IBM-AUSTRIA - PC-HW-Support    30 Aug 1999

DRIVES may NOT AUTOMATICALLY REBUILD in RAID ENVIRONMENT

    Record number:       H164810
    Device:              D/T8660
    Model:               M
    Hit count:           UHC00000
    Success count:       USC0000
    Publication code:    PC50
    Tip key:
    Date created:        O98/08/31
    Date last altered:   A98/10/01
    Owning B.U.:         USA

Abstract: DRIVES may NOT AUTOMATICALLY REBUILD in RAID ENVIRONMENT

SYMPTOM:

Drive(s) replaced in a ServeRAID II Logical RAID 1 or RAID 5, are not rebuilt automatically.

PROBLEM ISOLATION AIDS:

•  The system is one of the following:

    Netfinity server 5500, Type 8660, all models.
    PC Server 330, Type 8640, model Pxx or xxY.

•  The system is properly configured with one or more  ServeRAID II Adapters.
•  The ServeRAID II controller is supporting RAID1 and/or RAID5  logical drives.
•  The ServeRAID II controller's firmware level is 2.82.
•  The system is configured with supported Hot-Swap Hard Drives.
•  The Auto-Rebuild feature was set to "Enabled" when the  Array(s) were originally created.

NOTE: All IBM ServeRAID adapters and IBM Servers with IBM ServeRAID technology integrated on the controller are shipped with the Hot-Swap Rebuild feature DISABLED.
Those customers who have accepted the default settings, will not be affected by this.
This note only applies to customers who have used the IBM ServeRAID configuration program to enable this feature at the setup time.

FIX:

The auto rebuild feature will be "Enabled" by default in a future release of the ServeRAID II firmware, (2.86 and higher).

WORKAROUND:

When DDD drives are replaced in a system, the user must manually start the rebuild process. The user may use the IBM ServeRAID administration program (for NT 4.0 servers/clients or Window 95 clients), the IBM ServeRAID configuration program or the IPSSEN D command line interface to start the rebuild.

To rebuild using the IBM ServeRAID configuration utility use the following steps.

To rebuild a physical drive, do the following:

1.  Start the ServeRAID configuration program (refer to "Starting  the Configuration Program").
2.  Select Rebuild/Device Management from the Main Menu, then,  press Enter.
3.  Select Rebuild Drive from the Rebuild/Device Management menu.
    The cursor is active in the Array/Bay selection list.
4.  A pop-up window appears. Select one of the following.

    Select Same Location if you physically replaced a hard disk  drive in the same bay, then, press Enter. A Confirm pop-up  window appears. Select Yes and continue with step 5.

    Select New Location to assign a hard disk drive in a new  location. Use the Up Arrow or Down Arrow keys to select the  replacement drive that you want to use for the rebuild  operation, then, press Enter.

    Information and status messages about each stage of the rebuild  process appear on the screen. Continue with step 5.

5.  When the rebuild process completes, press Esc to return to  the Main Menu. The new configuration is saved.
6.  Backup the new configuration to a diskette (refer to "Backup  Up Your Disk-Array Configuration").
7.  Select Exit to leave the ServeRAID configuration program.
8.  Remove the diskette and press Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart the  server.

1.  Click on the DDD device on the Main Screen of the  Administration and Monitoring Utility.
2.  Click on Rebuild Device.
3.  Select a RDY drive for the reconstructed data, or click on OK  to use the same bay if you have replaced the device.
4.  The reconstruction automatically begins and reports progress  information on the screen.

1.  Only one Rebuild operation can be performed at a time.
2.  The Rebuild operation changes the hard disk drive state from  DDD to RBL if the array contains a CRT logical drive. After  the Rebuild operation completes, the hard disk drive state  changes from RBL to ONL. (If you have rebuilt to a RDY drive,  the DDD drive is removed from the disk array and becomes a  defunct hot-spare (DHS).)
3.  The hard disk drive being rebuilt must be the same size or  larger than the failed drive.
4.  If a hot-spare (HSP) drive is available, a Rebuild operation  will start automatically.
5.  If multiple hot-spare (HSP) drives are available, the adapter  searches all the bays on each channel for a hot-spare drive of  the appropriate size. The first appropriate hot-spare drive  found enters the Rebuild (RBL) state.

DETAILS:

All IBM ServeRAID adapters and IBM Servers with IBM ServeRAID technology integrated on the motherboard are shipped with the Hot-Swap Rebuild feature DISABLED.

Those customers who have accepted the default settings, will not be affected by this. This note only applies to customers who have used the IBM ServeRAID configuration program to enable this feature at the setup time.

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