RAID 10 Poweredge T310

Question

HI,

I have a RAID 10 in a Poweredge T310 with a PERC S-100 controller. Server 2088 R2

A year ago I changed a drive over and everything went well once I figured out what t do. Since then a second drive failed and when I did the same procedure things have been very different. Here's the scenario:

Four 500gb Drives:

0,0 500

0,1 500

0,2 500

0,3 500

I replaced 0,3 and it was recognized by the system for me to assign it as a hot spare.

I then used OMSA 7.3 to look at the configuration and it showed me this:

In the RAID 10 virtual disk I have:

Span 0

0,1

0,3

Span 1

0,2

Where is 0,0?

Ok, I went to look at the physical drives in OMSA and I noticed that drive 0,0 had the option to assign as a global spare! Well I never replaced 0,0 so why all of a sudden do I have this option. My guess is, if I assign the drive as a global spare then it will add it to the VD BUT I'm concerned because isn't this the first drive in the array? Also, again, why is this option available to this drive?

I'm afraid to do this and blow away the whole RAID 10.

Ok, let's add some more misery to this.

I then decided to download the later version of Dell's OMSA, version 8.1. When I did this and installed it I got a totally different scenario. It only showed two drives in the Array and labeled it critical. I'm not sure if that's the version update or not so I re-installed 7.3.

Should I assign Drive 0,0 as a global hot spare even though it wasn't replace? Will I blow away everything if I do.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

Sj9000 · Answer

HI Robert,

Thank you for your reply.

The VD is in a degraded state. I will check on the firmware but the link that you suggested looks like it's for a 32 bit system and the OS (Server 2008 R2) is a 64 bit. Should I still use this driver or is there a 64 bit driver.?

Steve

Sj9000 · Answer

Hi Robert,

I think that's where the problem is. Initially the failed drive was the 4th drive (0,3). I replaced that and set it up as a hot spare. Once I got into the OMSA, it showed that drive exisiting in the VD BUT the first drive (0,0) wasn't in the VD. I then went to the physical drives and I could make the first drive a hot spare even though I never replaced it. I haven't chosen to do that because of the fear that being the first drive may cause the RAID to fail completly. Am I wrong and why is the first drive now allowing me to use it as a hot spare?

Sj9000 · Answer

I just downloaded the bios updated (64 bit version 19 mb) and it was suppose to execute when downloaded. I chose the run option and it came back with an that it couldn't install and to look online for a solution. Did I do something wrong?

Sj9000 · Answer

Update on BIOS. I rebooted the server and then ran the install. The BIOS install was successful.

I didn't see anything different in the OMSA after this update. Would there be a difference in the BIOS which I would have to go onsite and down the server to look?

Sj9000 · Answer

Hi Robert,

Ok, here's the status:

Drives:

0,0 Ready Assign Global Hot Spare

0,1 Online Unassign Global Hot Spare (This one I replaced last Year)

0,2 Online No Task

0,3 Online No Task (this is the one I replaced a few days ago)

I verified the 0,3 drive by its serial number and firmware and it is the drive that I just replaced. From everything above it would seem all I have to do is assign 0,0 as a hot spare but it never was replaced. The only difference between that drive and the others is its firmware, 18B1B0 versus the other 3, 02B1B0.

Sj9000 · Answer

Hi Robert,

Thanks for the reply.

I will re-check my data but when I went into the OMSA, I looked at the details of the drive that I had replaced and it was drive 0,3 (4th drive) not 0,0. At first I thought that maybe the OMSA was reading the drives backwards but the details of the new drive match to 0,3.

Ill check the states of each drive shortly and get back to you.

Sj9000 · Answer

Hi Robert,

Here's the problem. I'm concerned about doing this because I never replaced this drive. Second, in the BIOS, it tells me that I can't assign the first drive as a global hot spare because it is already part of the VD. Now the BIOS issue was before I updated the BIOS to the latest revision. Maybe it will tell me different when I go to my customer later today.

My question is why would OMSA being telling me to assign this first drive, 0,0 as a global hot spare if I never changed it in the first place? Will i possible blow away the RAID 10 since this is the first drive?

FYI, I have re-scanned the drives during this process. Not sure if that means anything.

Also, I am using OMSA version 7.3. As I mentioned earlier, version 8.x gave me very different results. I understand there is a version 7.4. Is there any version you recommend?

Thanks

Steve

Sj9000 · Answer

Hi Robert, Do you mean serial number or product id or sas or vendor id

Sj9000 · Answer

Here's an example : Disk 0,3 and 0,1 WDC5002ABYS-02B1B0 Disk 0,0 and 0,2 wdc5002ABYS-18B1B0

Sj9000 · Answer

Hi Robert, Here's the rest of the info. Thanks Steve

Sj9000 · Answer

Ok, Here's a picture of the drives. 0,0 is the top one going down to 0,3 Is that want you need. (0,3 is the one that I recently replaced.)

Sj9000 · Answer

HI Robert,

Since my last post I noticed in the BIOS the following:

If I "view my virtual Disk" I get

Drive 0,0 is online, but in RED

Drive 0,1 is online as a spare in Green

Drive 0,2 is online in Green

Drive 0,3 is online as a spare in Green.

In the OMSA (ver 7.4 now) I show that drive 0,0 has the option to be assigned as a global spare.

Does the "red" color in the bios mean the drive is in predictive faiure?

Should I assign it as a spare (if it actually will) and then

Wait until it rebuilds

After it rebuilds, replace it and do the process all over again.

Please remember that this is drive 0 and could I get in trouble if I do something with it like, assigning as a global spare and/or replacing it.

Thanks

Steve

Sj9000 · Answer

HI Robert,

Did you have a chance to review the information that I sent regarding the hard drives in the server?

Also, since then I took the chance to make Drive 0,0 a global spare and when I did this it would not assign the drive because it mentioned that it wasn't the right size (with more info). This isn't true because before all this happened it was part of the RAID 10 without issues.

You mentioned earlier in the conversation that the PERC S100 needed updating of its firmware but then mentioned by updating the BIOS to the latest version would also update the PERC S100. Would that still be true?

Also, your last response mentioned about updating the firmware of the drives and that's where we left off.

Thanks

Steve

Sj9000 · Answer

Hi Robert,

I called Western Digital and they said that they can't be updated by the drive manufacturer (WDC) but by the Server (Poweredge T310). (That didn't seem to happen).

Should I get drives that say Dell Certified and should I have them match the firmware, which I believe the original firmware was 18B1B0?

If I get firmware that says 02B1B0 and it is Dell certified, can that be upgraded to the 18B1B0 or does it even need to be?

If I called Dell, what number can I call to get the drives that I know will work in the Poweredge T310?

Thanks Steve

PowerEdge HDD/SCSI/RAID

RAID 10 Poweredge T310

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