Using OpenManage to Configure Array

Question

Server: PowerEdge 2900 with 4 SAS HDs and PERC5/i integrated controller
OS: Win2003 R2 32bit version

I installed Dell OpenManage software from CD that comes with the server.

CD Title: Installation and Server Management (bootable CD) version 5.1
Includes: Dell OpenManage Server Assistant, Dell OpenManage Server Administrator

Install options are:

Server Administrator
|- Server Administrator Web Server (I did not select this option)
|- Storage Management (I selected this option only)

Installation completed successfully. I see several new services applet running. However, I don't see any links that gives me a GUI access to my RAID configuration. How am I suppose to access the Graphical Interface?

Am I supposed to install "Server Administrator Web Server"? This box already runs IIS. Will Dell web server interfere with IIS? Thanks much.

Message Edited by rj1127 on 11-15-200603:21 PM

rj1127 · Answer

Answering my own question :-)   Apparently  Server Administrator Web Server must be installed in order to get to the graphical console (using a browser). Doesn't seem to interfere with IIS installation since it is installed separately from IIS and uses http secure on port 1311. Nice GUI. I am now checking its features and capabilities. It doesn't look like I can delete the RAID5 array and reconfigure it as RAID10 with this OpenManage tool. I may have to do it through RAID BIOS (CTRL-R) Message Edited by rj1127 on 11-15-200606:12 PM

DELL-GaryS · Answer

That's correct, you cannot reconfigure an array to have a smaller usable space. RAID 5 with 4 drives has 3 drives worth of usable space, and a RAID 10 with 4 drives, has two drives worth of usable space.

DELL-GaryS · Answer

You edited your previous posting to ask another question concerning if you should split the drives between busses for your RAID 10.    The RAID 10 is the only RAID configuration where it makes sense to do a split bus configuration.   The Dell implementation of RAID 10 is actually a striping of mirrors or 0+1.   You will want to mirror across the split, so that if you lose a channel, your data will still be online.   your configuration for a 4 drive RAID 10 split across two busses will look like:   A0-0 online Array 0 A0-1 online Array 1 A1-0 online Array 0 A1-1 online Array 1   You will gain a little performance (more gain if the number of drives saturates a single bus), and a little more avoidance of a single point of failure.

DELL-GaryS · Answer

I was suspecting that you did not want to lose the data, in which case to 'reconfigure' a 4 or 5 drive RAID 5 to RAID 10, you'll need 6 drives for the 4 drive, and 8 drives for the 5 drive. Message Edited by DELL-GaryS on 11-16-200611:05 AM

Dev Mgr · Answer

You would indeed need to backup your data go into the perc bios and create a raid 10 of 4 drives, and then restore your data (or just reinstall the OS).

rj1127 · Answer

I suppose I have to delete the virtual disk to reconfigure the array, right? Now, can OpenManage software do that? I mean if I deleted the array, I'll lose data on the array. Problem is, the OS and OpenManage is installed there.

rj1127 · Answer

Ah, I got it. I know what RAID10 is. I got 4 HDs of 136.12GB each. Current capacity in RAID5 is about 408.36GB (136.12GB x 3). I'm not going to worry about capacity. I know I'll end up with less (136.12GB x 2 = 272.24GB) usable volume and that is perfectly fine.

DELL-GaryS · Answer

Use the control R to do the configuration, Clearing the configuration then create your RAID 10.    Raid 10 is mirroring, and striping, it requires 2 times as many drives for a given capacity.    For a capacity of 2 drives, a RAID 5 uses 3 drives, but a RAID 10 uses 4 drives   For a capacity of 3 drives, a RAID 5 uses 4 drives, but a RAID 10 uses 6 drives  For a capacity of 4 drives, a RAID 5 uses 5 drives, but a RAID 10 uses 8 drives   For a capacity of 5 drives, a RAID 5 uses 6 drives, but a RAID 10 uses 10 drives (This is the maximum # of internal drives on a PE2900.)

rj1127 · Answer

6 for the 4? 8 for 5? Now this is a bit confusing. I'm sorry, I'm lost.

The server comes with 4 physical HDs configured as RAID5. It's a new server, we just bought it. We got almost nothing in it other than OS so I don't care if I lose data. I will reinstall the OS once I have RAID10.

My goal is to break (or delete) the RAID5 array and reconfigure the 4 HDs as RAID10. Data is not important. What do you recommend? Use OpenManage or CTRL-R to get to RAID BIOS? Thanks for quick response.

Btw, do I have to rearrange the physical hard disks? move them from 1 slot to another? Current configuration is as follows:

PERC 5/i Integrated (Embedded)
  Battery
  Connector 0 (RAID)
     Enclosure (Backplane)
        Physical Disks
  Connector 1 (RAID)
  Firmware/Driver Versions
  Virtual Disks

As you can see, there is nothing connected on "Connector 1". All 4 HDs are connected to Connector 0. Should I rearrange them?

Message Edited by rj1127 on 11-16-200611:27 AM

rj1127 · Answer

That is correct. After submitting my edited post, I saw your reply. Sorry about that.   Drive banks/slots configuration (from top to bottom - it's a PE2900 tower): 3  2  1  0 7  6  5  4   Currently all 4 HDs are in slot 3 2 1 0. Remove HDs in slot 3 and 2, move the into slot 5 and 4. Correct? No rewiring required right? Thanks for your fast responses.

DELL-GaryS · Answer

If you do not already have the second channel connected to SCSI B, you will need to connect the cable. (Some configurations will require the daughter card for the backplane), see the service manual online in the manuals section on support.dell.com.

rj1127 · Answer

I see a card plugged into INT STORAGE slot (on motherboard). I suppose that is the daughter card but correct me if I am wrong. Cables are attached to CNTRL-0 and CNTRL-1 on the daughter card and the other end is connected to SAS_A and SAS_B (respectively) connectors on the backplane. Backplane looks something like this:

I suppose this server is ready for RAID10 configuration. If so, going back to my previous question, which drives should I move? Move HDs in bay 2, 3 to bay 4, 5? Or should I move HDs in bay 0, 1 to bay 6, 7?

rj1127 · Answer

Thru RAID BIOS (ctrl R), I deleted 'Virtual Disk 0' (RAID5). Then I created a new Virtual Disk, selected RAID level 10, and checked all 4 HDs. I ended up with this:   Physical Disks  Span 0     01:00     01:01  Span 1     01:04     01:05   I moved 2 HDs from bay 2 and 3 to bay 4 and 5. I am initializing a 270GB RAID10 virtual disk now. Next step is OS re-installation. Thanks much for your help, Gary.   Message Edited by rj1127 on 11-16-200605:57 PM

rj1127 · Answer

Sorry, I got one more question. My RAID10 configuration looks like: http://img82.imageshack.us/my.php?image=span0kv5.jpg and http://img294.imageshack.us/my.php?image=span1ke2.jpg   I am now using both RAID channels. Now... my question is, how are the disks striped and mirrored?   According to Gary's previous post: 'The Dell implementation of RAID 10 is actually a striping of mirrors or 0+1. You will want to mirror across the split, so that if you lose a channel, your data will still be online.'   So the 2 HDs attached to Connector0 are striped and the other 2 attached to the other channel is the mirror set? Did I get that right? Just curious.

DELL-GaryS · Answer

Hi,    I see you're looking at the physical disks... The configuration I was talking about would be that of the logical disk, the RAID 10 is configured with two mirrors under a stripe. Disks 0 and 4 would be mirrored, and 1 and 5 would be mirrored, and then the two mirrors are treated as one larger drive, which is reported to the OS. With this configuration, you could lose 0 and 1, OR 4 and 5, and still run. If you configure the mirrors in the same channel... 0 mirrored with 1, and 4, with 5, then your array goes offline if you lose a channel.

PowerEdge HDD/SCSI/RAID

Using OpenManage to Configure Array

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