Using the ServeRAID DOS Configuration Program

^{IBM-AUSTRIA - PC-HW-Support 30 Aug 1999}

Using the ServeRAID DOS Configuration Program

Using the ServeRAID DOS Configuration Program

To start the ServeRAID Configuration Utility program:

Insert the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Diskette into the primary diskette drive and turn on the system.
If the system is already turned on, shut down and restart the system.
Each time the system starts, the PC ServeRAID Adapter performs a power-on self-test (POST).
The POST checks the configuration information for the PC ServeRAID Adapter and for the configured hard disk drives.
1. If POST does not detect changes in the adapter configuration or any adapter hardware problems, continue with step b.
2. If you have multiple ServeRAID adapters installed in the system, you will see a screen with multiple adapters.
  The screen may not look exactly like this one.
Note: In the upper-right corner of the screen, you see Ver. x.xx. On your screen, the x.xx is replaced with the version number of the configuration program.
You can install multiple ServeRAID adapters in the server, but you must configure each adapter separately.
Refer to the documentation that comes with the server to determine the maximum number of PCI adapters you can install in the server.
Use the Up Arrow ( ) or Down Arrow ( ) key to highlight your choice, then, press Enter. The Main Menu appears.
If you have only one ServeRAID adapter installed in the server, the Main Menu appears, as shown in the following figure.
To choose an option from the Main Menu, type the highlighted number of the menu item, or use the Up Arrow ( ) key or Down Arrow ( ) key to highlight your choice, then, press Enter. You also can press Esc to return to the previous menu, the previous work area of a screen, or to the beginning of the Main Menu.

To restore or convert disk array information when you upgrade from an IBM PCI ServeRAID Adapter or an IBM Streaming Adapter to an IBM PC ServeRAID Adapter:

From the Main Menu, select Advanced Functions.
Select Restore/Convert Saved Config.

Note: You cannot convert all ServeRAID configurations created for an IBM PCI ServeRAID or an IBM Streaming RAID Adapter for use with the IBM PC ServeRAID Adapter. Since the IBM PC ServeRAID adapter/controller only supports data arrangement using the right asymmetric method, a configuration using the left symmetric arrangement is not supported. Restore/Convert Saved Configuration displays a message in the status area whenever it detects a left symmetric data arrangement configuration.
If this message appears, follow the instructions on the screen to continue. Be sure that all cable connections from the drives to the IBM PC ServeRAID Adapter are the same as they were when using the IBM PCI ServeRAID Adapter or IBM Streaming RAID Adapter.

To 'fine tune' the ServeRAID subsystem for optimal performance:

From the Main Menu, select Advanced Functions.
Select Change ServeRAID Parameters.

You can control the following parameters:

Stripe unit size - defines the stripe unit size of the data close to the size of the system I/O requirements. The default setting is 8K bytes.
Note: Once a stripe unit is chosen and data is stored on the logical drives, the stripe unit cannot be changed without destroying data on the logical drives.
Rebuild priority - sets the priority of the execution order of the rebuild I/O requests with respect to system I/O requests. You can change the Rebuild Priority without affecting data in the logical drives. The default setting is High .
Unattended mode - enables/disables the PC ServeRAID Adapter or Controller to resolve configuration-related conflicts without user intervention. The default setting is Off .
Read ahead - enables/disables the cache read ahead up to the end of the stripe unit. You can change the Read Ahead without destroying data in the logical drives. The default setting is On .

To set a basic configuration:

From the Main Menu, select Advanced Functions.
Select Init/View/Synchronize Config.

When you choose Initialize Configuration:

all defined logical drives and arrays are deleted
all attached drives are reset to Ready
the configuration Host ID changes to 'Null Configuration.'
'Start Device' is issued to all drives.

The PC ServeRAID Adapter stores its ServeRAID configuration in its NVRAM (Battery-Backup Cache), FLASH (EEPROM), and on all physical hard disk drives that are part of a logical drive. An option is provided to view the configuration from all of these sources.

You may also choose a source (hard disk drive, FLASH, NVRAM (Battery-Backup Cache)) from which to synchronize the ServeRAID configuration. For example, you may do this when a new ServeRAID adapter/controller is used to replace a defective one. We recommend using the hard drive, since it refreshes information in the buffers about the drive firmware levels.

The PC ServeRAID Adapter also maintains a list of all changes to its ServeRAID configuration. A power-on change list, wrong SCSI ID list, and an unidentified drive list are updated when devices are added or moved. Changes to the states of the devices also change this list. An option is provided to view all of this information.

To display the PC ServeRAID Adapter status or to write a new adapter configuration Host ID:

From the Main Menu, select Advanced Functions.
Select Display/Change Adapter Params.

You can also change the PC ServeRAID Adapter SCSI channel ID and speed.

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