RAID or Non-Raid - How to determine it?

There is a hardware RAID (which would have been your PERC) and then there is a software RAID - this is a mirror managed by the Windows (Disk Management) software.  If all the drives are connected to SCSI, then Windows will see each individual drive, and Windows may be managing some sort of RAID configuration on them.  (In hardware RAID, Windows is oblivious to the fact that it is running on a RAID array.)

If you are able to remove one of the drives, that would suggest RAID, but if Windows recognizes all the drives individually, then it will be a software RAID (or the drive  you removed is not the system/boot drive.)

If you are looking to implement hardware RAID, you can enable RAID in the BIOS (provided you have all the RAID components - memory, battery, key).  Switching to RAID will make current SCSI data unreadable.

Thank you.

Software RAID - was not aware that such a option was available.

Regarding Channel 0 (which is the two boot drives, no matter which drive I remove, 0-0 or 0-1, Windows starts.  The Storage Manager shows each drive individually, and they are partitioned exactly alike.  So, it behaves as if mirrored, that is Windows boot up from the remaining drive,

Must be software RAID.

Appreciate the new insight.

Thank you.

On a second PE2850, it has a PERC 4e/Di controller, and the DSET utility says that it is "embedded". 

Question: Does "embedded" mean that it is built into the motherboard?  I was thinking about changing the software RAID on server #1 to a hardware RAID using the controller on PE #2.

This may seem dumb, but the servers are long out of warranty and I am using them as a teaching aid. I have the Dell publication "Getting Started With Raid" but it does not cover the devices needed to make a RAID system.  If there is such a publication, would appreciate a download link or such.

Thank you again.

Edit: In my wonderings, the system BIOS has "SCSI enabled" for the section named "Embedded RAID Controller".  One of the other options is "RAID Enabled". Does this mean I have all the necessary hardware in place to create a RAID configuration or is this just the first step to creating the configuration, the next step being to add the necessary hardware?

You know what they say ... there are no dumb questions.  If you have one, let us know.

Yes, embedded means built-in, however, on the 2850, the embedded controller is on the PCI Riser rather than the motherboard.  I believe you will always see the Embedded RAID controller option in the BIOS, but it will only work in RAID mode if the requisite hardware is in place.  If you have the RAID components installed, then you should see an option to hit CTRL-M to enter the configuration utility for the PERC 4e/Di.  You will set up the RAID first, then install the OS (unless you use Dell's installation utility).

Here is a video on creating a RAID 10 - creating a different RAID level is very similar:

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/entvideos/raid10%20perc4%20bios?c=us&l=en&s=gen

Here is some documentation on the PERC 4 family - there is also some basic information on RAID in there:

<ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>

"Getting Started With RAID"

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/RAID/RAIDbk0.pdf

Maybe no dumb questions...but dumb users?

Using the document "Activating the Integrated RAID Controller " I have the KEY (a 'T' shaped printer circuit board about midway along the power supply), the memory module (a DIMM mounted horizontally about midway along the length of the server chassis framed by a silver frame), and I am guessing the RAID batter ( a white circular paper disc beneath the RAID Memory Module).

In the BIOS, change 'integrated devices', from SCSI to RAID.

When restarting the PE 2850, I got a message "Unresolved configuration mismatch between disk(s) and NVRAM"

Changed the NVRAM jumper to clear.

Did not make the error go away.

What is this error trying to tell me?

Thank you all.

Craig

RAID configuration settings are stored in the controller's NVRAM and on each drive.  When the system boots, it checks to see if the configurations match.  If they do not, it tells you so you can choose which you want to use.  Remember that anything you had on the drives in SCSI mode will be written over and erased once you start doing things in RAID mode ... just wanted to be clear on that. 

To get rid of the NVRAM mismatch message so you can configure the RAID and begin your OS install, go into CTRL-M>Configure>Clear Configuration.  You now have a clean slate to create a new array.  You can configure the RAID in Configure>View/Add Configuration, selecting each drive you want in the array by hitting the space bar for each drive, then F10.

There is only one way to make it go away - resolve the mismatch.  If it is still giving you the message, then go to Configure>View/Add ... it should ask you which you want to view - NVRAM or Disk.  Select one (shouldn't matter when starting from scratch), then you should be able to clear it.

Is there an alternate way to clear the message.  I will try again, but I could almost swearI did the clear configuration.  Also tried the NVRAM jumper by the DIMM slots.

I think understanding the concepts of RAID is a lot easier that getting one to run. 

THANK you theflash1932

Good ... glad 'we' got it going!  I'll look ya up if I'm ever in town!