposal" on page 14.

NOTE: For complete information about U.S. Terms and Conditions of Sale, Limited

Warranties, and Returns, Export Regulations, Software License Agreement, Safety, Environmental and Ergonomic Instructions, Regulatory Notices, and Recycling Information, see the documentation that was shipped with your system.

SAFETY: General

• Observe and follow service markings. Do not service any product except as explained in your user documentation. Opening or removing covers that are marked with the triangular symbol with a lightning bolt may expose you to electrical shock. Components inside these compartments must be serviced only by a trained service technician.

• If any of the following conditions occur, unplug the product from the electrical outlet, and replace the part or contact your trained service provider:

– The power cable, extension cable, or plug is damaged.

– An object has fallen in the product.

– The product has been exposed to water.

– The product has been dropped or damaged.

– The product does not operate correctly when you follow the operating

instructions.

• Use the product only with approved equipment.

WARNING: Safety Instructions 11

• 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.

• Handle batteries carefully. Do not disassemble, crush, puncture, short external contacts, dispose of in fire or water, or expose batteries to temperatures higher than 60° Celsius (140° Fahrenheit). Do not attempt to open or service batteries; replace batteries only with batteries designated for the product.

SAFETY: When Working Inside Your System

Before you remove the system covers, perform the following steps in the sequence indicated.

WARNING: Except as expressly otherwise instructed in Dell documentation, only

trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system cover and access any of the components inside the system.

WARNING: To help avoid possible damage to the system board, wait 5 seconds

after turning off the system before removing a component from the system board or disconnecting a peripheral device.

Turn off the system and any connected devices.

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.

Ground yourself by touching an unpainted metal surface on the chassis before touching anything inside the system.

While you work, periodically touch an unpainted metal surface on the chassis to dissipate any static electricity that might harm internal components.

12 WARNING: Safety Instructions

In addition, note these safety guidelines when appropriate:

• When you disconnect a 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, when you connect a cable, make sure both connectors are correctly oriented and aligned.

• Handle components and cards with care. Do not touch the components or contacts on a card. Hold a card by its edges or by its metal mounting bracket. Hold a component such as a microprocessor chip by its edges, not by its pins.

Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) events can harm electronic components inside your system. Under certain conditions, ESD may build up on your body or an object, such as a peripheral, and then discharge insto another object, such as your system. To prevent ESD damage, you must discharge static electricity from your body before you interact with any of your system’s internal electronic components, such as a memory module. 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. When connecting a peripheral (including handheld digital assistants) to your system, you should always ground both yourself and the peripheral before connecting it to the system. Additionally, as you work inside the system, periodically touch an I/O connector to remove any static charge your body may have accumulated.

WARNING: Safety Instructions 13

You can also take the following steps to prevent damage from electrostatic discharge:

• When unpacking a static-sensitive component from its shipping carton, do not remove the component from the antistatic packing material until you are ready to install the component. Just before unwrapping the antistatic package, be sure to discharge static electricity from your body.

• When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic container or packaging.

• Handle all electrostatic sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use antistatic floor pads and work bench pads.

SAFETY: Battery Disposal

Your system may use a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium coin-cell, and/or a lithium-ion battery. The NiMH, lithium coincell, and lithium-ion batteries are long-life batteries, and it is possible that you will never need to replace them. However, should you need to replace them, see the instructions included in the

section "Configuring and Managing RAID" on page 77.

NOTE: Do not dispose of the battery along with household waste. Contact your

local waste disposal agency for the address of the nearest battery deposit site.

NOTE: Your system may also include circuit cards or other components that

contain batteries. These batteries too must be disposed of in a battery deposit site. For information about such batteries, see the documentation for the specific card or component.

Taiwan Battery Recycling Mark

14 WARNING: Safety Instructions

Overview

The Dell™ PowerEdge™ Expandable RAID Controller (PERC) 6 family of controllers and the Dell Cost-Effective RAID Controller (CERC) 6/i offer redundant array of independent disks (RAID) control capabilities. The PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) RAID controllers only support Dell-qualified SAS and SATA hard disk drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD). The controllers are designed to provide reliability, high performance, and fault-tolerant disk subsystem management.

PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controller Descriptions

The following list describes each type of controller:

• The PERC 6/E Adapter with two external x4 SAS ports and a transportable battery backup unit (TBBU)

• The PERC 6/i Adapter with two internal x4 SAS ports, with or without a battery backup unit, depending on the system

• The PERC 6/i Integrated controller with two internal x4 SAS ports and a battery backup unit

• The CERC 6/i Integrated controller with one internal x4 SAS port and no battery backup unit

Each controller supports up to 64 virtual disks.

NOTE: The number of virtual disks supported by the PERC 6/i and the CERC 6/i

cards is limited by the configuration supported by the system.

PCI Architecture

• PERC 6 controllers support a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCI-E) x8 host interface.

• CERC 6/i Modular controllers support a PCI-E x4 host interface.

NOTE: PCI-E is a high-performance input/output (I/O) bus architecture designed to

increase data transfers without slowing down the Central Processing Unit (CPU).

Overview 15

Operating System Support

The PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers support the following operating systems:

• Citrix® XenServer® Dell Edition

• Microsoft

• Microsoft Windows

• Microsoft Windows Vista

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (including Hyper-V™ virtualization)

•Novell

•Red Hat Linux Version 5

• Solaris™ 10 (64-bit)

•SUSE and Version 11 (64-bit)

•VMware

NOTE: Windows XP and Windows Vista operating systems are supported with a

PERC 6 controller only when the controller is installed in a Dell Precision™ workstation.

NOTE: For the latest list of supported operating systems and driver installation

instructions, see the system documentation on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com. For specific operating system service pack requirements, see the Drivers and Downloads section on the Dell Support site at support.dell.com.

Windows Server® 2003

NetWare® 6.5

Enterprise Linux® Version 4 and Red Hat Enterprise

Linux Enterprise Server Version 9 (64-bit), Version 10 (64-bit),

ESX 3.5 and 3.5i

RAID Description

RAID 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 disk group appears 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.

CAUTION: In the event of a physical disk failure, a RAID 0 virtual disk fails,

resulting in data loss.

16 Overview

Summary of RAID Levels

• 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 require 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, especially for small random access.

• RAID 6 is an extension of RAID 5 and uses an additional parity block. RAID 6 uses block-level striping with two parity blocks distributed across all member disks. RAID 6 provides protection against double disk failures, and failures while a single disk is rebuilding. If you are using only one array, deploying RAID 6 is more effective than deploying a hot spare disk.

• RAID 10, a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1, uses disk striping across mirrored disks. It provides high data throughput and complete data redundancy. RAID 10 can support up to eight spans, and up to 32 physical disks per span.

• RAID 50, a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 5, uses distributed data parity and disk striping and works best with data that requires high system availability, high request rates, high data transfers, and medium to large capacity.

• RAID 60 is a combination of RAID 6 and RAID 0, a RAID 0 array is striped across RAID 6 elements. RAID 60 requires at least 8 disks.

RAID Terminology

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 in stripes of the following sizes: 8 KB, 16 KB, 32 KB, 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB, and 1024 KB. These stripes are interleaved in a repeated sequential manner. The part of the stripe on a single physical disk is called a stripe element.

Overview 17

For example, in a four-disk system using only disk striping (used in RAID 0),

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

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)

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 complete 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 the same data at all times. Either of the physical disks can act as the operational physical disk.

Disk mirroring provides complete redundancy, but is expensive because each physical disk in the system must be duplicated.

18 Overview

NOTE: Mirrored physical disks improve read performance by read load balance.

Figure 2-2 shows an example of disk mirroring.

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

Figure 2-2. Example of Disk Mirroring (RAID 1)

Spanned RAID Levels

Spanning is a term used to describe the way in which RAID levels 10, 50, and 60 are constructed from multiple sets of basic, or simple RAID levels. For example, a RAID 10 has multiple sets of RAID 1 arrays where each RAID 1 set is considered a span. Data is then striped (RAID 0) across the RAID 1 spans to create a RAID 10 virtual disk. If you are using RAID 50 or RAID 60, you can combine multiple sets of RAID 5 and RAID 6 together with striping.

Parity Data

Parity data is redundant data that is 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 for RAID 5, 6, 50, and 60.

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 level 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.

RAID 6 combines dual distributed parity with disk striping. This level of parity allows for two disk failures without duplicating the contents of entire physical disks.

Overview 19

Figure 2-3. Example of Distributed Parity (RAID 5)

Stripe element 1 Stripe element 7

Stripe element 2 Stripe element 8

Stripe element 3 Stripe element 9

Stripe element 4 Stripe element 10

Stripe element 5

Parity (6–10)

Parity (11–15)

Parity (1–5) Stripe element 6 Stripe element 12

Stripe element 15

Stripe element 11Stripe element 14

Stripe element 13 Stripe element 19 Stripe element 25

Stripe element 20

Stripe element 23

Stripe element 18

Stripe element 21

Stripe element 16 Stripe element 22

Stripe element 17

Parity (21–25)

Parity (26–30)

Parity (16–20)

Stripe element 24 Stripe element 30

Stripe element 27 Stripe element 29

Stripe element 26

Stripe element 28

Stripe element 1 Stripe element 5

Stripe element 2 Stripe element 6

Stripe element 3 Parity (5–8)

Stripe element 4 Parity (5–8)

Parity (1–4) Stripe element 7

Stripe element 10

Parity (1–4) Stripe element 8 Stripe element 12

Stripe element 9

Stripe element 11

Parity (9–12)

Parity (9–12) Stripe element 13 Stripe element 14 Stripe element 16Parity (13–16)

Stripe element 15

Parity (13–16)

NOTE: Parity is distributed across multiple physical disks in the disk group.

Figure 2-4. Example of Dual Distributed Parity (RAID 6)

NOTE: Parity is distributed across all drives in the array.

20 Overview

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

This section describes the features of the Dell™ PowerEdge™ Expandable RAID Controller (PERC) 6 and the Dell Cost-Effective RAID Controller (CERC) 6/i such as the configuration options, disk array performance, RAID management utilities, and operating system software drivers.

PERC 6 and CERC 6 Controller Features

The PERC 6 and CERC 6 family of controllers support only Dell-qualified Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) hard disk drives(HDDs), SATA HDDs, and solid-state disks (SSD). Mixing SAS and SATA drives within a virtual disk is not supported. Also, mixing HDDs and SSDs within a virtual disk is not supported.

Table 3-1 compares the hardware configurations for the PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers.

Table 3-1. PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controller Comparisons

Specification PERC 6/E

Adapter

RAID Levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10,

50, 60

Enclosures per Port

Ports 2 x4 external

Processor LSI adapter

Up to 3 enclosures

wide port

SAS RAID-onChip, 8-port with 1078

PERC 6/i Adapter PERC 6/i

Integrated

0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60

N/A N/A N/A

2 x4 internal wide port

LSI adapter SAS RAID-on-Chip, 8-port with 1078

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 21

0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60

2 x4 internal wide port

LSI adapter SAS RAID-on-Chip, 8-port with 1078

CERC 6/i Integrated

0,1,5,6, and 10

1 x4 internal wide port

LSI adapter SAS RAIDon-Chip, 4-port with 1078

Table 3-1. PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controller Comparisons (continued)

Specification PERC 6/E

Adapter

Battery Backup Unit

Cache Memory

Ye s, Transportable

256-MB DDRII cache memory size.

Optional 512-MB DIMM

Cache Functi on

Write-Back, Write-Through, Adaptive Read Ahead, No-Read Ahead, Read Ahead

Maximum

Up to 8 arrays Up to 8 arrays Up to 8 arrays Up to 2 Number of Spans per Disk Group

Maximum Number of Virtual Disks per Disk Group

Up to 16

virtual disks

per disk group

for non-

spanned RAID

levels: 0, 1, 5,

and 6.

One virtual

disk per disk

group for

spanned RAID

levels: 10, 50,

and 60.

PERC 6/i Adapter PERC 6/i

Integrated

Ye s

256-MB DDRII cache memory size

Wri te -Back , Write-Through, Adaptive Read Ahead, No-Read Ahead, Read Ahead

Up to 16 virtual disks per disk group for nonspanned RAID levels: 0, 1, 5, and 6.

One virtual disk per disk group for spanned RAID levels: 10, 50, and 60.

Ye s N o

256-MB DDRII cache memory size

Write-Back, Write-Through, Adaptive Read Ahead, No-Read Ahead, Read Ahead

Up to 16 virtual disks per disk group for nonspanned RAID levels: 0, 1, 5, and 6.

One virtual disk per disk group for spanned RAID levels: 10, 50, and 60.

CERC 6/i Integrated

128-MB DDRII cache memory size

Write-Back, Writ eThrough, Adaptive Read Ahead, No-Read Ahead, Read Ahead

arrays

Up to 16 virtual disks per disk group for nonspanned RAID levels: 0, 1, 5, and 6.

One virtual disk per disk group for spanned RAID level 10.

22 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Table 3-1. PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controller Comparisons (continued)

Specification PERC 6/E

Adapter

Multiple Virtual Disks per

Up to 64 virtual disks per controller

Controller

Support for

Yes Yes Yes x4 PCIe x8 PCIe Host Interface

Online

Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Capacity Expansion

Dedicated

Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s and Global Hot Spares

Hot Swap

Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Devices Supported

Enclosure Hot-Add

Mixed

Yes N/A N/A N/A

Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Capacity Physical Disks Supported

Hardware

Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s Exclusive-OR (XOR) Assistance

PERC 6/i Adapter PERC 6/i

Integrated

Up to 64 virtual disks per controller

CERC 6/i Integrated

Up to 64 virtual disks per controller

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 23

Table 3-1. PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controller Comparisons (continued)

Specification PERC 6/E

Adapter

Revertible Hot Spares Supported

Redundant Path Support

a. These RAID configurations are only supported on select Dell modular systems. b. The PERC 6/i adapter supports a battery backup unit (BBU) on selected systems only.

For additional information, see the documentation that shipped with the system.

c. Using the enclosure Hot-Add feature, you can hot plug enclosures to the PERC 6/E adapter

without rebooting the system.

NOTE: The maximum array size is limited by the maximum number of drives per

disk group (32), the maximum number of spans per disk group (8), and the size of the physical drives.

NOTE: The number of physical disks on a controller is limited by the number of slots

in the backplane on which the card is attached.

Ye s Ye s Ye s Ye s

Yes N/A N/A N/A

PERC 6/i Adapter PERC 6/i

Integrated

CERC 6/i Integrated

Using the SMART Feature

The Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) feature monitors the internal performance of all motors, heads, and physical disk electronics to detect predictable physical disk failures. The SMART feature helps monitor physical disk performance and reliability.

SMART-compliant physical disks have attributes for which data can be monitored to identify changes in values and determine whether the values are within threshold limits. Many mechanical and electrical failures display some degradation in performance before failure.

24 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

A SMART failure is also referred to as a predicted failure. There are numerous factors that relate to predicted physical disk failures, such as a bearing failure, a broken read/write head, and changes in spin-up rate. In addition, there are factors related to read/write surface failure, such as seek error rate and excessive bad sectors.

For information on physical disk status, see "Disk Roaming" on page 27.

NOTE: For detailed information on Small Computer System Interface (SCSI)

interface specifications, see www.t10.org and for detailed information on for Serial Attached ATA (SATA) interface specifications, see www.t13.org.

Initializing Virtual Disks

You can initialize the virtual disks as described in the following sections.

Background Initialization

Background Initialization (BGI) is an automated process that writes the parity or mirror data on newly created virtual disks. BGI assumes that the data is correct on all new drives. BGI does not run on RAID 0 virtual disks.

NOTE: You cannot permanently disable BGI. If you cancel BGI, it automatically

restarts within five minutes. For information on stopping BGI, see "Stopping Background Initialization" on page 108.

You can control the BGI rate in the Dell™ OpenManage™ storage management application. Any change in the BGI rate does not take effect until the next BGI run.

NOTE: Unlike full or fast initialization of virtual disks, Background Initialization does

not clear data from the physical disks.

Consistency Check (CC) and BGI perform similar functions in that they both correct parity errors. However, CC reports data inconsistencies through an event notification, but BGI does not (BGI assumes the data is correct, as it is run only on a newly created disk). You can start CC manually, but not BGI.

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 25

Full Initialization of Virtual Disks

Performing a Full Initialization on a virtual disk overwrites all blocks and destroys any data that previously existed on the virtual disk. Full Initialization of a virtual disk eliminates the need for that virtual disk to undergo a Background Initialization and can be performed directly after the creation of a virtual disk.

During Full Initialization, the host is not able to access the virtual disk. You can start a Full Initialization on a virtual disk by using the Slow Initialize option in the Dell OpenManage storage management application. To use the BIOS Configuration Utility to perform a Full Initialization, see "Initializing Virtual Disks" on page 88.

NOTE: If the system reboots during a Full Initialization, the operation aborts and a

BGI begins on the virtual disk.

Fast Initialization of Virtual Disks

A fast initialization on a virtual disk overwrites the first and last 8 MB of the virtual disk, clearing any boot records or partition information. This operation takes only 2–3 seconds to complete and is recommended when recreating virtual disks. To perform a fast initialization using the BIOS Configuration Utility, see "Initializing Virtual Disks" on page 88.

Consistency Checks

CC is a background operation that verifies and corrects the mirror or parity data for fault tolerant virtual disks. It is recommended that you periodically run a consistency check on virtual disks.

You can manually start a consistency check using the BIOS Configuration Utility or a OpenManage storage management application. To start a CC using the BIOS Configuration Utility, see "Checking Data Consistency" on page 88. CCs can be scheduled to run on virtual disks using a OpenManage storage management application.

By default, CC automatically corrects mirror or parity inconsistencies. However, you can enable the Abort Consistency Check on Error feature on the controller using Dell OpenManage storage management application. With the Abort Consistency Check on Error setting enabled, consistency check notifies if any inconsistency is found and aborts instead of automatically correcting the error.

26 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Disk Roaming

The PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers support moving physical disks from one cable connection or backplane slot to another on the same controller. The controller automatically recognizes the relocated physical disks and logically places them in the proper virtual disks that are part of the disk group. You can perform disk roaming only when the system is turned off.

CAUTION: Do not attempt disk roaming during RAID level migration (RLM) or

online capacity expansion (OCE). This causes loss of the virtual disk.

Perform the following steps to use disk roaming:

Turn off the power to the system, physical disks, enclosures, and system components. Disconnect power cords from the system.

Move the physical disks to desired positions on the backplane or the enclosure.

Perform a safety check. Make sure the physical disks are inserted properly.

Turn on the system.

The controller detects the RAID configuration from the configuration data on the physical disks.

Disk Migration

The PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers support migration of virtual disks from one controller to another without taking the target controller offline. However, the source controller must be offline prior to performing the disk migration. The controller can import RAID virtual disks in optimal, degraded, or partially degraded states. You cannot import a virtual disk that is in an offline state.

NOTE: Disks cannot be migrated back to previous Dell PERC RAID controllers.

When a controller detects a physical disk with an existing configuration, it flags the physical disk as foreign, and it generates an alert indicating that a foreign disk was detected.

CAUTION: Do not attempt disk roaming during RAID level migration (RLM) or

online capacity expansion (OCE). This causes loss of the virtual disk.

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 27

Perform the following steps to use disk migration:

Turn off the system that contains the source controller.

Move the appropriate physical disks from the source controller to the target controller.

The system with the target controller can be running while inserting the physical disks.

The controller flags the inserted disks as foreign disks.

Use the OpenManage storage management application to import the detected foreign configuration.

NOTE: Ensure that all physical disks that are part of the virtual disk are migrated.

NOTE: You can also use the controller BIOS configuration utility to migrate disks.

Compatibility With Virtual Disks Created on PERC 5 Controllers

Virtual disks that were created on the PERC 5 family of controllers can be migrated to the PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers without risking data or configuration loss. Migrating virtual disks from PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers to PERC 5 is not supported.

Virtual disks created on the CERC 6/i controller or the PERC 5 family of controllers can be migrated to PERC 6.

NOTE: For more information about compatibility, contact your Dell technical

support representative.

Compatibility With Virtual Disks Created on SAS 6/iR Controllers

Virtual disks created on the SAS 6/iR family of controllers can be migrated to PERC 6 and CERC 6/i. However, only virtual disks with boot volumes of the following Linux operating systems successfully boot after migration:

•Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® 4

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5

•SUSE

28 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Linux Enterprise Server 10 (64-bit)

NOTE: The migration of virtual disks with Microsoft® Windows® operating systems

is not supported.

CAUTION: Before migrating virtual disks, back up your data and ensure the

firmware of both controllers is the latest revision. Also ensure you use the SAS 6 firmware version 00.25.47.00.06.22.03.00 or newer.

Migrating Virtual Disks from SAS 6/iR to PERC 6 and CERC 6/i

NOTE: The supported operating systems listed in "Compatibility With Virtual Disks

Created on SAS 6/iR Controllers" on page 28 contain the driver for the PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controller family. No additional drivers are needed during the migration process.

If virtual disks with one of the supported Linux operating systems listed in "Compatibility With Virtual Disks Created on SAS 6/iR Controllers" on page 28 are being migrated, open a command prompt and type the following commands:

modprobe megaraid_sas mkinitrd -f --preload megaraid_sas /boot/initrd-

`uname -r`.img `uname -r`

Turn off the system.

Move the appropriate physical disks from the SAS 6/iR controller to the PERC 6 and CERC 6/i. If you are replacing your SAS 6/iR controller with a PERC 6 controller, see the system or on the Dell Support website at

CAUTION: After you have imported the foreign configuration on the PERC 6 or

CERC 6/i storage controllers, migrating the storage disks back to the SAS 6/iR controller may result in the loss of data.

Boot the system and import the foreign configuration that is detected.

Hardware Owner’s Manual

support.dell.com

You can do this in two ways:

• Press <F> to automatically import the foreign configuration

• Enter the

BIOS Configuration Utility

and navigate to the

Configuration View

shipped with your

Foreign

NOTE: For more information on accessing the BIOS Configuration Utility,

see "Entering the BIOS Configuration Utility" on page 79

NOTE: For more information on Foreign Configuration View, see "Foreign

Configuration View" on page 104

If the migrated virtual disk is the boot volume, ensure that the virtual disk

is selected as the bootable volume for the target PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controller. See "Controller Management Actions" on page 104.

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 29

Exit the

Ensure all the latest drivers for PERC 6 or CERC 6/i controller (available on the Dell support website at For more information, see "Driver Installation" on page 63.

NOTE: For more information about compatibility, contact your Dell technical

support representative.

BIOS Configuration Utility

and reboot the system.

support.dell.com

) are installed.

Battery Management

NOTE: Battery management is only applicable to PERC 6 family of controllers.

The Transportable Battery Backup Unit (TBBU) is a cache memory module with an integrated battery pack that enables you to transport the cache module with the battery in a new controller. The TBBU protects the integrity of the cached data on the PERC 6/E adapter by providing backup power during a power outage.

The Battery Backup Unit (BBU) is a battery pack that protects the integrity of the cached data on the PERC 6/i adapter and PERC 6/i Integrated controllers by providing backup power during a power outage.

The battery, when new, provides up to 24 hours of backup power for the cache memory.

Battery Warranty Information

The BBU offers an inexpensive way to protect the data in cache memory. The lithium-ion battery provides a way to store more power in a smaller form factor than previous batteries.

Your PERC 6 battery, when new, provides up to 24 hours of controller cache memory backup power. Under the 1–year limited warranty, we warrant that the battery will provide at least 24 hours of backup coverage during the 1-year limited warranty period. To prolong battery life, do not store or operate the BBU in temperatures exceeding 60°C.

30 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Battery Learn Cycle

Learn cycle is a battery calibration operation performed by the controller periodically to determine the condition of the battery. This operation cannot be disabled.

You can start battery learn cycles manually or automatically. In addition, you can enable or disable automatic learn cycles in the software utility. If you enable automatic learn cycles, you can delay the start of the learn cycles for up to 168 hours (7 days). If you disable automatic learn cycles, you can start the learn cycles manually, and you can choose to receive a reminder to start a manual learn cycle.

You can put the learn cycle in Wa r ni ng On l y mode. In the Warn i ng On ly mode, a warning event is generated to prompt you to start the learn cycle manually when it is time to perform the learn cycle operation. You can select the schedule for initiating the learn cycle. When in Warning Only mode, the controller continues to prompt you to start the learn cycle every seven days until it is performed.

NOTE: Virtual disks automatically switch to Write-Through mode when the battery

charge is low because of a learn cycle.

Learn Cycle Completion Time Frame

The time frame for completion of a learn cycle is a function of the battery charge capacity and the discharge/charge currents used. For PERC 6, the expected time frame for completion ofa learn cycle is approximately seven hours and consists of the following parts:

• Learn cycle discharge cycle: approximately three hours

• Learn cycle charge cycle: approximately four hours

Learn cycles shorten as the battery capacity deteriorates over time.

NOTE: For additional information, see the OpenManage storage

management application.

During the discharge phase of a learn cycle, the PERC 6 battery charger is disabled and remains disabled until the battery is discharged. After the battery is discharged, the charger is re-enabled.

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 31

Virtual Disk Write Cache Policies

The write cache policy of a virtual disk determines how the controller handles writes to that virtual disk. Write-Back and Write-Through are the two write cache policies and can be set on virtual disks individually.

All RAID volumes will be presented as Write-Through (WT) to the operating system (Windows and linux) independent of the actual write cache policy of the virtual disk. The PERC/CERC controllers manage the data in cache independently of the OS or any applications. Use OpenManage or the BIOS configuration utility to view and manage virtual disk cache settings.

Write-Back and Write-Through

In Write-Through caching, the controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host system when the disk subsystem has received all the data in a transaction.

In Write-Back caching, the controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host when the controller cache has received all the data in a transaction. The controller then writes the cached data to the storage device in the background.

The risk of using Write-Back cache is that the cached data can be lost if there is a power failure before it is written to the storage device. This risk is mitigated by using a BBU on selected PERC 6 controllers. For information on which controllers support a BBU, see Table 3-1.

Write-Back caching has a performance advantage over Write-Through caching.

NOTE: The default cache setting for virtual disks is Write-Back caching.

NOTE: Certain data patterns and configurations perform better with a

Write-Through cache policy.

Conditions Under Which Write-Back is Employed

Write-Back caching is used under all conditions in which the battery is present and in good condition.

32 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Conditions Under Which Write-Through is Employed

Write-Through caching is used under all conditions in which the battery is missing or in a low-charge state. Low-charge state is when the battery is not capable of maintaining data for at least 24 hours in the case of a power loss.

Conditions Under Which Forced Write-Back With No Battery is Employed

Write-Back mode is available when the user selects Force WB with no battery. When Forced Write-Back mode is selected, the virtual disk is in Write-Back mode even if the battery is not present.

CAUTION: It is recommended that you use a power backup system when forcing

Write-Back to ensure there is no loss of data if the system suddenly loses power.

Virtual Disk Read Policies

The read policy of a virtual disk determines how the controller handles reads to that virtual disk. The read policies are:

•

Always Read Ahead — Read-Ahead

sequentially ahead of requested data and to store the additional data in cache memory, anticipating that the data is required soon. This speeds up reads for sequential data, but there is little improvement when accessing random data.

•

No Read Ahead

Adaptive Read Ahead

•

Read-Ahead

sectors. If the read requests are random, the controller reverts to

No Read Ahead

— Disables the

— When selected, the controller begins using

if the two most recent disk accesses occurred in sequential

mode.

capability allows the controller to read

Read-Ahead

capability.

Reconfiguring Virtual Disks

There are two methods to reconfigure RAID virtual disks — RAID Level Migration and Online Capacity Expansion.

RAID Level Migrations (RLM) involve the conversion of a virtual disk to a different RAID level. Online Capacity Expansions (OCE) refer to increasing the capacity of a virtual disk by adding drives and/or migrating to a different

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 33

RAID level. When a RLM/OCE operation is complete, a reboot is not necessary. For a list of RAID level migrations and capacity expansion possibilities, see Table 3-2.

The source RAID level column indicates the virtual disk level before the RAID level migration and the target RAID level column indicates the RAID level after the operation is complete.

NOTE: If you configure 64 virtual disks on a controller, you cannot perform a

RAID level migration or capacity expansion on any of the virtual disks.

NOTE: The controller changes the write cache policy of all virtual disks undergoing

a RLM/OCE to Write-Through until the RLM/OCE is complete.

Table 3-2. RAID Level Migration

Source RAID Level

RAID 0 RAID 1 1 2 No Converting non-redundant

RAID 0 RAID 5 1 or more 3 or more Yes At least one drive needs to be

RAID 0 RAID 6 1 or more 4 or more Yes At least two drives need to be

RAID 1 RAID 0 2 1 or more Yes Removes redundancy while

RAID 1 RAID 5 2 3 or more Yes Maintains redundancy while

RAID 1 RAID 6 2 4 or more Yes Two drives are required to be

Target RAID Level

Required Number of Physical Disks (Beginning)

Number of Physical Disks (End)

Capacity Expansion Possible

Description

virtual disk into a mirrored virtual disk by adding one drive.

added for distributed parity data.

added for dual distributed parity data.

increasing capacity.

doubling capacity.

added for distributed parity data.

34 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Table 3-2. RAID Level Migration (continued)

Source RAID Level

RAID 5 RAID 0 3 or more 2 or more Yes Converting to a non-redundant

RAID 5 RAID 6 3 or more 4 or more Yes At least one drive needs to be

RAID 6 RAID 0 4 or more 2 or more Yes Converting to a non-redundant

RAID 6 RAID 5 4 or more 3 or more Yes Removing one set of parity data

Tar g et RAID Level

NOTE: The total number of physical disks in a disk group cannot exceed 32.

NOTE: You cannot perform RAID level migration and expansion on RAID

levels 10, 50, and 60.

Required Number of Physical Disks (Beginning)

Number of Physical Disks (End)

Capacity Expansion Possible

Description

virtual disk and reclaiming disk space used for distributed parity data.

added for dual distributed parity data.

virtual disk and reclaiming disk space used for distributed parity data.

and reclaiming disk space used for it.

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 35

Fault Tolerance Features

Table 3-3 lists the features that provide fault tolerance to prevent data loss in case of a failed physical disk.

Table 3-3. Fault Tolerance Features

Specification PERC CERC

Support for SMART Yes Yes

Support for Patrol Read Yes Yes

Redundant path support Yes

Physical disk failure detection Automatic Automatic

Physical disk rebuild using hot spares Automatic Automatic

Parity generation and checking (RAID 5, 50, 6, and 60 only) Yes Yes

Battery backup of controller cache to protect data Yes

Manual learn cycle mode for battery backup Yes N/A

Detection of batteries with low charge after boot up Yes N/A

a. Supported only on PERC 6/E adapters. b. The PERC 6/i adapter supports a BBU on selected systems only. For additional information, see

the documentation that was shipped with the system

Physical Disk Hot Swapping

Hot swapping is the manual replacement of a defective unit in a disk subsystem while the subsystem is performing its normal functions.

N/A

NOTE: The system backplane or enclosure must support hot swapping for the

PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers to support hot swapping.

NOTE: Replace a physical disk with a new one of the same protocol and

drive technology. For example, only a SAS HDD can replace a SAS HDD; only a SATA SSD can replace a SATA SSD.

NOTE: The replacement drive must be of equal or greater capacity than the one it

is replacing.

36 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Failed Physical Disk Detection

The controller automatically detects and rebuilds failed physical disks when you place a new drive in the slot where the failed drive resided or when an applicable hot spare is present. Automatic rebuilds can be performed transparently with hot spares. If you have configured hot spares, the controllers automatically try to use them to rebuild failed physical disks.

Redundant Path With Static Load Balancing Support

The PERC 6/E adapter can detect and use redundant paths to drives contained in enclosures. This provides the ability to connect two SAS cables between a controller and an enclosure for path redundancy. The controller is able to tolerate the failure of a cable or Enclosure Management Module (EMM) by utilizing the remaining path.

When redundant paths exist, the controller automatically balances I/O load through both paths to each disk drive. This load balancing feature increases throughput to each drive and is automatically turned on when redundant paths are detected. To set up your hardware to support redundant paths, see "Setting up Redundant Path Support on the PERC 6/E Adapter" on page 55.

NOTE: This support for redundant paths refers to path-redundancy only and not to

controller-redundancy.

Using Replace Member and Revertible Hot Spares

The Replace Member functionality allows a previously commissioned hot spare to be reverted back to a usable hot spare. When a drive failure occurs within a virtual disk, an assigned hot spare (dedicated or global) is commissioned and begins rebuilding until the virtual disk is optimal. After the failed drive is replaced (in the same slot) and the rebuild to the hot spare is complete, the controller automatically starts to copy data from the commissioned hot spare to the newly-inserted drive. After the data is copied, the new drive is part of the virtual disk and the hot spare is reverted back to being a ready hot spare. This allows hot spares to remain in specific enclosure slots. While the controller is reverting the hot spare, the virtual disk remains optimal.

NOTE: The controller automatically reverts a hot spare only if the failed drive is

replaced with a new drive in the same slot. If the new drive is not placed in the same slot, a manual Replace Member operation can be used to revert a previously commissioned hot spare.

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 37

Automatic Replace Member with Predicted Failure

A Replace Member operation can occur when there is a SMART predictive failure reporting on a drive in a virtual disk. The automatic Replace Member is initiated when the first SMART error occurs on a physical disk that is part of a virtual disk. The target drive needs to be a hot spare that qualifies as a rebuild drive. The physical disk with the SMART error is marked as failed only after the successful completion of the Replace Member. This avoids putting the array in degraded status.

If an automatic Replace Member occurs using a source drive that was originally a hot spare (that was used in a rebuild), and a new drive added for the Replace Member operation as the target drive, the hot spare reverts to the hot spare state after a successful Replace Member operation.

NOTE: To enable the automatic Replace Member, use the Dell OpenManage

storage management application. For more information on automatic Replace Member, see "Dell OpenManage Storage Management" on page 77.

NOTE: For information on manual Replace Member, see "Replacing an Online

Physical Disk" on page 107.

Patrol Read

The Patrol Read feature is designed as a preventative measure to ensure physical disk health and data integrity. Patrol Read scans for and resolves potential problems on configured physical disks. The OpenManage storage management application can be used to start Patrol Read and change its behavior.

Patrol Read Feature

The following is an overview of Patrol Read behavior:

Patrol Read

of a virtual disk, including hot spares.

Patrol Read

or are in

38 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

runs on all disks on the controller that are configured as part

does not run on physical disks that are not part of a virtual disk

Ready

state.

Patrol Read Patrol Read

system is busy processing I/O operation, then resources to allow the I/O to take a higher priority.

Patrol Read

operations:

• Rebuild

• Replace Member

• Full or Background Initialization

• Consistency Check

• RAID Level Migration or Online Capacity Expansion

adjusts the amount of controller resources dedicated to operations based on outstanding disk I/O. For example, if the

Patrol Read

does not run on any disks involved in any of the following

uses fewer

Patrol Read Modes

The following describes each of the modes Patrol Read can be set to:

•

Auto

(default)

mode,

Patrol Read

days on SAS and SATA HDDs. disabled by default. You can start and stop

•

Manual — Patrol Read

manually.

•

Disabled — Patrol Read

— Patrol Read

is enabled to run automatically and start every seven

is set to the

Patrol Read

does not run automatically and you must start it

is not allowed to start on the controller.

Auto

mode by default. In this

is not necessary on SSD and is

Patrol Read

as well.

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers 39

40 About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

Installing and Configuring Hardware

WARNING: Only trained service technicians are authorized to remove the system

cover and access any of the components inside the system. Before performing any procedure, see the safety and warranty information that shipped with your system for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the system, and protecting against electrostatic discharge.

CAUTION: Electrostatic discharge can damage sensitive components.

Always use proper antistatic protection when handling components. Touching components without using a proper ground can damage the equipment.

NOTE: For a list of compatible controllers, see the documentation that shipped with

the system.

Installing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters

1 Unpack the PERC 6/E adapter and check for damage.

NOTE: Contact Dell technical support if the controller is damaged.

Turn off the system and attached peripherals, and disconnect the system from the electrical outlet. For more information on power supplies, see the

Hardware Owner’s Manual

Support website at

Disconnect the system from the network and remove the system cover. For more information on opening the system, see your system’s

Hardware Owner’s Manual

Select an empty PCI Express (PCI-E) slot. Remove the blank filler bracket on the back of the system aligned with the PCI-E slot you have selected.

shipped with your system or on the Dell

support.dell.com

Installing and Configuring Hardware 41

Align the PERC 6/E adapter to the PCI-E slot you have selected.

CAUTION: Never apply pressure to the adapter module while inserting it in the

PCI-E slot. Applying pressure could break the adapter module.

Insert the controller gently, but firmly, until the controller is firmly seated in the PCI-E slot. For more information on installing the PERC 6 adapter, see Figure 4-1. For more information on installing the PERC 6/i adapter, see Figure 4-2.

Figure 4-1. Installing a PERC 6/E Adapter

1 PCI-e slot 3 filler bracket

2 PERC 6/i adapter 4 bracket screw

42 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Figure 4-2. Installing a PERC 6/i Adapter

1 PCI-e slot 3 filler brackets

2 PERC 6/i adapter 4 bracket screw

Tighten the bracket screw, if any, or use the system’s retention clips to secure the controller to the system’s chassis.

For PERC 6/E adapter, replace the cover of the system. For more information on closing the system, see the

Hardware Owner’s Manual

shipped with your system or on the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com

Installing and Configuring Hardware 43

Connect the cable from the external enclosure to the controller. For more information, see Figure 4-3.

Figure 4-3. Connecting the Cable From the External Enclosure

1 connector on the controller 3 cable from the external enclosure

2 system

For PERC 6/i adapter, connect the cables from the backplane of the system to the controller. The primary SAS connector is white and the secondary SAS connector is black. For more information, see Figure 4-4.

44 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Figure 4-4. Connecting Cables to the Controller

1 cable 3 PERC 6/i adapter

2 connector

Replace the cover of the system. For more information on closing the system, see the the Dell Support website at

Reconnect the power and network cables, and turn on the system.

Hardware Owner’s Manual

support.dell.com

shipped with your system or on

Installing and Configuring Hardware 45

Installing the Transportable Battery Backup

Unit (TBBU) on PERC 6/E

CAUTION: The following procedure must be performed at an

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)-safe workstation to meet the requirements of EIA-625 – "Requirements For Handling Electrostatic Discharge Sensitive Devices." The following procedure must be performed following the IPC-A-610 latest revision ESD recommended practices.

CAUTION: When transporting a sensitive component, first place it in an antistatic

container or packaging.

CAUTION: Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use

antistatic floor pads and work bench pads.

Unpack the TBBU and follow all antistatic procedures.

Remove the DIMM from the controller. Insert one end of the battery pack harness (the red, white, yellow, and green wires) in the connector on the memory module and the other end in the connector on the battery.

Place the top edge of the battery over the top edge of the memory module so that the arms on the side of the battery fit in their sockets on the memory module. For more information, see Figure 4-5.

Figure 4-5. Installing a TBBU

1 battery 4 connector on the memory module

2 connector on the battery 5 memory module

3 battery pack harness

46 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Place the PERC 6/E adapter on a flat, clean, and static–free surface.

Mount the memory module in the controller memory socket like a standard DIMM. For more information, see "Installing the DIMM on a PERC 6/E Adapter" on page 47.

The memory module is mounted flush with the controller board so that the memory module is parallel to the board when installed.

Press the memory module firmly in the memory socket. As you press the memory module in the socket, the TBBU clicks in place, indicating that the controller is firmly seated in the socket. The arms on the socket fit in the notches on the memory module to hold it securely.

Installing the DIMM on a PERC 6/E Adapter

CAUTION: When unpacking a static sensitive component from its shipping

carton, do not remove the component from the antistatic packing material until you are ready to install the component. Before unwrapping the antistatic package, ensure to discharge static electricity from your body. Handle all sensitive components in a static-safe area. If possible, use antistatic floor pads and work bench pads.

CAUTION: PERC 6 cards support Dell-qualified 512 MB and 256 MB

DDRII 667 MHz ECC-registered DIMMs with x16 DRAM components. Installing unsupported memory causes the system to hang at POST.

CAUTION: Do not touch the gold leads and do not bend the memory module.

Remove the memory module from its packaging.

2 Align the keyed edge of the memory module to the physical divider on

the memory socket

Insert the memory module in the memory socket. Apply a constant, downward pressure on both ends or the middle of the memory module until the retention clips fall in the allotted slots on either side of the memory module. For more information, see Figure 4-6.

Figure 4-6 displays the installation of a memory module on a PERC 6/E adapter.

to avoid damage to the module.

Installing and Configuring Hardware 47

Figure 4-6. Installing a DIMM

1 PERC 6/E adapter 3 memory socket

2 retention clip 4 memory module

Transferring a TBBU Between Controllers

The TBBU provides uninterrupted power supply for up to 24 hours to the cache memory module. If the controller fails as a result of a power failure, you can move the TBBU to a new controller and recover the data. The controller that replaces the failed controller should not have any prior configuration.

48 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Perform the following steps to replace a failed controller with data in the TBBU:

Perform a controlled shutdown on the system in which the PERC 6/E is installed, as well as any attached storage enclosures.

Remove the controller that has the TBBU currently installed from the system.

Remove the TBBU from the controller.

Insert the TBBU in the new controller.

For more information on installing the TBBU, see "Installing the Transportable Battery Backup Unit (TBBU) on PERC 6/E" on page 46.

Insert the replacement controller in the system.

See the relevant sections on installing controllers under "Installing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters" on page 41.

Turn on the system.

The controller flushes the cache data to the virtual disks.

Removing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters

NOTE: In the event that the SAS cable is accidentally pulled out when the system is

operational, reconnect the cable and see the online help of your Dell™ OpenManage™ storage management application for the required recovery steps.

NOTE: Some PERC 6/i adapters installed on a Dell workstation or

Dell PowerEdge™ SC systems do not have a BBU.

Perform a controlled shutdown on the system in which the PERC 6/E is installed, as well as any attached storage enclosures.

Disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and remove the system cover.

CAUTION: Running a system without the system cover installed may cause

damage due to improper cooling.

NOTE: For more information on removing peripherals installed in the system’s

PCI-E slots, see the Hardware Owner’s Manual shipped with your system or

on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

For instructions on removing a PERC 6/E adapter, go to step 3. For instructions on removing a PERC 6/i adapter, go to step 5.

Installing and Configuring Hardware 49

Locate the PERC 6/E adapter in the system and disconnect the external cables from the adapter.

NOTE: The location of the PERC 6/i varies from system to system. For

information on PERC 6/i card location, see the Hardware Owner’s Manual

shipped with your system or on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Remove any retention mechanism, such as a bracket screw, that may be holding the PERC 6/E in the system and gently lift the controller from the system’s PCI-E slot. For more information, see Figure 4-7.

Figure 4-7. Removing the PERC 6/E Adapter

1 bracket screw 3 memory module

2 battery 4 PERC 6/E adapter

50 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Determine whether the Dirty Cache LED on the controller is illuminated. For location of the LED, see Figure 4-8

• If the LED is illuminated, replace the system cover, reconnect the system to power, turn on the system, and repeat step 1 and step 2. If the LED is not illuminated, continue with the next step.

Disconnect the data cables and battery cable from the PERC 6/i. Remove any retention mechanism, such as a bracket screw, that might be holding the PERC 6/i in the system, and gently lift the controller from the system’s PCI-E slot.

Figure 4-8. Removing the PERC 6/i Adapter

1 bracket screw 3 dirty cache LED

2 PERC 6/i controller

Installing and Configuring Hardware 51

Removing the DIMM and Battery from a PERC 6/E Adapter

NOTE: The TBBU on the PERC 6/E adapter consists of a DIMM and battery

backup unit.

1 Perform a controlled shutdown on the system in which the PERC 6/E

adapter is installed,

Disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and open the system cover.

CAUTION: Running a system without the system cover installed can cause

damage due to improper cooling.

Remove the PERC 6/E adapter from the system. For instruction on removing the PERC 6/E adapter, see "Removing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters" on page 49.

Visually inspect the controller and determine whether the dirty cache LED on the DIMM is illuminated. For location of the LED, see Figure 4-9. If the LED is illuminated, reinsert the controller in the system, replace the system cover, reconnect the system to power, turn the system on and repeat step 1. If the LED is not illuminated, proceed to step 5.

as well as any attached storage enclosures

52 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Figure 4-9. PERC 6/E Adapter Dirty Cache LED Location

1 battery 3 dirty cache LED

2 memory module 4 PERC 6/E adapter

Press down on the tabs at each edge of the DIMM slot until the TBBU pops out. Lift the TBBU off the adapter.

Disconnect the battery cable from the DIMM.

Detach the battery from the DIMM by pressing out on the battery clips inserted through the DIMM and rotating the battery off the DIMM. See Figure 4-10.

Installing and Configuring Hardware 53

Figure 4-10. Removing the TBBU

1 memory module 2 battery

Disconnecting the BBU from a PERC 6/i Adapter or a PERC 6/i Integrated Controller

NOTE: A PERC 6/i adapter installed in a Dell workstation or a Dell PowerEdge SC

system does not have a BBU.

NOTE: Batteries with low charges can be detected and recharged. The battery must

first be charged and the system must be restarted for the battery to be active again.

This section describes how to disconnect the BBU on a PERC 6/i adapter or a PERC 6/i Integrated controller while the adapter or controller is installed in a system.

NOTE: The location of the PERC 6/i varies from system to system. For information on

PERC 6/i card location, see the Hardware Owner’s Manual shipped with your

system or on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

NOTE: For more information on removing and replacing parts, see the Hardware

Owner’s Manual shipped with your system or on the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

54 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Perform a controlled shutdown on the system in which the PERC 6/i is installed.

Disconnect the system from the electrical outlet and remove the system cover.

CAUTION: Running a system without the system cover installed can cause

damage due to improper cooling.

Determine whether the dirty cache LED on the controller is illuminated.

• If the LED is illuminated, replace the system cover, reconnect the system to power, turn on the system, and repeat step 1 and step 2.

• If the LED is not illuminated, continue with the next step.

CAUTION: The PERC 6/i Integrated controller for Dell modular blade systems does

not have a dirty cache LED. A non-graceful system shutdown may result in the controller containing dirty cache. If a non-graceful shutdown occurs, reboot the system and ensure no cache-related warnings appear during POST. Then shut down the system and remove the controller. If this is not done, cache data may be discarded.

Locate the battery cable connection on the controller and disconnect the battery.

Setting up Redundant Path Support on the PERC 6/E Adapter

The PERC 6/E adapter can detect and use redundant paths to drives contained in enclosures. With redundant paths to the same port of a device, if one path fails, another path can be used to communicate between the controller and the device. For more information about redundant paths, see "Redundant Path With Static Load Balancing Support" on page 37.

To set up a configuration with redundant paths, both ports on a controller must be cabled to the In ports of a single enclosure.

To add multiple enclosures, both Out ports of the first enclosure must be cabled to the In ports of the next enclosure.

Installing and Configuring Hardware 55

If the connection between an Out port on the controller and an In port on an

Storage Storage

Storage

enclosure fails, an alternate path exists through the second Out port on the controller and the second In port on the enclosure. For more information, see Figure 4-11, Figure 4-12 and Figure 4-13.

NOTE: The PERC 6/E adapter supports redundant paths when used with

Dell PowerVault™ MD1000 and Dell PowerVault MD1120 disk storage enclosures.

Figure 4-11 displays Redundant path Storage Configuration with one enclosure.

Figure 4-11. Redundant Path Support Configuration With One Enclosure

Figure 4-12 displays Redundant path Storage Configuration with two enclosures.

Figure 4-12. Redundant Path Support Configuration With Two Enclosures

56 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Figure 4-13 displays Redundant path Storage Configuration with three

Storage

enclosures

Figure 4-13. Redundant Path Support Configuration With Three Enclosures

A single PERC 6/E adapter can support up to three disk storage enclosures in a redundant path configuration.

NOTE: Ensure that the latest firmware version is installed on your storage

controller. You can find the latest firmware and installation instructions on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Installing and Configuring Hardware 57

Perform the following steps to configure the hardware to utilize redundant paths on the PERC 6/E adapter:

Set up an enclosure on the PERC 6/E adapter.

Connect two SAS cables from the the

ports of the external enclosure. For more information,

see Figure 4-3.

NOTE: For information on Unified Mode, see the enclosure documentation

that was shipped with the system.

To add multiple enclosures, cable both both

ports of the next enclosure.

After you set up the hardware, the controller detects the redundant paths and automatically utilizes them to balance the I/O load.

Out

ports on your PERC 6/E adapter to

Out

ports of the first enclosure to

Reverting From Redundant Path Support to Single Path Support on the PERC 6/E Adapter

If you need to revert from redundant path support to single path support, shut down the system and remove the exact same cables that were added to support redundant path support, leaving only one connection between the controller and enclosures. After you remove the cable and power up the system, ensure that there are no warning messages during boot, and that all virtual disks are online and optimal. If you are using OpenManage, see "Clearing the Redundant Path View" in the OMSS documentation for additional instructions.

CAUTION: If you remove any cables other than the ones added to enable

redundant path support, the enclosure and disks can get disconnected, and virtual disk may fail.

58 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Removing and Installing the PERC 6/i and CERC 6/i Integrated Storage Controller Cards in Dell Modular Blade Systems (Service-Only Procedure)

CAUTION: Electrostatic discharge can damage sensitive components.

Always use proper antistatic protection when handling components. Touching components without using a proper ground can damage the equipment.

The storage controller card is located below the hard drive bays of the Dell Modular Blade system. To remove the storage controller card:

Remove the Dell Modular Blade system from the Modular Blade system chassis. For more information on removing the blade system from the Modular Blade system chassis, see your system’s

Manual or the User’s Guide

Remove the system cover of the Modular Blade system. For more information on opening the top cover of the Modular Blade system, see your system’s

Remove the system board and place it on a stable and flat surface. For more information on removing the system board, see your system’s

Hardware Owner’s Manual or the User’s Guide

Open the release lever to disconnect the storage controller card edge connector from the system board connector as illustrated in Figure 4-14.

Lift the storage controller card straight up from the system board as illustrated in Figure 4-14.

Hardware Owner’s Manual or the User’s Guide

Hardware Owner’s

CAUTION: Applying pressure to the internal SAS port connectors may

damage them.

Installing and Configuring Hardware 59

Figure 4-14. Removing and Installing the Storage Controller Card

1 release lever 2 storage controller card

Installing the Storage Controller Card

To install your new storage controller card:

Unpack the new storage controller card and check for damage.

NOTE: If the card is damaged, contact Dell technical support.

Place the storage controller card onto the system board. Align the storage controller card such that the tabs on the system board tray fit through the notches on the edges of the storage controller card.

Slide the storage controller card towards the connector on the system board until the storage controller clicks in place.

Reinstall the system board. For more information on reinstalling the system board, see your system’s

User’s Guide

Hardware Owner’s Manual

or the

60 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Close the top cover of the Modular Blade system. For more information on closing the top cover of the Modular Blade system, see your system’s

Hardware Owner’s Manual

Reinstall the Modular Blade system in the Modular Blade system chassis.

or the

User’s Guide

For more information on reinstalling the Modular Blade system in the Modular Blade system chassis, see your system’s

Manual

NOTE: The CERC 6/i Integrated does not provide support for a battery backup unit.

NOTE: For the latest list of firmware and installation instructions, see the system

documentation located at the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

or the

User’s Guide

Hardware Owner’s

Installing and Configuring Hardware 61

62 Installing and Configuring Hardware

Driver Installation

The Dell™ PowerEdge™ Expandable RAID Controller (PERC) 6 and Dell Cost-Effective RAID Controller (CERC) 6/i family of controllers require software drivers to operate with the supported operating systems.

This chapter contains the procedures for installing the drivers for the following operating systems.

•Citrix® XenServer Dell Edition

• Microsoft

• Microsoft Windows

• Microsoft Windows Vista

• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 (including Hyper-V™ virtualization)

•Novell

•Red Hat Linux Version 5

• Solaris™10 (64-bit)

•SUSE and Version 11 (64-bit)

•VMware

NOTE: For more information on Citrix XenServer and VMware ESX drivers, see the

Citrix XenServer and VMware ESX documentation respectively on the Dell Support website at

Windows Server® 2003

NetWare® 6.5

Enterprise Linux™ Version 4 and Red Hat Enterprise

Linux Enterprise Server Version 9 (64-bit), Version 10 (64-bit),

ESX 3.5 and 3.5i

support.dell.com

NOTE: To check operating system compatibility, see the Dell Support website

support.dell.com

The two methods for installing a driver discussed in this chapter are:

• During operating system installation — Use this method if you are performing a new installation of the operating system and want to include the drivers.

• Updating existing drivers — Use this method if the operating system and PERC 6 and CERC 6/i family of controllers are already installed and you want to update to the latest drivers.

Driver Installation 63

Installing Windows Drivers

Creating the Driver Media

Perform the following steps to create the driver media:

Browse to the download section for the system on the Dell Support website at

Locate and download the latest PERC 6 controller driver to the system.

Follow the instructions on the Dell Support website for extracting the driver to the media.

support.dell.com

Pre-Installation Requirements

Before you install the operating system:

• Read the Microsoft operating system.

• Ensure that your system has the latest BIOS, firmware, and driver updates. If required, download the latest BIOS, firmware, and driver updates from the Dell Support website at

• Create a device driver media (diskette, USB drive, CD, or DVD).

Creating the Device Driver Media

Use one of the following two methods to create the device driver media.

Getting Started

document that shipped with your

support.dell.com

Downloading Drivers From the Dell Systems Service and Diagnostic Tools Media

Insert the

The

Select your system model and operating system (Microsoft Windows Server 2008).

Click

64 Driver Installation

Dell Systems Service and Diagnostics Tools

Welcome to Dell Service and Diagnostic Utilities

Continue

media in a system.

screen displays.

From the list of drivers displayed, select the driver you require. Select the self-extracting zip file and click CD, DVD, or USB drive. Repeat this step for all the drivers you require.

During the operating system installation, use the media that you created with the information on reinstalling the operating system, see the relevant section for your operating system below.

Downloading Drivers From the Dell Support Site

Go to

Click

Enter the service tag of your system in the select your system’s model.

Select the

Installing the Driver During a Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Operating System Installation

Boot the system using the Microsoft Windows XP/Microsoft Windows Server 2003 media.

When the message

RAID driver

immediately.

Within a few minutes, a screen displays asking for additional controllers in the system.

Press F6 if you need to install a third party SCSI or

displays in the bottom of the screen, press the <F6> key

Driver Installation 65

Press the <S> key.

The system prompts for the driver media to be inserted.

NOTE: The driver can be provided using a properly formatted USB key.

For additional details on the driver, go the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Insert the driver media in the media drive and press <Enter>.

A list of PERC 6 and CERC 6/i controllers displays.

Select the right driver for the installed controller and press <Enter> to load the driver.

NOTE: For Windows Server 2003, a message may appear that states that the

driver that you provided is older or newer than the existing Windows driver. Press <S> to use the driver that is on the media.

Press <Enter> again to continue the installation process as usual.

Installing the Driver During a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista Installation

Boot the system using the Microsoft Windows Vista/Microsoft Windows Server 2008 media.

Follow the on-screen instructions until you reach

install Vista/2008

The system prompts for the media to be inserted. Insert the installation

and then select

Load driver

media and browse to the proper location.

Select the appropriate PERC 6 controller from the list, click continue installation.

Where do you want to

and

NOTE: Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems include

native drivers for the PERC 6 and CERC 6/i RAID controllers. For driver updates, see the Drivers and Downloads section on the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

66 Driver Installation

Installing a Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Driver for a New RAID Controller

NOTE: PERC 5 and PERC 6 use the same driver and do not require separate driver

installations.

Perform the following steps to configure the driver for the RAID controller on a system that already has Windows installed.

Turn off the system.

Install the new RAID controller in the system.

For detailed instructions on installing and cabling the RAID controller in the system, see "Installing and Configuring Hardware" on page 41.

Turn on the system.

The

Found New Hardware Wizard

detected hardware device.

NOTE: Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista have native drivers for the

PERC adapters. The system automatically detects the controller and installs the drivers. Check the version of the driver and update if required.

Click

On the

my device

Browse and select the drivers from the

Click

The wizard detects and installs the appropriate device drivers for the new

Locate device driver

and click

RAID controller.

Click

Finish

to complete the installation.

Reboot the system when prompted.

screen pops up and displays the

screen, select

Search for a suitable driver for

Locate Driver Files

screen.

Driver Installation 67

Updating an Existing Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, or Windows Vista Driver

NOTE: Close all applications on your system before you update the driver.

Insert the media (CD, DVD, or USB drive) containing the driver.

Select

Start →

System Properties

The

NOTE: For systems running Windows Server 2003 operating system,

click Start

Click on the

Click

Device Manager

The

NOTE: Alternatively, to open the Device Manager applet, you can right click

My Computer and choose Manage. The Computer Management window displays. Select Device Manager in the left pane.

Expand clicking on the plus symbol next to

NOTE: In Windows 2008 and Windows Vista, the PERC adapter is listed under

Storage Controllers.

Double-click the RAID controller for which you want to update the driver.

Click the

The

Upgrade Device Driver Wizard

Settings →

Control Panel → System

screen displays.

→

Control Panel → System.

Hardware

tab.

screen displays.

SCSI and RAID Controllers

SCSI and RAID Controller

Driver

tab and click

Update Driver

by double-clicking the entry or by

screen displays.

Select

Install from a list or specific location

Click

Next.

Follow the steps in the wizard and browse to the location of the driver files.

Select the INF file from the driver media (CD, DVD, or other media).

68 Driver Installation

Click

and continue the installation steps in the Wizard.

Click

Finish

to exit the wizard and reboot the system for the changes to

take place.

NOTE: Dell provides the Dell Update Package (DUP) to update drivers on systems

running Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008. DUP is an executable application that updates drivers for specific devices. DUP supports command line interface and silent execution. For more information, see the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

Installing Linux Driver

Use the procedures in this section to install the driver for Linux. The driver is updated frequently. To ensure that you have the current version of the driver, download the updated Linux driver from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com

Creating a Driver Diskette

Before beginning the installation, copy the drivers from the Service and Diagnostic Utilities media or download the driver appropriate for Linux from the Dell Support website at

support.dell.com.

This file includes two Red Hat Package Managers (RPMs) and driver update disk files. The package also contains the Dynamic Kernel Module Support (DKMS) Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) file, source code, and release notes.

For more information on DKMS, see the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

The package is a gzipped tar file. After downloading the package to a Linux system, perform the following steps:

Unzip the package using

Untar the file using

gunzip

tar -xvf

Driver Installation 69

Use the dd command to create a driver update disk. Use the appropriate image for the purpose.

dd if=<name of the dd image file> of=/dev/fd0

NOTE: You can create a driver update disk on a Windows system using the

program dcopynt.

NOTE: The output file of might be different, depending on how your operating

system maps the diskette drive. You do not need to mount the diskette drive in order to execute the dd command.

Use the diskette for operating system installation. For Red Hat Enterprise Linux, see "Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System Using the Driver Update Diskette" on page 71. For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, see "Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Using the Driver Update Diskette" on page 71.

Creating a Driver Update Diskette Using DKMS

Perform the following steps to create the Driver Update Diskette (DUD) using the DKMS tool:

NOTE: The driver must be installed on the system where this procedure is

performed.

Install the DKMS-enabled

Type the following command in any directory:

megaraid_sas

driver rpm package.

dkms mkdriverdisk –m megaraid_sas –v <driver version> -k <kernel version> -d <distro>

NOTE: The values for the –d option are suse for Suse Linux Enterprise

Server diskettes and

NOTE: For more information on usage of DKMS, see the DKMS main page.

This starts the process to create the

redhat for RHEL diskettes.

megaraid_sas

DUD image. After the

DUD image has been built, you can find it in the DKMS tree for the

megaraid_sas

driver. See the output of the

dkms mkdriverdisk

command for the exact path.

70 Driver Installation

Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System Using the Driver Update Diskette

Perform the following steps to install Red Hat Enterprise Linux (versions 4 and 5) and the appropriate driver.

Boot normally from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux installation media.

At the command prompt, type:

linux expert dd

When the install prompts for a driver diskette, insert the diskette and press <Enter>.

For information about creating a driver diskette, see "Creating a Driver Diskette" on page 69.

Complete the installation as directed by the installation program.

Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Using the Driver Update Diskette

NOTE: For information about creating a driver diskette, see "Creating a Driver

Diskette" on page 69.

To install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (version 9 or 10) using the DUD:

Insert the appropriate SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (version 9 or 10) Service Pack media in the system.

Select <F5> for the driver update disk.

NOTE: If you are installing Suse Linux Enterprise Server 10, press <F5>. If you

are installing Suse Linux Enterprise Server 9, press <F6>.

Select

Installation

Press <Enter> to load the Linux kernel.

At the prompt click

from the menu.

Please insert the driver update floppy

The system selects the driver from the diskette and installs it. The system then displays the message

DRIVER UPDATE ADDED

with the

description of the driver module.

Driver Installation 71

Click OK.

If you want to install from another driver update medium, continue with the following steps.

The system displays the message

MEDIUM

Select the appropriate driver update medium.

PLEASE CHOOSE DRIVER UPDATE

The system selects the driver from the disk and installs it.

NOTE: Suse Linux Enterprise Server 9 Gold media is required when you install

any Suse Linux Enterprise Server 9 service pack.

Installing the RPM Package With DKMS Support

Perform the following steps to install the RPM package with DKMS support:

Uncompress the gzipped tarball driver release package.

Install the DKMS package using the command:

<version>.noarch.rpm

Install the driver package using the command:

megaraid_sas-<version>.noarch.rpm

NOTE: Use rpm -Uvh <package name> when updating an existing

package.

If the previous device driver is in use, you must reboot the system for the updated driver to take effect.

Verify that the driver has been loaded.

rpm –ihv dkms-

rpm –ihv

72 Driver Installation

Upgrading the Kernel

When upgrading to a new kernel, you must reinstall the DKMS-enabled driver packages. Perform the following steps to update or install the driver for the new kernel:

In a terminal window, type the following:

dkms build -m <module_name> -v <module version>

-k <kernel version> dkms install -m <module_name> -v <module version>

-k <kernel version>

To check whether the driver is successfully installed in the new kernel, type:

dkms status

You see a message similar to the following one:

<driver name>, <driver version>, <new kernel version>: installed

If the previous device driver is in use, you must reboot the system for the updated driver to take effect.

Driver Installation 73

Installing Solaris Driver

Use the procedures in this section to install the driver for Solaris 10. To ensure that you have the current version of the driver, download the updated Solaris driver from the Dell Support website at support.dell.com.

The package is a gzipped .tar file. Download the package to a Solaris system, and perform the following steps:

Extract the package contents:

c <driver_package.tgz> | tar xvf –

Use the dd command to create a driver update disk. Use the appropriate image for the purpose. Type:

/<diskette drive device node> bs=32k

NOTE: If you are uncertain which device node corresponds to your diskette

drive, execute the rmformat command and search for the correct Logical Node.

NOTE: You can create a DUD on a system running the Windows operating

system using the program dcopynt.

If you prefer, you may use the cdrecord command to create a CDROM instead of a floppy image. Type:

<bus>,<target>,<lun> mega_sas_cd.iso

NOTE: To identify the correct location of the bus, target, and logical unit

number (LUN) combination, execute the following command:

cdrecord --scanbus

gunzip -

dd if=./mega_sas.img of=

cdrecord dev=

Installing Solaris 10 on a PowerEdge System Booting From a PERC 6 or CERC 6/i Controller

To install the driver during Solaris 10 operating system installation:

Boot the system from the Solaris installation media and select the preferred console.

After Solaris finishes configuring devices, a menu displays.

Apply Driver Updates

Select

Select [1] if you created a CD from the

Select [2] if you created a diskette from the using a traditional diskette drive.

74 Driver Installation

mega_sas_cd.iso

mega_sas.img

file.

file and you are

Select [3] if you created a diskette from the using a removable (USB) diskette drive.

Follow instructions presented by

The following message displays:

was successful

Select [e] to end

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete installation.

Driver Update

Installation of <megasas>

mega_sas.img

installer.

file and you are

Adding/Updating the Driver to an Existing System

To add the version of the driver, you must unarchive the driver package and execute the installation script:

tar xvf x86_64.tar cd x86_64 ./install.sh

Restart your Solaris system to start using the new driver. To confirm the

mega_sas

modinfo | grep mega_sas

Ensure that the driver version is correct.

mega_sas

driver is loaded, run the following command:

driver to an existing system, or to upgrade to a newer

Installing NetWare Drivers

Use the procedures in this section to install the driver for Novell NetWare 6.5. To ensure that you have the current version of the driver, download the updated NetWare driver from the Dell Support website at

Installing the NetWare Driver in a New NetWare System

Follow the instructions in the Novell NetWare Installation Guide to install Novell NetWare in the system. Perform the following steps to install Novell NetWare using the SAS RAID controller as a primary adapter:

Boot from the

Follow the instructions on the screen until you reach the

Select

Modify

Novell NetWare

, and press <Enter>.

media.

support.dell.com

Device Driver

Driver Installation 75

screen.

From the screen that displays, go to the the MegaRAID SAS driver.

Delete any existing RAID adapter listings.

Press <Insert> to add unlisted drivers.

Press <Insert> again.

A path is displayed.

Press <F3>.

Insert the driver diskette in the diskette drive, and press <Enter>.

The system finds the

Press <Tab>.

Select the

Continue the Novell NetWare installation procedure.

Driver Summary

.HAM

driver.

screen, and press <Enter>.

Storage Adapter

screen to install

Installing or Updating the NetWare Driver in an Existing NetWare System

Perform the following steps to add the Novell NetWare driver to an existing installation:

At the root prompt, type

Configuration Options

The

From the screen that displays, go to the the MegaRAID SAS driver.

Delete any existing RAID adapter listings.

Press <Insert> to add unlisted drivers.

Press <Insert> again.

A path is displayed.

hdetect

and press <Enter>.

screen is displayed.

Storage Adapter

screen to install

Press <F3>.

Insert the driver diskette in the diskette drive, and press <Enter>.

.HAM

The system finds the

Press <Tab>.

Select the Driver Summary screen, and press <Enter>.

Continue the Novell NetWare installation procedure.

76 Driver Installation

driver.

Configuring and Managing RAID

Dell™ OpenManage™ storage management applications enable you to manage and configure the RAID system, create and manage multiple disk groups, control and monitor multiple RAID systems, and provide online maintenance. The management applications for PERC 6 include:

• Dell OpenManage Storage Management

• Dell Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) RAID Storage Manager

• BIOS Configuration Utility (Ctrl+R)

Dell OpenManage Storage Management

Dell OpenManage storage management is a storage management application for Dell systems that provides enhanced features for configuring a system's locally-attached RAID and non-RAID disk storage. Dell OpenManage storage management application enables you to perform controller and enclosure functions for all supported RAID controllers and enclosures from a single graphical or command-line interface without requiring the use of the controller BIOS utilities. The graphical user interface (GUI) is wizard-driven with features for novice and advanced users, and detailed online help. Using Dell OpenManage storage management application, you can protect your data by configuring data-redundancy, assigning hot spares, or rebuilding failed physical disks. The command line interface available on selected operating systems to perform RAID management tasks is fully featured and scriptable.

Dell SAS RAID Storage Manager

SAS RAID Storage Manager is a storage management application for Dell PowerEdge™ SC systems and Dell Precision™ workstations. SAS RAID Storage Manager configures virtual disks, and monitors and maintains PERC 6 controllers, battery backup units, and other devices running on systems and workstations. You can perform these tasks using the application’s GUI.

Configuring and Managing RAID 77

RAID Configuration Functions

After you attach physical disks, use a configuration utility to organize the disks into virtual disks. If the operating system is not yet installed, use the BIOS Configuration Utility to perform this procedure.

Use the configuration utilities to perform the following tasks:

• Access controllers, virtual disks, and physical disks individually

• Select a host controller to work on

• Create hot spare physical disks

• Configure virtual disks

• Initialize one or more virtual disks

• Perform consistency checks

• Rebuild failed physical disks

• Preserve the cache data, known as pinned cache, from a virtual disk that goes offline or is deleted for any reason

The following sections describe the menu options and provide detailed instructions to perform the configuration tasks. They apply to the BIOS Configuration Utility. You can configure physical disks into virtual disks by following the procedure below.

Define virtual disks using a group of physical disks.

NOTE: A disk group is deleted when the last virtual disk in the disk group

is deleted.

Designate hot spares (optional).

For more information, see "Managing Dedicated Hot Spares" on page 94.

Save the configuration information.

Initialize the virtual disks.

For the detailed configuration procedures, see "Physical Disk Management" on page 105.

78 Configuring and Managing RAID

BIOS Configuration Utility

The BIOS Configuration Utility, also known as Ctrl+R, is a storage management application embedded on the PERC 6 controllers that configures and maintains RAID disk groups and virtual disks. Ctrl+R is independent of the operating system.

NOTE: Use the BIOS Configuration Utility for initial setup and disaster recovery.

You can use advanced features through Dell OpenManage storage management application and Dell SAS RAID storage manager.

The following sections provide information about using the BIOS Configuration Utility. For more information, see the online help option by pressing <F1>.

NOTE: The PERC 6 controller configuration utility refreshes the screen to show

changes to information. The refresh occurs when you press a key or every 15 seconds.

Entering the BIOS Configuration Utility

The BIOS Configuration Utility configures physical disk groups and virtual disks. The utility resides in the controller BIOS so its operation is independent of the operating systems.

Perform the following steps to enter the BIOS Configuration Utility when you boot the system.

Turn on the system.

A BIOS banner displays information about the controller and configuration.

During startup, press <Ctrl><R> when prompted by the BIOS banner.

After you press <Ctrl><R>, if there is only one controller, the

Disk Management

screen for that controller displays. If there are more

Virtual

than one controllers, the main menu screen displays. This screen lists the RAID controllers. Use the arrow keys to select the RAID controller you want to configure, and press <Enter> to access the management menus for the controller. The virtual disks, physical disks, free space, hot spares, and other items displays in the other menu screens. The information can appear in a list view or in an expandable tree directory similar to that of Microsoft

Windows® Explorer.

Configuring and Managing RAID 79

NOTE: You can access multiple controllers through the BIOS Configuration Utility

by pressing <F12>.

NOTE: You can access PERC 5 and PERC 6 controllers from the same BIOS if the

PERC 5 firmware version is 5.1.1-0040 or later. You need to verify if you are currently set to edit the PERC 5 or PERC 6 adapter.

Exiting the Configuration Utility

To exit the BIOS Configuration Utility, press <Esc> at any menu screen. If there is only one controller, then a dialog box displays to confirm your choice. Select OK to exit and press <Enter>.

f multiple controllers are present, then the <Esc> key brings you to the Controller Selection screen. Press <Esc> again to reach the exit screen. A

dialog box displays to confirm your choice. Select OK to

exit

and press

<Enter>.

Menu Navigation Controls

Table 6-1 displays the menu keys you can use to move between the different screens in the BIOS Configuration Utility.

Table 6-1. Menu Navigation Keys

Notation Meaning and Use Example

right-arrow key

left-arrow key

Use the right-arrow key to open a submenu, move from a menu heading to the first submenu, or move to the first item in that submenu. If you press the right-arrow key at a menu heading, the submenu expands. Press it again to go to the first item in the submenu. The right-arrow key is also used to close a menu list in a popup window. Word wrap is supported.

Use the left-arrow key to close a submenu, move from a menu item to the menu heading for that item, or move from a submenu to a higher level menu. If you press the left-arrow key at a menu heading, the submenu collapses. Press it again to go to the higher-level menu. Word wrap is supported.

Start

Programs

Controller 0

Disk Group 1

80 Configuring and Managing RAID

Table 6-1. Menu Navigation Keys (continued)

Notation Meaning and Use Example

up-arrow key

down-arrow key

Underlined letter in a menu heading on the menu bar

Underlined letter in a menu item

< > Key presses are enclosed in angle brackets. <F1>, <Esc>,

<Enter> After you highlight a menu item, press <Enter> to

<Esc> After you expand a pop-up window, press <Esc> to

Use the up-arrow key to move to the upper menu items within a menu or to a higher level menu. You can also use the up-arrow key to close a menu list in a popup window, such as the stripe element size menu. Word wrap is supported.

Use the down-arrow key to move to the lower menu items within a menu or to a lower level menu. You can also use the down-arrow key to open a menu list in a popup window, such as the stripe element size menu, and select a setting. Word wrap is supported.

Indicates a shortcut you can use by pressing <Alt><underlined letter>. To use this feature, the menu must be activated. Menu shortcuts are allowed but cannot be used when a menu is active.

Indicates a shortcut you can use to expand a menu by pressing <Alt><menu underlined letter>. Pressing <Alt> again closes the menu. Menu shortcuts are allowed but cannot be used when a menu is active.

select that item. This opens an options menu for the menu item. This applies to only certain menu items, such as Virtual Disk #. In a list of options for that item, such as the write policy for a virtual disk, highlight a setting, such as Write-Through, and press <Enter> to select it.

In the right panel, you can press <Enter> to select Tree View or List View under the View Type heading.

close the window. You can continue to press <Esc> to exit the BIOS Configuration Utility.

Virtual Disk 1

Virtual Disk 4

Virtual Disks

Virtual Disk 1

dapter

irtual Disk 1

<Enter>

Select Add New VD and press <Enter> to create a new virtual disk.

Press <Esc> to return to the VD Mgmt screen.

Configuring and Managing RAID 81

Table 6-1. Menu Navigation Keys (continued)

Notation Meaning and Use Example

<Tab> Press <Tab> to move the cursor to the next control

on a dialog box or page.

<F1> Press <F1> to access Help information. The Help

<F2> Press <F2> to access the context menu, which

<F5> Press <F5> to refresh the information on the

Press <Shift><Tab> to move the cursor to the previous control on a dialog or page.

Press <Ctrl><N> to move to the next menu screen among the main menu screens: VD Mgmt, PD Mgmt, Ctrl Mgmt, and Foreign View.

When you return to the original menu, the cursor is on the same menu item it was on before you pressed <Ctrl><N>.

Press <Ctrl><P> to move to the previous menu screen among the main menu screens: VD Mgmt, PD Mgmt, Ctrl Mgmt, and Foreign View.

When you return to the previous screen, the cursor is on the same menu item it was on before you pressed <Ctrl><P>.

screens display a glossary of topics you can use to access information about navigation, RAID levels, and general topics.

displays the list of options.

screen.

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to the next parameter you want to change.

Press <Shift><Tab> to move the cursor from

Virtual Disk to Disk Group #.

Press <Ctrl><N> on the VD Mgmt screen to move to the PD Mgmt screen.

Press <Ctrl><P> on the PD Mgmt screen to return to the VD Mgmt screen.

<F1>

<F2>

<F5>

82 Configuring and Managing RAID

Table 6-1. Menu Navigation Keys (continued)

Notation Meaning and Use Example

<F11> Switch between two controllers. <F11>

<F12> Press <F12> to display a list of controllers. <F12>

Spacebar Press the spacebar to select an item, such as a virtual

disk in the List View, select all the virtual disks (Mark All), or de-select all the virtual disks (Unmark All).

Press the spacebar to select each virtual disk on which you want to check data consistency.

Setting Up Virtual Disks

You can set up a disk group and create virtual disks using the procedures contained in this section. Each of the following procedures are explained individually in this section in detail.

Create the virtual disks and select the virtual disk options.

Designate hot spares (optional).

For more information, see "Managing Dedicated Hot Spares" on page 94.

NOTE: A disk group is deleted when the last virtual disk in the disk group is

deleted.

Initialize the virtual disks.

NOTE: When you use one physical disk group to create multiple virtual disks,

all the virtual disks must be configured with the same RAID level.

When you define the virtual disks, you can set the following virtual disk parameters:

•RAID level

• Stripe element size

•Read policy

• Write policy

• Type of initialization

• Hot spare configuration

Configuring and Managing RAID 83

Table 6-2 shows the parameters that you can configure when defining virtual disks.

Table 6-2. Virtual Disk Parameters and Descriptions

Parameter Description

RAID Level RAID Level specifies whether the virtual disk is RAID 0, 1, 5,

6, 10, 50, or 60. The RAID level you select depends on the number of disks, disk capacity, and the requirements for fault tolerance and performance. More more information, see "Summary of RAID Levels" on page 17.

Stripe Element Size Stripe Element Size specifies the size of the segments written

to each physical disk in a RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and 50 virtual disk. You can set the stripe element size to 8 KB, 16 KB, 32 KB, 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB, or 1024 KB. The default and recommended stripe element size is 64 KB.

A larger stripe element size provides better read performance if your system mostly does sequential reads.

Wri t e Po licy Write Policy specifies the controller write policy. You can set

the write policy to Write-Back or Write-Through.

In Write-Back caching, the controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host when the controller cache has received all the data in a transaction.

NOTE: If a Battery Backup Unit (BBU) is present, the default

cache setting is Write-Back. If no BBU is present, the default cache policy default setting is Write-Through.

NOTE: If Write-Back is enabled and the system is quickly turned

off and then on, the controller may pause as the system flushes cache memory. Controllers that contain a battery backup default to Write-Back caching.

In Write-Through caching, the controller sends a data transfer completion signal to the host when the disk subsystem has received all the data in a transaction.

Write-Back caching has a performance advantage over Write-Through caching.

NOTE: Certain data patterns and configurations perform better

with Write-Through cache policy.

84 Configuring and Managing RAID

Table 6-2. Virtual Disk Parameters and Descriptions (continued)

Parameter Description

Read Policy Read-Ahead enables the read ahead feature for the virtual disk.

You can set this parameter to Read-Ahead, No-Read-Ahead, or

Adaptive. The default is No-Read-Ahead.

Read-Ahead specifies that the controller uses Read-Ahead for

the current virtual disk. Read-Ahead capability allows the controller to read sequentially ahead of requested data and store the additional data in cache memory, anticipating that the data is required soon.

No-Read-Ahead specifies that the controller does not use read ahead for the current virtual disk.

NOTE: No-Read-Ahead shows higher performance results due to

the effectiveness of hard-drive caching algorithms.

Adaptive specifies that the controller begins using Read-Ahead if the two most recent disk accesses occurred in sequential sectors. If all read requests are random, the algorithm reverts to No-Read-Ahead; however, all requests are still evaluated for possible sequential operation.

Virtual Disk Management

Creating Virtual Disks

NOTE: Combining SAS and SATA hard disk drives (HDDs) within a virtual disk is not

supported. Also, combining HDDs and Solid State Drives (SSDs) within a virtual disk is not supported.

Perform the following steps to create virtual disks.

During host system bootup, press <Ctrl><R> when the BIOS banner displays.

The

Virtual Disk Management

screen displays. If there is more than one controller, the main menu screen displays. Select a controller, and press <Enter>. The

Virtual Disk Management

screen displays for the selected

controller.

NOTE: This procedure describes the BIOS Configuration Utility screens in

Tree Vi e w.

Configuring and Managing RAID 85

Use the arrow keys to highlight

Press <F2> to display the actions you can perform.

Select

Create New VD

The

and press <Enter>.

screen displays. The cursor is on the

Controller #

Disk Group #

RAID Levels

option.

Press <Enter> to display the possible RAID levels, based on the physical disks available.

Press the down-arrow key to select a RAID level and press <Enter>.

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to the list of physical disks.

Use the arrow key to highlight a physical disk and press the spacebar, <Alt>, or <Enter> to select the disk.

Select additional disks, if desired.

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to the

Set the virtual disk size in the

VD Size

Basic Settings

field.

box.

The virtual disk size displays in megabyte (MB) format.

NOTE: For RAID levels 0, 1, 5, and 6 only, you can use part of the available disk

space to create one virtual disk and then use the rest of the disk space to create another virtual disk or disks.

NOTE: The minimum virtual disk size is 100 MB.

Press <Tab> to access the

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to

Press the spacebar to make the settings active so that you can

VD Size

field, and type a virtual disk name.

Advanced Settings

change them.

An X displays beside

Advanced Settings

. The settings are the stripe element size, read policy, and write policy. You can also choose advanced options such as forcing the cache policy to

Write-Back

, initializing the

virtual disk, and configuring a dedicated hot spare.

The defaults for these parameters are present when the window displays. You can accept the defaults or change them. For detailed information about the virtual disk parameters, see "Virtual Disk Parameters and Descriptions" on page 84.

86 Configuring and Managing RAID

Perform the following steps to select the virtual disk parameters:

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to the parameters you want to change.

Press the down-arrow key to open the parameters and scroll down the list of settings.

To change the stripe element size, press <Tab> to highlight

Element Size

Press <Enter> to display the list of stripe element sizes (

32 KB, 64 KB, 128 KB, 256 KB, 512 KB

, and

1024 KB

down-arrow key to highlight the desired option and press <Enter>. The default is

If you need to change the read policy, press <Tab> to move the cursor to

Read Policy

Press <Enter> to display the options ( or

Adaptive Read Ahead

64 KB

No Read Ahead, Read Ahead,

). Press the down-arrow key to highlight the

desired option and press <Enter>.

If you need to change the write policy, press <Tab> to move the cursor to

Press <Enter> to display the options (

Write Policy

Write-Through, Write Back

Press the down-arrow key to highlight an option and press <Enter>.

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to press <Enter>. If you chose

Force WB with no battery

Write-Through

as the write policy, then

this option is not available.

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to

Initialize

and press <Enter>.

Stripe

8 KB, 16 KB

). Press the

and

CAUTION: Do not initialize virtual disks when attempting to recreate an existing

configuration.

NOTE: The initialization performed at this stage is fast initialization.

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to

Configure HotSpare

and press

<Enter>.

NOTE: The hot spare created at this stage is a dedicated hot spare.

Configuring and Managing RAID 87

If you have chosen to create hot spares in the earlier steps, a pop-up window displays where drives with appropriate sizes are displayed. Press the spacebar to select the drive size.

Select the check box to enable the enclosure affinity setting for the hot spare.

After you select the drive size, click OK to finalize the selection or

Cancel

click

Select OK to accept the settings and press <Enter> to exit this window or select

to forfeit the selection.

Cancel

and press <Enter> to exit if you do not want

to change any virtual disk parameters.

Initializing Virtual Disks

CAUTION: A Full Initialization permanently destroys any existing data on

that drives.

Perform the following steps to initialize virtual disks.

On the

the menu of available actions.

Select

Initialization

Select begin a fast initialization.

A pop-up windows displays indicating that the virtual disk has been initialized.

Repeat the procedures in this section to configure another virtual disk.

The PERC 6 controllers support up to 64 virtual disks per controller. The currently configured virtual disks display on the screen.

VD Mgmt

screen, select

Initialization

submenu options.

Start Init.

to begin a regular initialization or select

Virtual Disk #

and press <F2> to display

and press the right-arrow key to display the

Fast Init.

Checking Data Consistency

Select the Consistency Check (CC) option in the configuration utility to verify the redundancy data in virtual disks that use RAID levels 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60. (RAID 0 does not provide data redundancy.)

88 Configuring and Managing RAID

If you attempt to run a Consistency Check on a virtual disk that has not been initialized, the following error message displays:

The virtual disk has not been initialized. Running a consistency check may result in inconsistent messages in the log. Are you sure you want to continue?

You can select Ye s or No. If you select Ye s, the CC operation continues. If you select No, the operation ends.

Perform the following steps to run a Consistency Check.

Press <Ctrl><N> to access the

Press the down-arrow key to highlight

Press <F2> to display the menu of available actions.

Press the down-arrow key to select

Press the right-arrow key to display the available actions (

Select

Start

and press <Enter> to run a

Consistency Check

The

runs and checks the redundancy data in the

VD Mgmt

menu screen.

Virtual Disk #

Consistency Check.

Consistency Check

Start, Stop

virtual disks.

After you start the

Consistency Check

, press <Esc> to display the

previous menu if needed.

Importing or Clearing Foreign Configurations Using the VD Mgmt Menu

When a foreign configuration exists, the BIOS banner displays the message Foreign configuration(s) found on adapter. In addition, a foreign configuration, when present, displays on the right side of the VD Mgmt screen.

You can use the VD Mgmt menu to import the existing configuration to the RAID controller or clear the existing configuration. In addition, you can view the foreign drive data from the Foreign View tab without importing the configuration.

NOTE: The controller does not allow an import that results in more than 64

virtual disks.

Configuring and Managing RAID 89

Perform the following steps to import or clear foreign configurations.

During bootup, press <Ctrl><R> when prompted by the BIOS banner.

The

VD Mgmt

On the

screen displays by default.

VD Mgmt

screen, highlight the

Controller #

The controller number is the only item that displays until you import the foreign configuration.

Press <F2> to display the available actions.

Press the right-arrow key to display the available actions (

NOTE: Ensure that your virtual disk has all the physical disks by verifying that

there are no physical disks marked as Missing in the foreign view page and that all the disks appear as expected before importing them.

Select

Import

to import the foreign configuration or

Import, Clear

Clear

to delete the

foreign configuration and then press <Enter>.

If you import the configuration, the

VD Mgmt

screen displays detailed configuration information. This includes information about the disk groups, virtual disks, physical disks, space allocation, and hot spares.

Importing or Clearing Foreign Configurations Using the Foreign Configuration View Screen

If one or more physical disks are removed from a configuration, the configuration on those disks is considered a foreign configuration by the RAID controller.

You can use the Foreign Configuration View screen to view information about the foreign configuration, such as disk groups, virtual disks, physical disks, space allocation, and hot spares. The foreign configuration data displays in the same format as configurations on the

screen to view the foreign configuration before importing it.

the foreign configuration, you can either import it to the RAID controller or clear it.

VD Mgmt

screen. You can use this

After you view

NOTE: Before you import the foreign configuration, review the configuration on the

screen to ensure that it is the desired end result.

90 Configuring and Managing RAID

You can use the Foreign Configuration View screen to manage foreign configurations in the following cases:

• All the physical disks in a configuration are removed and re-inserted.

• Some of the physical disks in a configuration are removed and re-inserted.

• All the physical disks in a virtual disk are removed, but at different times, and then re-inserted.

• The physical disks in a non-redundant virtual disk are removed.

The following constraints apply to the physical disks that are considered for import:

• The drive state of a physical disk can change from the time the foreign configuration is scanned to when the actual import occurs. The foreign import occurs only on drives that are in the

Unconfigured Good

state.

• Drives in the failed or offline state cannot be imported.

• The firmware does not allow you to import more than eight foreign configurations.

Perform the following procedures on the Foreign Configuration View screen to manage foreign configurations in each specific case:

If all or some of the physical disks in a configuration are removed and reinserted, the controller considers the drives to have foreign configurations. Perform the following steps:

Select

Foreign Configuration View to

configuration information on the

display the foreign

Foreign Configuration View

screen.

Press <F2> to display the options (

Import, Clear

NOTE: You must have all the drives in the system before you perform the

import operation.

Select

Import

select

Clear

to import the foreign configuration to the controller or

to delete the foreign configuration(s) from the re-inserted

disk(s).

In the

Preview Configuration Data

disk that needs to be rebuilt is displayed as

window, the status of a physical

Rebuild

Configuring and Managing RAID 91

NOTE: When you import a foreign configuration, the dedicated hot spares in

the configuration are imported as dedicated hot spares on two conditions — the associated virtual disk is already present or the associated virtual disk is also imported along with the configuration.

NOTE: Start a consistency check immediately after the rebuild is complete to

ensure data integrity for the virtual disks. For more information about checking data consistency, see "Checking Data Consistency" on page 88.

If all the physical disks in a virtual disk are removed at different times and re-inserted, the controller considers the disks to have foreign configurations. Perform the following steps:

Select

Foreign Configuration View to

display the complete virtual disk, across different foreign configurations and allow foreign configurations to be imported.

Press <F2> to display the options

NOTE: You must have all the drives in the system before you perform the

import operation.

Select

Import

to merge the foreign configurations with the existing

configuration on the controller or

Import

and

Clear

to delete the foreign

configuration(s) from the re-inserted disk(s).

If you select

Import

, all drives that were pulled before the virtual disk

became offline are imported, and then automatically rebuilt.

NOTE: Start a consistency check immediately after the rebuild is complete to

ensure data integrity for the virtual disks. For more information about checking data consistency, see "Checking Data Consistency" on page 88.

If the physical disks in a non-redundant virtual disk are removed, the controller considers the drives to have foreign configurations. Perform the following steps:

Select

Foreign Configuration View to

display the complete foreign configuration information.

Press <F2> to display the options

Select

Import

to import the foreign configuration to the virtual disk or

Clear

to delete the foreign configuration(s) from the re-inserted

Import

and

Clear

disk(s).

No rebuilds occur after the import operation because there is no redundant data to rebuild the drives with.

92 Configuring and Managing RAID

Managing Preserved Cache

If a virtual disk becomes offline or is deleted because of missing physical disks, the controller preserves the dirty cache from the virtual disk. This preserved dirty cache, known as pinned cache, is preserved until you import the virtual disk or discard the cache.

NOTE: Certain operations, such as creating a new virtual disk, cannot be

performed if pinned cache exists. You have to enter the BIOS Configuration Utility to resolve the situation before you boot to the operating system. Messages are displayed notifying you that you must enter the BIOS Configuration Utility to discard the pinned cache or import the virtual disks with the pinned cache.

CAUTION: If there are any foreign configurations, it is strongly advised that you

import the foreign configuration before you discard the preserved cache. Otherwise, you might lose data that belongs with the foreign configuration.

Perform the following steps to select whether to import the virtual disk or discard the preserved cache.

On the

Press <F2> to display the menu of available actions.

Select

A message displays advising you to import the foreign configuration before you discard the preserved cache to avoid losing data belonging to the foreign configuration. Confirm whether you want to continue. The

VD Mgmt

screen, click on a controller icon.

Manage Preserved Cache

screen displays the affected virtual disks.

You can choose to discard the cache on the screen. If you press

Cache Retained

Cancel

, the process is cancelled and the

dialog box is displayed.

Manage Preserved Cache

Preserved

If you choose to discard the cache, you are prompted to confirm your choice. If you choose to retain the cache, a message displays to notify you that you cannot perform certain operations while the cache exists. Click

to continue.

Some operations, such as creating a new virtual disk, are not allowed if preserved cache exists. A message warns you that you cannot perform the operation while preserved cache exists. If you choose to clear a configuration, and preserved cache exists, a message warns you that all data on all virtual drives is lost and the preserved cache is discarded.

Configuring and Managing RAID 93

Managing Dedicated Hot Spares

A dedicated hot spare automatically replaces a failed physical disk only in the selected disk group which the hot spare is part of. A dedicated hot spare is used before a global hot spare is used. You can create dedicated hot spares or delete them on the VD Mgmt screen. Perform the following steps to create or delete dedicated hot spares.

On the the menu of available actions.

The available menu options appear.

Select

A screen displays a list of the current dedicated hot spares and the physical disks that are available to create dedicated hot spares. An to the current dedicated hot spares.

To create or delete a dedicated hot spare:

Creating a hot spare–

VD Mgmt

Manage Ded. HS

NOTE: The utility allows only disks of the same drive technology and of equal

or greater size to be selected as dedicated hot spare.

screen, select

and press <Enter>.

Disk Group #

and press <F2> to display

displays next

Press the down-arrow key to highlight an available physical disk.

Pess the spacebar to select the disk.

Repeat step a to step b for each dedicated hot spare that you want to create.

displays beside the selected physical disk(s).

Deleting a dedicated hot spare–

Use the down-arrow key to highlight a current hot spare.

Press the spacebar to de-select the disk.

Repeat step a to step b for each dedicated hot spare that you want to delete.

94 Configuring and Managing RAID

Press <Enter> to confirm the changes.

The

VD Mgmt

Hot spares

NOTE: If a global hot spare or dedicated hot spare is removed and reinserted,

it regains its status as a hot spare.

NOTE: If a dedicated hot spare is removed, re-inserted, and then imported,

the physical disk changes to a global hot spare upon completion of the foreign configuration import.

screen displays the updated list of hot spares under the

heading.

Deleting Virtual Disks

NOTE: You cannot delete a virtual disk during an initialization.

NOTE: Warning messages appear stating the effect of deleting a virtual disk.

Click OK twice to complete the virtual disk deletion.

To delete virtual disks, perform the following steps in the BIOS Configuration Utility:

Press <Ctrl><N> to access the

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to a virtual disk under the heading.

Press <F2>.

The action menu displays.

Select

On the

Delete VD

VD Mgmt

and press <Enter>.

screen, select

of free space available after you delete the virtual disk.

VD Mgmt

screen.

Space Allocation

Virtual Disks

to display the amount

Deleting Disk Groups

You can delete disk groups using the BIOS Configuration Utility. When you delete a disk group, the utility also removes the virtual disks in that disk group.

To delete disk groups, perform the following steps in the BIOS Configuration Utility.

Press <Ctrl><N> to access the

Press <Tab> to move the cursor to a disk group under the heading.

VD Mgmt

screen.

Virtual Disks

Configuring and Managing RAID 95

Press <F2>.

The action menu displays.

Select

Delete Disk Group

The disk group is deleted.

When you delete a disk group, the remaining disk groups with higher numbers are automatically renumbered. For example, if you delete disk group #2, disk group #3 is then automatically renumbered as disk group #2.

and press <Enter>.

Resetting the Configuration

You can delete all virtual disks on the RAID controller by performing this operation.

To reset the configuration, perform the following steps in the BIOS Configuration Utility:

Press <Ctrl><N> to access the

Press <Tab> or use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the heading.

Press <F2>. The action menu displays.

Select

Reset Configuration

A pop-up window displays prompting for confirmation to delete all virtual disks.

VD Mgmt

screen.

Controller

Select OK to delete the virtual disks or configuration.

Cancel

to retain the existing

BIOS Configuration Utility Menu Options

The first menu that displays when you access the BIOS Configuration Utility is the main menu screen. It lists the controller, controller number, and other information, such as the slot number. On this screen, you can use the arrow keys to select the RAID controller you want to configure. Press <Enter> to access the controller.

This section describes the options for the BIOS Configuration Utility for each of the major menus:

•

Virtual Disk Management (VD Mgmt)

•

Physical Disk Management (PD Mgmt)

96 Configuring and Managing RAID

•

Controller Management (Ctrl Mgmt)

•

Foreign

Configuration

View

Most menus consist of two panels:

• A left panel with the menu options

• A right panel with details of the items selected in the left panel

The following sections describe the menu and submenu options for each of the major menus.

Virtual Disk Management (VD Mgmt)

The Virtual Disk Management screen, VD Mgmt, is the first screen that displays when you access a RAID controller from the main menu screen on the BIOS Configuration Utility. In the Tree Vie w, the left panel displays the menus for the virtual disk management, which are:

•

Controller #

•

Disk Group #

•

Virtual Disks

•

Physical Disks

(displayed in descending numerical order)

(individual physical disks are displayed in

enclosure:slot format)

•

Space Allocation

(virtual disk size and free space you can use to

create a virtual disk)

•

Hot Spares

(global and dedicated)

In the Tree View, the right panel displays detailed information for the selected controllers, disk groups, virtual disks, physical disks, space allocation, and hot spares, as shown in Table 6-3.

Configuring and Managing RAID 97

Table 6-3. Information on the Virtual Disk Management Screen

Menu Item Selected in Left Panel

Controller # Controller Properties:

Disk Group # Disk Group # Properties:

Virtual Disks Disk Group # Properties:

Virtual Disk # Virtual Disk # Properties:

Information Displayed in Right Panel

• Number of disk groups (DG)

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Space available on the physical disks

• Number of free segments

• Number of dedicated hot spares

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Space available in the virtual disk

• Number of free segments

• Number of dedicated hot spares

• RAID level (0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, or 60)

• RAID status of the virtual disk (Failed, Degraded, or Optimal)

• Size of the virtual disk

• Operation currently in progress

Disk Group # Properties:

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Space available on the physical disks

• Number of free segments

• Number of dedicated hot spares

98 Configuring and Managing RAID

Table 6-3. Information on the Virtual Disk Management Screen (continued)

Menu Item Selected in Left Panel

Physical Disks Disk Group # Properties:

Physical Disk # Physical Disk Properties:

Information Displayed in Right Panel

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Space available on the physical disks

• Number of free segments

• Number of dedicated hot spares

•Vendor name

• Physical disk size

• Physical disk state

Disk Group # Properties:

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Space available on the physical disks

• Number of free segments

• Number of dedicated hot spares

Configuring and Managing RAID 99

Table 6-3. Information on the Virtual Disk Management Screen (continued)

Menu Item Selected in Left Panel

Space Allocation Disk Group # Properties:

Hot Spares Physical disk properties:

NOTE: The List View of the Virtual Disk Management screen displays different

options from the Tree View.

Information Displayed in Right Panel

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Space available on the physical disks

• Number of free segments

• Number of dedicated hot spares

•Vendor name

• Physical disk size

• Physical disk state

Disk group # properties:

• Number of virtuals disks (VD)

• Number of physical disks (PD)

• Space available on the physical disks

• Number of free segments

• Number of dedicated hot spares

100 Configuring and Managing RAID

Dell PowerEdge RAID Controller 6E User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

WARNING: Safety Instructions

SAFETY: General

SAFETY: When Working Inside Your System

Protecting Against Electrostatic Discharge

SAFETY: Battery Disposal

Overview

PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controller Descriptions

PCI Architecture

Operating System Support

RAID Description

Summary of RAID Levels

RAID Terminology

About PERC 6 and CERC 6/i Controllers

PERC 6 and CERC 6 Controller Features

Using the SMART Feature

Initializing Virtual Disks

Background Initialization

Full Initialization of Virtual Disks

Fast Initialization of Virtual Disks

Consistency Checks

Disk Roaming

Disk Migration

Compatibility With Virtual Disks Created on PERC 5 Controllers

Compatibility With Virtual Disks Created on SAS 6/iR Controllers

Migrating Virtual Disks from SAS 6/iR to PERC 6 and CERC 6/i

Battery Management

Battery Warranty Information

Battery Learn Cycle

Virtual Disk Write Cache Policies

Write-Back and Write-Through

Conditions Under Which Write-Back is Employed

Conditions Under Which Write-Through is Employed

Conditions Under Which Forced Write-Back With No Battery is Employed

Virtual Disk Read Policies

Reconfiguring Virtual Disks

Fault Tolerance Features

Physical Disk Hot Swapping

Failed Physical Disk Detection

Redundant Path With Static Load Balancing Support

Using Replace Member and Revertible Hot Spares

Patrol Read

Patrol Read Feature

Patrol Read Modes

Installing and Configuring Hardware

Installing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters

Installing the DIMM on a PERC 6/E Adapter

Transferring a TBBU Between Controllers

Removing the PERC 6/E and PERC 6/i Adapters

Removing the DIMM and Battery from a PERC 6/E Adapter

Disconnecting the BBU from a PERC 6/i Adapter or a PERC 6/i Integrated Controller

Setting up Redundant Path Support on the PERC 6/E Adapter

Reverting From Redundant Path Support to Single Path Support on the PERC 6/E Adapter

Removing and Installing the PERC 6/i and CERC 6/i Integrated Storage Controller Cards in Dell Modular Blade Systems (Service-Only Procedure)

Installing the Storage Controller Card

Driver Installation

Installing Windows Drivers

Creating the Driver Media

Pre-Installation Requirements

Installing the Driver During a Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Operating System Installation

Installing the Driver During a Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista Installation

Installing a Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, or Windows XP Driver for a New RAID Controller

Updating an Existing Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP, or Windows Vista Driver

Installing Linux Driver

Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux Operating System Using the Driver Update Diskette

Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Using the Driver Update Diskette

Installing the RPM Package With DKMS Support

Installing Solaris Driver

Installing Solaris 10 on a PowerEdge System Booting From a PERC 6 or CERC 6/i Controller

Adding/Updating the Driver to an Existing System

Installing NetWare Drivers

Installing the NetWare Driver in a New NetWare System

Installing or Updating the NetWare Driver in an Existing NetWare System

Configuring and Managing RAID

Dell OpenManage Storage Management

Dell SAS RAID Storage Manager

RAID Configuration Functions