Replacing MD3200i Controller

Hello waggin,

It is best to clear the configuration from the controller before inserting into your MD3200i. Now if you remove the battery from the controller for about 15min that should clear the configuration on the controller. Once you insert the controller into your MD3200i while the controller is offline if the firmware needs to be upgraded to match the current controller firmware and then it will copy the configuration from the working controller.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

We have two raid controllers and One of the RAID controller battery pack unit is saying need replacement. I read the steps from recovery guru as below,

1) Power off the hosts connected to SAN. wait till cache light stops.

2) Bring Raid controller which needs battery replacement to Offline mode.

3) Remove the controller and replace the battery. Insert the controller bring it to online mode and then start the host.

Is this the correct steps? while doing this will the raid controller wipes the configuration in it?

Hello Biju Kunjumon,

The steps you have posted are correct.  The raid configuration will be copied from your working controller to your replacement controller.  If there is a firmware mismatch of your controllers, then the replacement controller will use the firmware of the working controller.

Please let us know if you have any other questions.

Nice. What about the controller's license? Will it copy from one to another?

Hi,

I need to replace a controller on MD3200 , I don't know the steps to be taken, what are the steps to be done in order?.

If I take the controller offline and physically remove it and insert a new one, will all the information from the controller be automatically retrieved?.

Also; there is probably information about another device in the product I will install, I want to clear them and do a new installation.

Hi,

After you insert the new controller, wait about 10 minutes for it to sync up with the existing one. During this time, it will copy all the settings and firmware from the working controller, including all your virtual disk information. Usually, you won’t need to shut everything down, but try to keep data activity to a minimum to avoid any issues. You can follow up below steps. But if you don't be ensure yourself, I could recommend getting help from an expert.

• Try to limit any data transfers or activity to avoid issues.
• Power off any devices connected to the storage system to prevent data loss.
• Use the Dell PowerVault software to take the bad controller offline.
• a. Please open the Modular Disk Storage Manager and connect to the Storage which shows the Failure.
• b. Than click the Hardware.
• c. Then select the controller in the rear view of the device. (Selected is shown with blue outline).
• d. Now click Advanced > Recovery > Place RAID Controller Modul > Offline.
• Physically take out the faulty controller from the MD3200.
• Put the new controller into the same slot where the old one was.
• Give it about 10 minutes to sync up with the existing controller. During this time, it will copy all the necessary settings and firmware from the working controller.
• Once the syncing is done, bring the new controller online using the software.

Hope that helps!

@DELL-Erman O​ Hi again,

thank you for replying . I will try to change it today.

I hope everything goes well

@DELL-Erman O​ I want to ask one last thing , 

Can I set up a test environment? for MD3200 .Can you give me information about which program I should use to do this?

Can you give me information about which program I should use to do this?create virtual device

Hi, unfortunately, we cannot make any recommendations or provide any guidance regarding configuration. However, we will have users in our community who will share their experiences. I think you may try it out on a virtual machine that can be made using virtualization. Let's see how our community continues!

Hi Again,

I removed the controller and checked the battery. When I measured it with the measuring device, I saw that there was no problem with the battery. Provides DC 6.7v output

When I plugged the controller back in, it did not pull data from the working device and all the lights are on.

I don't know what to do in this situation please help

Do I need to initiate recovery from the working controller? I also need rs232 connection diagram for console connection

Hi,

It seems that the controller has 2 LEDs that should not be lit. You might want to check the MDSM to see if there is any error stated. You can try using the console, here's a reference from an old post: https://dell.to/4gSacGt