HP Smart Array P700m Controller for HP ProLiant Servers User Guide
Part Number 456549-001
October 2007 (First Edition)
© Copyright 2007 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express
warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP
shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
Microsoft and Windows are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Bluetooth is a trademark owned by its proprietor and used by
Hewlett-Packard Company under license.
Audience assumptions
This document is for the person who installs, administers, and troubleshoots servers and storage systems.
HP assumes you are qualified in the servicing of computer equipment and trained in recognizing hazards
in products with hazardous energy levels.
Contents
Hardware features........................................................................................................................ 5
Main components on the controller board .................................................................................................... 5
Controller specifications ............................................................................................................................. 5
Overview of the installation procedure ............................................................................................ 7
Installing the controller in an unconfigured server blade ................................................................................. 7
Installing the controller in a previously-configured server................................................................................. 7
Installing the controller hardware.................................................................................................... 9
Preparing the server blade.......................................................................................................................... 9
Installing the controller board...................................................................................................................... 9
Updating the firmware ................................................................................................................ 10
Methods for updating the firmware............................................................................................................ 10
Configuring an array .................................................................................................................. 11
Utilities available for configuring an array.................................................................................................. 11
Setting the boot controller and controller order............................................................................... 12
Setting a controller as the boot controller.................................................................................................... 12
Setting the controller order ....................................................................................................................... 12
Installing device drivers and Management Agents .......................................................................... 14
Installing device drivers............................................................................................................................ 14
Installing Management Agents .................................................................................................................. 14
Upgrading or replacing controller options ..................................................................................... 15
Replacing the battery............................................................................................................................... 15
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives..................................................................................... 18
Identifying the status of a hard drive .......................................................................................................... 18
Recognizing hard drive failure .................................................................................................................. 19
Effects of a hard drive failure .......................................................................................................... 20
Compromised fault tolerance .......................................................................................................... 20
Recovering from compromised fault tolerance.................................................................................... 20
Replacing hard drives.............................................................................................................................. 21
Factors to consider before replacing hard drives................................................................................21
Automatic data recovery (rebuild).................................................................................................... 22
Upgrading hard drive capacity ....................................................................................................... 24
Moving drives and arrays ........................................................................................................................ 24
Adding drives......................................................................................................................................... 25
Diagnosing array problems.......................................................................................................... 27
Controller board runtime LEDs................................................................................................................... 27
Battery pack LEDs.................................................................................................................................... 28
Diagnostic tools ...................................................................................................................................... 29
Electrostatic discharge................................................................................................................. 31
Preventing electrostatic discharge..............................................................................................................31
Grounding methods to prevent electrostatic discharge.................................................................................. 31
Contents 3
Regulatory compliance notices ..................................................................................................... 32
European Union regulatory notice .............................................................................................................32
BSMI notice............................................................................................................................................ 32
Korean class A notice .............................................................................................................................. 33
Battery replacement notice........................................................................................................................ 33
Taiwan battery recycling notice................................................................................................................. 33
Acronyms and abbreviations........................................................................................................ 34
Index......................................................................................................................................... 35
Contents 4
Hardware features
Main components on the controller board
Item ID Description
1 Status LEDs
2 Connector (not used on HP ProLiant servers)
3 Cache module (also known as BBWC or array accelerator)
4 Connector for cache battery
5 Mezzanine connector to system board
Controller specifications
Feature Details
Board type Type I 4-port PCIe mezzanine board
Dimensions 11.3 cm × 10.0 cm × 2.0 cm (4.5 in × 4.0 in × 0.8 in)
Type of drives supported 3 Gb/s SAS or 1.5 Gb/s SATA
Maximum power required Approximately 9.3 W
Temperature range Operating, 10° to 55°C (50° to 131°F)
Storage, -30° to 60°C (-22° to 140°F)
Relative humidity (noncondensing) Operating, 10% to 90%
Storage, 5% to 90%
Hardware features 5
RAID levels supported 0, 1, 1+0, and 5; if the battery is used, RAID 6 is also
supported
Type of connector Grid array mezzanine connector
Transfer rate Up to 2 GB/s in each direction
Maximum number of physical drives 108
Maximum number of logical drives 32
Maximum size of a logical drive More than 2 TB
Cache size 72 bits, 512 MB (64 MB is used by the onboard processor)
Spare battery part number 453779-001
Time required to recharge battery From 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the initial battery
charge level
Duration of battery backup If the batteries are fully charged and less than 3 years old,
more than 2 days
Battery life expectancy More than 3 years
For more information about the controller features and specifications, and for information about system
requirements, refer to the HP website (http://www.hp.com/products/smartarray
).
Hardware features 6
Overview of the installation procedure
Installing the controller in an unconfigured server blade
New HP ProLiant server models autoconfigure when they are powered up for the first time. For more
information about the autoconfiguration process, see the server-specific setup and installation guide or the
HP ROM-Based Setup Utility User Guide. These guides are available on the server Documentation CD.
IMPORTANT: Do not power up the server until the hardware configuration is satisfactory, as
To install the controller in an unconfigured server blade:
described in the procedure given in this section.
1. Install the controller hardware in the server blade.
2. Install the server blade in a blade enclosure.
3. Install an HP 3Gb SAS BL-c Pass-Thru Module in the blade enclosure.
4. Connect the server blade to the pass-thru module.
5. Connect the pass-thru module to a drive enclosure.
6. If necessary, install physical drives in the drive enclosure.
The number of drives connected to the pass-thru module determines the RAID level that is
autoconfigured when the server is powered up. For details, see the server-specific setup and
installation guide or the HP ROM-Based Setup Utility User Guide.
7. Power up the server. The autoconfiguration process runs.
8. Update the server firmware ("Methods for updating the firmware" on page 10).
9. Update the controller firmware ("Methods for updating the firmware" on page 10).
10. Install the operating system and device drivers ("Installing device drivers" on page 14). Instructions
are provided with the CD that is supplied in the controller kit.
11. (Optional) Create additional logical drives ("Configuring an array" on page 11).
The server is now ready to use.
Installing the controller in a previously-configured server
1. Back up data on the system.
2. Update the server blade firmware ("Methods for updating the firmware" on page 10).
3. If the new controller will be the boot device, install the device drivers ("Installing device drivers" on
page 14). Otherwise, go directly to step 4.
Overview of the installation procedure 7
4. Power down the server blade.
5. Remove the server blade from the enclosure.
6. Remove the access panel from the server blade.
7. Install the controller hardware ("Installing the controller hardware" on page 9).
8. Reinstall the access panel.
9. Reinstall the server blade in the enclosure.
10. Install an HP 3Gb SAS BL-c Pass-Thru Module in the enclosure.
11. Connect the server blade to the pass-thru module.
12. Connect the pass-thru module to a drive enclosure.
13. Power up the server blade.
14. Update the controller firmware ("Methods for updating the firmware" on page 10).
15. (Optional) Set this controller as the boot controller using ORCA ("Setting a controller as the boot
controller" on page 12).
16. (Optional) Change the controller boot order using RBSU ("Setting the controller order" on page 12).
17. If the controller will not be the boot device, install the device drivers ("Installing device drivers" on
page 14).
18. If new versions of the Management Agents are available, update the Management Agents
("Installing Management Agents" on page 14).
Overview of the installation procedure 8
Installing the controller hardware
Preparing the server blade
1. Back up all data.
2. Close all applications.
3. Power down the server blade.
CAUTION: In systems that use external data storage, be sure that the server is the first unit to
be powered down and the last to be powered back up. Taking this precaution ensures that the
system does not erroneously mark the drives as failed when the server is powered up.
4. Remove the server blade from the enclosure.
Installing the controller board
WARNING: To reduce the risk of personal injury or damage to the equipment, consult the
safety information and user documentation provided with the server before attempting the
installation.
Many servers are capable of providing energy levels that are considered hazardous and are
intended to be serviced only by qualified personnel who have been trained to deal with these
hazards. Do not remove enclosures or attempt to bypass any interlocks that may be provided
1. Remove the access panel from the server blade.
2. Select an available mezzanine socket on the system board.
3. Remove the socket cover, and then save it for future use.
4. Plug the controller into the socket.
5. Tighten the three spring-loaded captive screws at the corners of the controller.
for the purpose of removing these hazardous conditions.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of personal injury from hot surfaces, allow the drives and the
internal system components to cool before touching them.
6. Reinstall the access panel.
CAUTION: Do not operate the server for long periods with the access panel open or removed.
Operating the server in this manner results in improper airflow and improper cooling that can
7. Reinstall the server blade in the enclosure.
8. Install an HP 3Gb SAS BL-c Pass-Thru Module in the enclosure.
9. Connect the server blade to the pass-thru module.
10. Connect the pass-thru module to a drive enclosure.
lead to thermal damage.
Installing the controller hardware 9
Updating the firmware
Methods for updating the firmware
To update the firmware on the server, controller, or hard drives, use Smart Components. These
components are available on the Firmware Maintenance CD. A more recent version of a particular server
or controller component might be available on the support page of the HP website
(http://www.hp.com/support
available from the software and drivers page for storage products
(http://www.hp.com/support/proliantstorage
1. Find the most recent version of the component that you require. Components for controller firmware
updates are available in offline and online formats.
2. Follow the instructions for installing the component on the server. These instructions are given with
the CD and are provided on the same Web page as the component.
). Components for controller and hard drive firmware updates are also
).
3. Follow the additional instructions that describe how to use the component to flash the ROM. These
instructions are provided with each component.
For more information about updating the firmware, refer to the HP ProLiant Storage Firmware
Maintenance User Guide (for controller and hard drive firmware) or the HP Online ROM Flash User
Guide (for server firmware).
Updating the firmware 10
Configuring an array
Utilities available for configuring an array
Two utilities are available for configuring an array on this controller:
• ORCA is a simple utility that is used mainly to configure the first logical drive in a new server before
the operating system is loaded.
• ACU is an advanced utility that enables you to perform many complex configuration tasks.
For more information about the features of these utilities and for instructions for using the utilities, see the
Configuring Arrays on HP Smart Array Controllers Reference Guide. This guide is available on the
Documentation CD that is provided in the controller kit.
Whichever utility you use, remember the following factors when you build an array:
• All drives in an array must be of the same type (for example, all SAS or all SATA).
• For the most efficient use of drive space, all drives within an array should have approximately the
same capacity. Each configuration utility treats every physical drive in an array as if it had the same
capacity as the smallest drive in the array. Any excess capacity of a particular drive cannot be used
in the array, and is unavailable for data storage.
• The more physical drives that there are in an array, the greater the probability that the array will
experience a drive failure during any given period. To guard against the data loss that occurs when
a drive fails, configure all logical drives in an array with a suitable fault-tolerance (RAID) method.
Configuring an array 11
Setting the boot controller and controller order
Setting a controller as the boot controller
The following procedure enables you only to set a controller as the boot controller. If you also want to
adjust the boot order settings of other controllers in the system, use RBSU instead ("Setting the controller
order" on page 12).
1. Confirm that the controller is connected to a logical drive. (If it is not, it cannot be set as the boot
controller.)
2. Perform a normal system shutdown.
3. Restart the server.
POST runs, and all controllers in the server are initialized one at a time in the current boot order
sequence. If a controller is connected to one or more hard drives, an ORCA prompt message
appears during the initialization process for that controller.
As soon as you see the ORCA prompt for the controller that you want to set as the boot controller,
continue with the next step.
4. Press the F8 key.
The ORCA main menu appears. If the controller is configured with a logical drive, one of the menu
options is to set the controller as the boot controller.
5. Select the appropriate menu option, and follow any subsequent on-screen instructions. If prompted to
save the settings, do so.
6. If you want to configure or reconfigure an array on this controller, you can do this while you are still
in ORCA. (For more information, see the Configuring Arrays on HP Smart Array Controllers
Reference Guide. This guide is available on the Documentation CD that is provided in the controller
kit.)
If you do not want to configure an array at this time or if you intend to use a different utility to
configure the array, exit from ORCA, and then restart the server for the new boot controller setting to
take effect.
Setting the controller order
1. Power up the server.
The server runs the POST sequence and briefly displays an RBSU prompt.
2. At the prompt, press the F9 key to start RBSU.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to set the boot order for the different controllers in the system.
4. Save the settings.
5. Exit from the utility.
Setting the boot controller and controller order 12
For more information about using RBSU, refer to the HP ROM-Based Setup Utility User Guide or the server
setup and installation guide. These documents are both available on the Documentation CD supplied in
the server kit.
Setting the boot controller and controller order 13
Installing device drivers and Management Agents
Installing device drivers
The drivers for the controller are located on the Support Software CD or the SmartStart CD that is
provided in the controller kit. Updates are posted to the HP website (http://www.hp.com/support
Using the Support Software CD: Instructions for installing the drivers from the Support Software CD are
given in the leaflet that is supplied with the CD.
Using the SmartStart CD: If you use the Assisted Installation path feature of SmartStart to install the
operating system on a new server, the drivers are automatically installed at the same time.
You can also use SmartStart to update the drivers manually on systems that are already configured. For
more information, refer to the SmartStart documentation.
).
Installing Management Agents
If you use the Assisted Installation path feature of SmartStart to install the operating system on a new
server, the Management Agents are automatically installed at the same time.
You can update the Management Agents by using the latest versions of the agents from the HP website
(http://www.hp.com/servers/manage
Web page.
If the new agents do not function correctly, you might also need to update Systems Insight Manager. The
latest version of Systems Insight Manager is available for download at the HP website
(http://www.hp.com/servers/manage
). The procedure for updating the agents is provided on the same
).
Installing device drivers and Management Agents 14
Upgrading or replacing controller options
Replacing the battery
CAUTION: Electrostatic discharge can damage electronic components. Be sure you are
The method for replacing a battery depends on whether the battery case is mounted on the inner wall of
the server chassis by a hook-and-loop strip or located in a hard drive slot.
If the battery case is mounted on the inner wall of the server chassis:
1. Back up all data.
2. Close all applications.
3. Power down the server.
4. Remove the server from the enclosure.
5. Remove the server access panel.
6. Remove the battery case from the chassis wall.
7. Remove the battery from the battery case.
8. Install the replacement battery in the battery case.
9. Mount the battery case on the chassis wall.
10. Close the server access panel.
11. Reinstall the server in the enclosure.
properly grounded before beginning this procedure.
NOTE: After installing a battery pack, you might see a POST message during reboot
indicating that the array accelerator (cache) is temporarily disabled. This is normal, because
the new battery pack is likely to have a low charge. You do not need to take any action,
because the recharge process begins automatically when the battery pack is installed. The
controller will operate properly while the battery pack recharges, although the performance
advantage of the array accelerator will be absent. When the battery pack has been charged
to a satisfactory level, the array accelerator will automatically be enabled.
If the battery case is located in a hard drive slot:
1. Back up all data.
2. Close all applications.
3. Power down the server.
4. Remove the server from the enclosure.
5. Remove the server access panel.
6. Remove the battery case from the hard drive slot.
7. Invert the battery case.
Upgrading or replacing controller options 15
8. Pull the right hand portion of the battery case away from the battery pack and simultaneously rotate
the battery out of the opening.
9. Position the replacement battery pack in the opening in the battery case as shown. The upper left
edge of the battery is under the flanges on the pillars at the left edge of the opening, and the right
side of the battery rests on the right pillars.
Upgrading or replacing controller options 16
10. Pull the right hand portion of the battery case away from the battery, and simultaneously rotate the
battery pack into the opening.
11. Connect the battery cable to the battery and the cache. Route the battery cable so that the cache
and battery can be removed together. (If you need to remove the cache to transfer data, the battery
must remain connected to it so that the data is preserved.)
12. Insert the battery case into the hard drive slot.
13. Close the server access panel.
14. Reinstall the server in the enclosure.
NOTE: After installing a battery pack, you might see a POST message during reboot
indicating that the array accelerator (cache) is temporarily disabled. This is normal, because
the new battery pack is likely to have a low charge. You do not need to take any action,
because the recharge process begins automatically when the battery pack is installed. The
controller will operate properly while the battery pack recharges, although the performance
advantage of the array accelerator will be absent. When the battery pack has been charged
to a satisfactory level, the array accelerator will automatically be enabled.
Upgrading or replacing controller options 17
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives
Identifying the status of a hard drive
When a drive is configured as a part of an array and connected to a powered-up controller, the
condition of the drive can be determined from the illumination pattern of the hard drive status lights (LEDs).
Item Description
1 Fault/UID LED (amber/blue)
2 Online LED (green)
Online/activity
LED (green)
On, off, or flashing Alternating amber
On, off, or flashing Steadily blue The drive is operating normally, and it has been selected by a
On Amber, flashing
On Off The drive is online, but it is not active currently.
Fault/UID LED
(amber/blue)
and blue
regularly (1 Hz)
Interpretation
The drive has failed, or a predictive failure alert has been
received for this drive; it also has been selected by a
management application.
management application.
A predictive failure alert has been received for this drive.
Replace the drive as soon as possible.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 18
Online/activity
LED (green)
Flashing regularly
(1 Hz)
Flashing regularly
(1 Hz)
Flashing irregularly Amber, flashing
Flashing irregularly Off The drive is active, and it is operating normally.
Off Steadily amber A critical fault condition has been identified for this drive, and
Off Amber, flashing
Off Off The drive is offline, a spare, or not configured as part of an
Fault/UID LED
Interpretation
(amber/blue)
Amber, flashing
regularly (1 Hz)
Off Do not remove the drive. Removing a drive may terminate the
regularly (1 Hz)
regularly (1 Hz)
Do not remove the drive. Removing a drive may terminate the
current operation and cause data loss.
The drive is part of an array that is undergoing capacity
expansion or stripe migration, but a predictive failure alert has
been received for this drive. To minimize the risk of data loss, do
not replace the drive until the expansion or migration is
complete.
current operation and cause data loss.
The drive is rebuilding, or it is part of an array that is undergoing
capacity expansion or stripe migration.
The drive is active, but a predictive failure alert has been
received for this drive. Replace the drive as soon as possible.
the controller has placed it offline. Replace the drive as soon as
possible.
A predictive failure alert has been received for this drive.
Replace the drive as soon as possible.
array.
Recognizing hard drive failure
A steadily glowing Fault LED indicates that that drive has failed. Other means by which hard drive failure
is revealed include:
• The amber LED on the front of a storage system illuminates if failed drives are inside. This LED also
illuminates when other problems occur, such as when a fan fails, a redundant power supply fails, or
the system overheats.
• A POST message lists failed drives when the system is restarted, as long as the controller detects at
least one functional drive.
• ACU represents failed drives with a distinctive icon.
• HP Systems Insight Manager can detect failed drives remotely across a network. (For more
information about HP Systems Insight Manager, see the documentation on the Management CD.)
• The Event Notification Service posts an event to the Microsoft® Windows® system event log and the
IML.
• ADU lists all failed drives.
For additional information about diagnosing hard drive problems, see the HP Servers Troubleshooting
Guide.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 19
CAUTION: Sometimes, a drive that has previously been failed by the controller may seem to
be operational after the system is power-cycled or (for a hot-pluggable drive) after the drive
has been removed and reinserted. However, continued use of such marginal drives may
eventually result in data loss. Replace the marginal drive as soon as possible.
Effects of a hard drive failure
When a hard drive fails, all logical drives that are in the same array are affected. Each logical drive in
an array might be using a different fault-tolerance method, so each logical drive can be affected
differently.
• RAID 0 configurations cannot tolerate drive failure. If any physical drive in the array fails, all non-
fault-tolerant (RAID 0) logical drives in the same array will also fail.
• RAID 1+0 configurations can tolerate multiple drive failures as long as no failed drives are mirrored
to one another.
• RAID 5 configurations can tolerate one drive failure.
• RAID 6 (ADG) configurations can tolerate the simultaneous failure of two drives.
Compromised fault tolerance
If more hard drives fail than the fault-tolerance method allows, fault tolerance is compromised, and the
logical drive fails. In this case, all requests from the operating system are rejected with unrecoverable
errors. You are likely to lose data, although it can sometimes be recovered (refer to "Recovering from
compromised fault tolerance" on page 20).
One example of a situation in which compromised fault tolerance may occur is when a drive in an array
fails while another drive in the array is being rebuilt. If the array has no online spare, any logical drives
in this array that are configured with RAID 5 fault tolerance will fail.
Compromised fault tolerance can also be caused by non-drive problems, such as a faulty cable or
temporary power loss to a storage system. In such cases, you do not need to replace the physical drives.
However, you may still have lost data, especially if the system was busy at the time that the problem
occurred.
Recovering from compromised fault tolerance
If fault tolerance is compromised, inserting replacement drives does not improve the condition of the
logical volume. Instead, if the screen displays unrecoverable error messages, perform the following
procedure to recover data:
1. Power down the entire system, and then power it back up. In some cases, a marginal drive will work
again for long enough to enable you to make copies of important files.
If a 1779 POST message is displayed, press the F2 key to re-enable the logical volumes. Remember
that data loss has probably occurred and any data on the logical volume is suspect.
2. Make copies of important data, if possible.
3. Replace any failed drives.
4. After you have replaced the failed drives, fault tolerance may again be compromised. If so, cycle the
power again. If the 1779 POST message is displayed:
a. Press the F2 key to re-enable the logical drives.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 20
b. Recreate the partitions.
c. Restore all data from backup.
To minimize the risk of data loss that is caused by compromised fault tolerance, make frequent backups of
all logical volumes.
Replacing hard drives
The most common reason for replacing a hard drive is that it has failed. However, another reason is to
gradually increase the storage capacity of the entire system.
If you insert a hot-pluggable drive into a drive bay while the system power is on, all disk activity in the
array pauses for a second or two while the new drive is spinning up. When the drive has achieved its
normal spin rate, data recovery to the replacement drive begins automatically (as indicated by the
blinking Online/Activity LED on the replacement drive) if the array is in a fault-tolerant configuration.
If you replace a drive belonging to a fault-tolerant configuration while the system power is off, a POST
message appears when the system is next powered up. This message prompts you to press the F1 key to
start automatic data recovery. If you do not enable automatic data recovery, the logical volume remains
in a ready-to-recover condition and the same POST message appears whenever the system is restarted.
Factors to consider before replacing hard drives
Before replacing a degraded drive:
• Open Systems Insight Manager, and inspect the Error Counter window for each physical drive in the
same array to confirm that no other drives have any errors. (For details, refer to the Systems Insight
Manager documentation on the Management CD.)
• Be sure that the array has a current, valid backup.
• Confirm that the replacement drive is of the same type (SAS or SATA) as the degraded drive.
• Use replacement drives that have a capacity at least as great as that of the smallest drive in the
array. The controller immediately fails drives that have insufficient capacity.
In systems that use external data storage, be sure that the server is the first unit to be powered down and
the last to be powered back up. Taking this precaution ensures that the system does not erroneously mark
the drives as failed when the server is powered up.
To minimize the likelihood of fatal system errors, take these precautions when removing failed drives:
• Do not remove a degraded drive if any other drive in the array is offline (the Online/Activity LED is
off). In this situation, no other drive in the array can be removed without data loss.
The following cases are exceptions:
o When RAID 1+0 is used, drives are mirrored in pairs. Several drives can be in a failed condition
simultaneously (and they can all be replaced simultaneously) without data loss, as long as no two
failed drives belong to the same mirrored pair.
o When RAID 6 (ADG) is used, two drives can fail simultaneously (and be replaced simultaneously)
without data loss.
o If the offline drive is a spare, the degraded drive can be replaced.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 21
• Do not remove a second drive from an array until the first failed or missing drive has been replaced
and the rebuild process is complete. (The rebuild is complete when the Online/Activity LED on the
front of the drive stops blinking.)
The following cases are exceptions:
o In RAID 6 (ADG) configurations, any two drives in the array can be replaced simultaneously.
o In RAID 1+0 configurations, any drives that are not mirrored to other removed or failed drives
can be simultaneously replaced offline without data loss.
Automatic data recovery (rebuild)
When you replace a hard drive in an array, the controller uses the fault-tolerance information on the
remaining drives in the array to reconstruct the missing data (the data that was originally on the replaced
drive) and write it to the replacement drive. This process is called automatic data recovery, or rebuild. If
fault tolerance is compromised, this data cannot be reconstructed and is likely to be permanently lost.
If another drive in the array fails while fault tolerance is unavailable during rebuild, a fatal system error
can occur, and all data on the array is then lost. In exceptional cases, however, failure of another drive
need not lead to a fatal system error. These exceptions include:
• Failure after activation of a spare drive
• Failure of a drive that is not mirrored to any other failed drives (in a RAID 1+0 configuration)
• Failure of a second drive in a RAID 6 (ADG) configuration
Time required for a rebuild
The time required for a rebuild varies considerably, depending on several factors:
• The priority that the rebuild is given over normal I/O operations (you can change the priority setting
by using ACU)
• The amount of I/O activity during the rebuild operation
• The rotational speed of the hard drives
• The availability of drive cache
• The brand, model, and age of the drives
• The amount of unused capacity on the drives
• For RAID 5 and RAID 6 (ADG), the number of drives in the array
Allow approximately 15 minutes per gigabyte for the rebuild process to be completed. This figure is
conservative; the actual time required is usually less than this.
System performance is affected during the rebuild, and the system is unprotected against further drive
failure until the rebuild has finished. Therefore, replace drives during periods of low activity when
possible.
When automatic data recovery has finished, the Online/Activity LED of the replacement drive stops
blinking steadily at 1 Hz and begins to either glow steadily (if the drive is inactive) or flash irregularly (if
the drive is active).
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 22
CAUTION: If the Online/Activity LED on the replacement drive does not light up while the
corresponding LEDs on other drives in the array are active, the rebuild process has abnormally
terminated. The amber Fault LED of one or more drives might also be illuminated. Refer to
"Abnormal termination of a rebuild (on page 23)" to determine what action you must take.
Abnormal termination of a rebuild
If the Online/Activity LED on the replacement drive permanently ceases to be illuminated even while other
drives in the array are active, the rebuild process has abnormally terminated. The following table
indicates the three possible causes of abnormal termination of a rebuild.
Observation Cause of rebuild termination
None of the drives in the array have
an illuminated amber Fault LED.
The replacement drive has an
illuminated amber Fault LED.
One of the other drives in the array
has an illuminated amber Fault LED.
Each of these situations requires a different remedial action.
One of the drives in the array has
experienced an uncorrectable read error.
The replacement drive has failed.
The drive with the illuminated Fault LED has
now failed.
Case 1: An uncorrectable read error has occurred.
1. Back up as much data as possible from the logical drive.
CAUTION: Do not remove the drive that has the media error. Doing so causes the logical drive
to fail.
2. Restore data from backup. Writing data to the location of the unreadable sector often eliminates the
error.
3. Remove and reinsert the replacement drive. This action restarts the rebuild process.
If the rebuild process still terminates abnormally:
1. Delete and recreate the logical drive.
2. Restore data from backup.
Case 2: The replacement drive has failed.
Verify that the replacement drive is of the correct capacity and is a supported model. If these factors are
not the cause of the problem, use a different drive as the replacement.
Case 3: Another drive in the array has failed.
A drive that has recently failed can sometimes be made temporarily operational again by cycling the
server power.
1. Power down the server.
2. Remove the replacement physical drive (the one undergoing a rebuild), and reinstall the drive that it
is replacing.
3. Power up the server.
If the newly failed drive seems to be operational again:
1. Back up any unsaved data.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 23
2. Remove the drive that was originally to be replaced, and reinsert the replacement physical drive. The
rebuild process automatically restarts.
3. When the rebuild process has finished, replace the newly failed drive.
However, if the newly failed drive has not recovered:
1. Remove the drive that was originally to be replaced, and reinsert the replacement physical drive.
2. Replace the newly failed drive.
3. Restore data from backup.
Upgrading hard drive capacity
You can increase the storage capacity on a system even if there are no available drive bays by swapping
drives one at a time for higher capacity drives. This method is viable as long as a fault-tolerance method
is running.
CAUTION: Because it can take up to 15 minutes per gigabyte to rebuild the data in the new
configuration, the system is unprotected against drive failure for many hours while a given
drive is upgraded. Perform drive capacity upgrades only during periods of minimal system
To upgrade hard drive capacity:
1. Back up all data.
2. Replace any drive. The data on the new drive is re-created from redundant information on the
activity.
remaining drives.
CAUTION: Do not replace any other drive until data rebuild on this drive is complete.
When data rebuild on the new drive is complete, the Online/Activity LED stops flashing steadily and
either flashes irregularly or glows steadily.
3. Repeat the previous step for the other drives in the array, one at a time.
When you have replaced all drives, you can use the extra capacity to either create new logical drives or
extend existing logical drives. For more information about these procedures, refer to the HP Array
Configuration Utility User Guide.
Moving drives and arrays
You can move drives to other ID positions on the same array controller. You can also move a complete
array from one controller to another, even if the controllers are on different servers.
Before you move drives, the following conditions must be met:
• The server must be powered down.
• If moving the drives to a different server, the new server must have enough empty bays to
accommodate all the drives simultaneously.
• The array has no failed or missing drives, and no spare drive in the array is acting as a replacement
for a failed drive.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 24
• The controller is not running capacity expansion, capacity extension, or RAID or stripe size
migration.
• The controller is using the latest firmware version (recommended).
If you want to move an array to another controller, all drives in the array must be moved at the same time.
When all the conditions have been met:
1. Back up all data before removing any drives or changing configuration. This step is required if you
are moving data-containing drives from a controller that does not have a battery-backed cache.
2. Power down the system.
3. Move the drives.
4. Power up the system. If a 1724 POST message appears, drive positions were changed successfully
and the configuration was updated.
If a 1785 (Not Configured) POST message appears:
a. Power down the system immediately to prevent data loss.
b. Return the drives to their original locations.
c. Restore the data from backup, if necessary.
5. Verify the new drive configuration by running ORCA or ACU ("Configuring an array" on page 11).
Adding drives
You can add hard drives to a system at any time, as long as you do not exceed the maximum number of
drives that the controller supports. You can then either build a new array from the added drives or use the
extra storage capacity to expand the capacity of an existing array.
To perform an array capacity expansion, use ACU. If the system is using hot-pluggable drives and ACU is
running in the same environment as the normal server applications, you can expand array capacity
without shutting down the operating system. For more information, see the Configuring Arrays on HP
Smart Array Controllers Reference Guide.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 25
The expansion process is illustrated in the following figure, in which the original array (containing data) is
shown with a dashed border, and the newly added drives (containing no data) are shown unshaded. The
array controller adds the new drives to the array and redistributes the original logical drives over the
enlarged array one logical drive at a time. This process liberates some storage capacity on each physical
drive in the array. Each logical drive keeps the same fault-tolerance method in the enlarged array that it
had in the smaller array.
When the expansion process has finished, you can use the liberated storage capacity on the enlarged
array to create new logical drives. Alternatively, you can use ACU to enlarge (extend) one of the original
logical drives.
Replacing, moving, or adding hard drives 26
Diagnosing array problems
Controller board runtime LEDs
Immediately after you power up the server, the controller runtime LEDs illuminate briefly in a
predetermined pattern as part of the POST sequence. At all other times during server operation, the
illumination pattern of the runtime LEDs indicates the status of the controller, as described in the following
table.
LED ID Color LED name and interpretation
1 Amber CR10: Thermal Alert LED. Not used on this controller.
2 Amber CR9: System Error LED. The controller ASIC has locked up and cannot process
any commands.
3 Amber CR1: Diagnostics Error LED. One of the diagnostics utilities in the server has
detected a controller error.
4 Amber CR2: Drive Failure LED. A physical drive connected to the controller has failed.
Check the Fault LED on each drive to determine which drive has failed.
5 Green CR3: Activity LED for port 2.
6 Green CR4: Activity LED for port 1.
7 Green CR5: Command Outstanding LED. The controller is working on a command from
the host driver.
8 Green CR6: Controller Heartbeat LED. This LED flashes every 2 seconds to indicate the
controller health.
9 Green CR7: Gas Pedal LED. This LED, together with the Idle Task LED, indicates the
amount of controller CPU activity. For details, see the following table.
Diagnosing array problems 27
LED ID Color LED name and interpretation
10 Green CR8: Idle Task LED. This LED, together with the Gas Pedal LED, indicates the
amount of controller CPU activity. For details, see the following table.
Gas Pedal LED
status
Idle Task LED
status
Off Blinking 0–25%
Blinking Off 25–50%
On steadily Off 50–75%
On steadily On steadily 75–100%
Battery pack LEDs
Controller CPU activity level
Item ID Color Description
1 Green System Power LED. This LED glows steadily when the
system is powered up and 12 V system power is
available. This power supply is used to maintain the
battery charge and provide supplementary power to the
cache microcontroller.
2 Green Auxiliary Power LED. This LED glows steadily when 3.3V
auxiliary voltage is detected. The auxiliary voltage is used
to preserve BBWC data and is available any time that the
system power cords are connected to a power supply.
3 Amber Battery Health LED. To interpret the illumination patterns of
this LED, see the following table.
4 Green BBWC Status LED. To interpret the illumination patterns of
this LED, see the following table.
Diagnosing array problems 28
LED3 pattern LED4 pattern Interpretation
— One blink every
two seconds
— Double blink,
then pause
— One blink per
second
— Steady glow The battery pack is fully charged, and posted write data is stored in
— Off The battery pack is fully charged, and there is no posted write data
One blink per
second
Steady glow — There is a short circuit across the battery terminals or within the
One blink per
second
One blink per
second
— There is an open circuit across the battery terminals or within the
The system is powered down, and the cache contains data that has
not yet been written to the drives. Restore system power as soon as
possible to prevent data loss.
Data preservation time is extended any time that 3.3 V auxiliary
power is available, as indicated by LED 2. In the absence of
auxiliary power, battery power alone preserves the data. A fullycharged battery can normally preserve data for at least two days.
The battery lifetime also depends on the cache module size. For
further information, refer to the controller QuickSpecs on the HP
website (http://www.hp.com
The cache microcontroller is waiting for the host controller to
communicate.
The battery pack is below the minimum charge level and is being
charged. Features that require a battery (such as write cache,
capacity expansion, stripe size migration, and RAID migration) are
temporarily unavailable until charging is complete. The recharge
process takes between 15 minutes and two hours, depending on the
initial capacity of the battery.
the cache.
in the cache.
An alternating green and amber blink pattern indicates that the
cache microcontroller is executing from within its boot loader and
receiving new flash code from the host controller.
battery pack. BBWC features are disabled until the battery pack is
replaced. The life expectancy of a battery pack is typically more
than three years.
battery pack. BBWC features are disabled until the battery pack is
replaced. The life expectancy of a battery pack is typically more
than three years.
).
Diagnostic tools
Several diagnostic tools provide feedback about problems with arrays.
• ADU
This utility is available on the SmartStart CD in the controller kit and also on the HP website
(http://www.hp.com/support
messages, see the HP Servers Troubleshooting Guide.
• Event Notification Service
This utility reports array events to the Microsoft® Windows® system event log and IML. You can
obtain the utility from the SmartStart CD or the HP website (http://www.hp.com/support
• POST messages
). For more information about the meanings of the various ADU error
).
Diagnosing array problems 29
Smart Array controllers produce diagnostic error messages (POST messages) at reboot. Many POST
messages are self-explanatory and suggest corrective actions. For more information about POST
messages, see the HP Servers Troubleshooting Guide.
• HP Insight Diagnostics
HP Insight Diagnostics is a tool that displays information about the system hardware configuration
and performs tests on the system and its components (including hard drives if they are connected to
Smart Array controllers). This utility is available on the SmartStart CD and also on the HP website
(http://www.hp.com/servers/diags
).
Diagnosing array problems 30
Electrostatic discharge
Preventing electrostatic discharge
To prevent damaging the system, be aware of the precautions you need to follow when setting up the
system or handling parts. A discharge of static electricity from a finger or other conductor may damage
system boards or other static-sensitive devices. This type of damage may reduce the life expectancy of the
device.
To prevent electrostatic damage:
• Avoid hand contact by transporting and storing products in static-safe containers.
• Keep electrostatic-sensitive parts in their containers until they arrive at static-free workstations.
• Place parts on a grounded surface before removing them from their containers.
• Avoid touching pins, leads, or circuitry.
• Always be properly grounded when touching a static-sensitive component or assembly.
Grounding methods to prevent electrostatic discharge
Several methods are used for grounding. Use one or more of the following methods when handling or
installing electrostatic-sensitive parts:
• Use a wrist strap connected by a ground cord to a grounded workstation or computer chassis. Wrist
straps are flexible straps with a minimum of 1 megohm ±10 percent resistance in the ground cords.
To provide proper ground, wear the strap snug against the skin.
• Use heel straps, toe straps, or boot straps at standing workstations. Wear the straps on both feet
when standing on conductive floors or dissipating floor mats.
• Use conductive field service tools.
• Use a portable field service kit with a folding static-dissipating work mat.
If you do not have any of the suggested equipment for proper grounding, have an authorized reseller
install the part.
For more information on static electricity or assistance with product installation, contact an authorized
reseller.
Electrostatic discharge 31
Regulatory compliance notices
European Union regulatory notice
This product complies with the following EU Directives:
• Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC
• EMC Directive 2004/108/EC
Compliance with these directives implies conformity to applicable harmonized European standards
(European Norms) which are listed on the EU Declaration of Conformity issued by Hewlett-Packard for this
product or product family.
This compliance is indicated by the following conformity marking placed on the product:
This marking is valid for non-Telecom products and EU harmonized Telecom products (e.g. Bluetooth).
This marking is valid for EU non-harmonized Telecom products.
*Notified body number (used only if applicable—refer to the product label)
Hewlett-Packard GmbH, HQ-TRE, Herrenberger Strasse 140, 71034 Boeblingen, Germany
BSMI notice
Regulatory compliance notices 32
Korean class A notice
Battery replacement notice
This component uses a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack.
WARNING: There is a risk of explosion, fire, or personal injury if a battery pack is
mishandled. To reduce this risk:
• Do not attempt to recharge the batteries if they are disconnected from the controller.
• Do not expose the battery pack to water, or to temperatures higher than 60°C (140°F).
• Do not abuse, disassemble, crush, or puncture the battery pack.
• Do not short the external contacts.
• Replace the battery pack only with the designated HP spare.
• Battery disposal should comply with local regulations.
Batteries, battery packs, and accumulators should not be disposed of together with the general
household waste. To forward them to recycling or proper disposal, use the public collection system
or return them to HP, an authorized HP Partner, or their agents.
For more information about battery replacement or proper disposal, contact an authorized reseller or an
authorized service provider.
Taiwan battery recycling notice
The Taiwan EPA requires dry battery manufacturing or importing firms in accordance with Article 15 of
the Waste Disposal Act to indicate the recovery marks on the batteries used in sales, giveaway or
promotion. Contact a qualified Taiwanese recycler for proper battery disposal.
Regulatory compliance notices 33
Acronyms and abbreviations
ACU
Array Configuration Utility
ADG
Advanced Data Guarding (also known as RAID 6)
ADU
Array Diagnostics Utility
ASIC
Application Specific Integrated Circuit
BBWC
battery-backed write cache
IML
Integrated Management Log
ORCA
Option ROM Configuration for Arrays
POST
Power-On Self Test
RBSU
ROM-Based Setup Utility
Acronyms and abbreviations 34
Index
A
ACU (Array Configuration Utility) 11
adding drives 25
ADU (Array Diagnostic Utility) 29
Array Configuration Utility (ACU) 11
array controller installation overview 7
Array Diagnostic Utility (ADU) 29
array expansion 25
array, configuring 11
array, moving 24
automatic data recovery (rebuild) 22
B
batteries, replacing 15
batteries, specifications 5
battery pack LEDs 28
battery replacement notice 33
board components 5
boot controller, setting 12
BSMI notice 32
C
cache, features 5
compromised fault tolerance 20
configuring an array 11
connectors 5
controller board, features of 5
controller board, installing 9
controller installation, overview of 7
controller LEDs 27
controller options, replacing 15
controller order, setting 12
D
data recovery 20, 22
data transfer rate 5
device drivers, installing 14
diagnostic tools 29
drive failure, detecting 19
drive LEDs 18
drivers 14
drives, moving 24
E
electrostatic discharge 31
environmental requirements 5
error messages 19, 29
European Union notice 32
expanding an array 25
extending logical drive capacity 25
F
failure, hard drive 19
fault tolerance, compromised 20
firmware, updating 10
G
grounding methods 31
guidelines, replacing hard drives 21
H
hard drive capacity, upgrading 24
hard drive LEDs 18
hard drive, failure of 19, 20
hard drive, replacing 21
hard drives, adding 25
hard drives, determining status of 18
hard drives, maximum number of 5
hard drives, moving 24
hard drives, types supported 5
I
IML (Integrated Management Log) 29
Insight Diagnostics 29
installation overview 7
Integrated Management Log (IML) 29
K
Korean notices 33
Index 35
L
LEDs, battery pack 28
LEDs, controller 27
LEDs, hard drive 18
logical drive capacity extension 25
logical drive, creating 11
logical drives, maximum number of 5
M
Management Agents, updating 14
moving an array 24
moving drives 24
O
Option ROM Configuration for Arrays (ORCA) 11,
12
ORCA (Option ROM Configuration for Arrays) 11,
12
overview of installation process 7
P
T
Taiwan battery recycling notice 33
temperature requirements 5
troubleshooting 27, 29
U
unconfigured server, installation in 7
updating the firmware 10
upgrading drive capacity 24
physical drives, maximum number of 5
POST error messages 19, 29
power requirements 5
preparation procedures 9
previously configured server, installation in 7
R
RAID levels supported 5
rebuild, abnormal termination of 23
rebuild, description of 22
rebuild, time required for 22
regulatory compliance notices 32, 33
replacing hard drives 18
replacing the batteries 15
ROM, updating 10
runtime LEDs 27
S
spares, battery pack, part number 5
specifications, controller 5
static electricity 31
status lights, battery pack 28
status lights, controller 27
status lights, hard drive 18
storage capacity, increasing 24
summary of installation procedure 7
Index 36
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