• Select Read-Ahead if you want the controller to use read-ahead on the current logical drive.
  
  
• Select No-Read-Ahead if you do not want the controller to use read-ahead.
  
  
• Select Adaptive Read-Ahead if you want the controller to initiate read-ahead only if the two most recent read requests accessed sequential sectors of the disk. If subsequent read requests access random sectors of the disk, the controller reverts to No-Read-Ahead policy. The controller continues to evaluate whether read requests are accessing sequential sectors of the disk, and can initiate read-ahead if necessary.
  
  

For more information on read, write, and cache polices, see Understanding Read, Write, and Cache Policy.

If Express mode is selected, the next screen is Default Disk Selection, which displays the disks that are automatically selected by Array Manager.

5. Click Next to continue.
   
   

The Completing the Create Virtual Disk wizard dialog box appears next.

6. Click Finish to create a virtual disk or Back to return to the previous screen. Array Manager confirms the creation of the virtual disk.
   
   

On Windows NT, Array Manager displays a Rescan Disk Layout check box on the last panel of the Create Virtual Disk wizard. When the Rescan Disk Layout check box is selected, Array Manager automatically performs a rescan. A rescan may be necessary for the new virtual disk to be displayed under the Disks object in the tree view. If the Rescan Disk Layout check box is not selected when you create the virtual disk, you can perform a rescan at a later time by using the Rescan command.

Each virtual disk is automatically mapped to a Microsoft Windows NT or Windows 2000 disk. For example, if Virtual disk 0 is mapped to NT/2000 Disk 0, the Array Manager console will display Virtual disk 0 as "Virtual Disk 0 (Disk 0)," and NT/2000 disk 0 as "Disk 0 (Virtual Disk 0)."

If a virtual disk is not mapped to an NT/2000 disk, please reboot the system.

7. Add a write signature to the virtual disk.
   
   

When a virtual disk is created with PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers, a write signature is not automatically written to the disk. Windows NT and Windows 2000 require a write signature on virtual disks. For instructions on writing a disk signature, see the section Write a Disk Signature in the Disk Management chapter. This topic is also covered in the Tutorial chapter in the section Write a Signature.

Deleting Virtual Disks

Use this procedure to delete virtual disks on PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers.

Caution All data on the virtual disk is lost when the disk is deleted.

Because of PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controller hardware constraints, virtual disks must be deleted in the reverse order of their creation. In other words, the last disk that you created must be deleted first.

To delete a virtual disk:

1. Right-click the last virtual disk that was created.
   
   
2. Click Delete. A confirmation dialog box appears. Click OK to continue. The virtual disk disappears from the left pane.
   
   
3. If the disk was not the last one created, a message appears that asks you to delete the most recently created virtual disk first.
   
   
4. Reboot your system. This step is optional but highly recommended. You should reboot your system after deleting a virtual disk and before creating new ones. This ensures that the operating system recognizes the disk configuration correctly.
   
   

Note If you delete a virtual disk and immediately create a new virtual disk with all the same characteristics as the one that was deleted, the controller will recognize the data as if the first virtual disk were never deleted. In this situation, if you don't want the old data after recreating a new virtual disk, reinitialize the virtual disk.

Reconfiguring Virtual Disks

This section summarizes how you can change the virtual disk configuration by using the following commands:

• Add Member — Expands virtual disk capacity by adding one or more array disks; also allows changing a virtual disk's RAID level.
  
  
• Transform Type — Changes the RAID level of a virtual disk.
  
  

Note You can also change the cache policy of a virtual disk by using the command Change Policy, which is described in the next section.

Add Member

Use this function to add array disks to a virtual disk. You can also change the virtual disk's RAID level.

Note If you add a member to a virtual disk that shares array disk storage with another virtual disk, you may not be able to create or delete virtual disks on the controller. Whenever you create a virtual disk that you plan to expand later with the Add Member command, it is recommended that you use the entire capacity of its member array disks.

To add array disks to a virtual disk using Add Member:

1. Right-click a virtual disk.
   
   
2. Click Add Member. A Virtual Disk Add Member dialog box appears. The available disks are listed in the left pane. You can choose appropriate ones to add by selecting them and using the Add Disk button to move them to the right pane.
   
   
3. Choose the RAID level in the pull-down list Virtual Disk Type.
   
   
4. Click OK to continue or Cancel to cancel the operation.
   
   

Add Member shows progress information in the right pane. To view the progress, click the parent of the virtual disk. The status of the virtual disk will be Reconstructing, and progress information will display until the Add Member operation is finished. At the end of the operation, the Type category shows the changed RAID level, if the RAID level was changed.

5. Right-click the computer object in the Array Manager tree view and select Rescan. A rescan is required before the virtual disk can use the extra space. On a Windows system, you also need to reboot the system in order for Windows to have access to the additional storage.
   
   

Transform Type

Use the Transform Type function to change the RAID level or stripe size of a virtual disk without adding or removing disks. The following is a list of supported RAID level migrations:

• RAID-1 to RAID-0
  
  
• RAID-5 to RAID-0
  
  

To transform the virtual disk type:

1. Right-click the virtual disk for which you want to transform the type.
   
   
2. The Virtual Disk Transform Type dialog box appears. Select the RAID Type or Stripe Size from the available choices.
   
   
3. Click OK to continue or Cancel to quit the operation.
   
   
4. A warning dialog appears asking you whether to continue. Click Yes to continue.
   
   
5. Transform Type displays progress information in the right pane. To view the progress, click the parent of the virtual disk. The status of the virtual disk will be Reconstructing, and progress information will display until the operation is finished. At the end of the operation, the Type category shows the changed RAID level.
   
   

Understanding Read, Write, and Cache Policy

When creating a virtual disk, you specify the read, write, and cache policies for the virtual disk. The following describes how each of these policies functions.

Read Policy

The read policies indicate whether or not the controller should read sequential sectors of the logical drive when seeking data. The read policies are as follows:

• Read-Ahead. When using read-ahead policy, the controller reads sequential sectors of the logical drive when seeking data. Read-ahead policy may improve system performance if the data is actually written to sequential sectors of the logical drive.
  
  
• No-Read-Ahead. Selecting no-read-ahead policy indicates that the controller should not use read-ahead policy.
  
  
• Adaptive Read-Ahead. When using adaptive read-ahead policy, the controller initiates read-ahead only if the two most recent read requests accessed sequential sectors of the disk. If subsequent read requests access random sectors of the disk, the controller reverts to no-read-ahead policy. The controller continues to evaluate whether read requests are accessing sequential sectors of the disk, and can initiate read-ahead if necessary.
  
  

Write Policy

The write policies specify whether the controller sends a write-request completion signal as soon as the data is in the cache or after it has been written to disk. The write policies are as follows:

• Write-Back Caching. When using write-back caching, the controller sends a write-request completion signal as soon as the data is in the controller cache but has not yet been written to disk. Write-back caching may provide improved performance since subsequent read requests can more quickly retrieve data from the controller cache than they could from the disk. Write-back caching also entails a data security risk, however, since a system failure could prevent the data from being written to disk even though the controller has sent a write-request completion signal. In this case, data may be lost. Other applications may also experience problems when taking actions that assume the data is available on the disk.
  
  
• Write-Through Caching. When using write-through caching, the controller sends a write-request completion signal only after the data is written to the disk. Write-through caching provides better data security than write-back caching, since the system assumes the data is available only after it has been safely written to the disk.
  
  

Note Write-through caching is the default write policy setting when cluster mode is enabled. In cluster mode, the PERC 2/DC only allows write-through caching.

Cache Policy

The Direct I/O and Cache I/O cache policies apply to reads on a specific logical drive. These settings do not affect the read-ahead policy. The Direct I/O and Cache I/O cache policies are as follows:

• Cache I/O. Specifies that all reads are buffered in cache memory.
  
  
• Direct I/O. Specifies that reads are not buffered in cache memory. When using direct I/O, data is transferred to the controller cache and the host system simultaneously during a read request. If a subsequent read request requires data from the same data block, it can be read directly from the controller cache. The direct I/O setting does not override the cache policy settings. Direct I/O is also the default setting.
  
  

Virtual Disk Management

This section describes the following commands that are used to manage virtual disks:

• Change Policy
  
  
• Configure Dedicated Hot Spare
  
  
• Check Consistency
  
  
• Initialize Virtual Disks
  
  
• Blink Virtual Disk
  
  
• Unblink Virtual Disk
  
  
• Properties
  
  

Change Policy

Use this function to change the cache policies of a virtual disk.

To change the cache policy of a virtual disk:

1. Right-click the virtual disk.
   
   
2. Click Change Policy to display the Virtual Disk Change Policy dialog box.
   
   
3. Use the drop-down menus to specify the read and write polices. For more information on the read and write policies, see Understanding Read, Write, and Cache Policy.
   
   

Note Write-through caching is the default write policy setting when cluster mode is enabled. In cluster mode, the PERC 2/DC only allows write-through caching.

Configure Dedicated Hot Spare

Use this command to assign and configure a dedicated hot spare for a virtual disk. If one of the array disks belonging to the virtual disk fails or is removed, then the virtual disk becomes degraded. A degraded virtual disk that has a properly configured hot spare automatically rebuilds onto that hot spare.

You can configure a dedicated hot spare for virtual disks using RAID 1, 10, 5, and 50.

Hot spares created with the Configure Dedicated Hot Spare command are dedicated to a virtual disk. They will only be used if an array disk in the virtual disk fails. When you dedicate a hot spare for a virtual disk, you may notice that other virtual disks are also assigned the same hot spare. This is because the dedicated hot spare applies to all virtual disks that use the same array disks as the virtual disk for which you are configuring the hot spare.

To remove the dedicated hot spare and return the array disk to its normal status, use the Remove a Dedicated Hot Spare procedure.

For more information on hot spares, see Understanding Hot Spares.

Note Configuring a dedicated hot spare for a virtual disk is highly recommended.

To configure a dedicated hot spare:

1. Right-click a redundant virtual disk and click Configure Dedicated Hot Spare....
   
   
2. Assign the disk or disks you want to configure as hot spares by highlighting the disk in the left panel and clicking the Add Disk>> button to move the disk to the right panel of the Virtual Disk Dedicated Hot Spare Configuration dialog box.
   
   
3. Click OK.
   
   

Note The configure dedicated hot spare function is not available on the PERC 2/SC and PERC 2/DC controllers.

Remove a Dedicated Hot Spare

Use this operation to remove a dedicated hot spare from a virtual disk. This operation returns an array disk that was previously configured as a dedicated hot spare to its normal status.

Note When removing a hot spare that was created with the Configure Dedicated Hot Spare menu option, be aware that multiple virtual disks may be using the hot spare. This is because the hot spare applies to all virtual disks that use the same array disks as the virtual disk for which the hot spare was created. Removing a dedicated hot spare removes the hot spare from all of these virtual disks.

To remove a dedicated hot spare:

1. Right-click the redundant virtual disk for which you are removing the dedicated hot spare and click Configure Dedicated Hot Spare....
   
   
2. Specify the disk or disks that you are removing as hot spares by highlighting the disk in the right panel and clicking the <<Remove Disk button to move the disk to the left panel of the Virtual Disk Dedicated Hot Spare Configuration dialog box.
   
   
3. Click OK.
   
   

Check Consistency

This function checks mirror synchronization and rebuilds parity if necessary. You also use this function if your disk is in a degraded state. Running Check Consistency may be able to restore your disk to Ready status.

To check consistency and restore redundancy:

1. Right-click the virtual disk to be checked.
   
   
2. Click Check Consistency.
   
   
3. The Check Consistency operation displays progress information in the right pane. To view the progress, click the parent of the virtual disk. The status of the virtual disk will be Resynching, and progress information will display until the operation is finished.
   
   

Initialize Virtual Disks

Use this procedure on any virtual disk on a PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controller system. The virtual disk will be formatted by this operation. Note that you need to initialize before using any virtual disk.

Caution Initializing a virtual disk destroys any data that is on the disk.

To initialize a virtual disk:

1. Right-click the virtual disk that you want to initialize.
   
   
2. Click Initialize. In the right pane, the status of the disk will be Initializing until the operation is finished.
   
   

Blink Virtual Disk

The Blink Virtual Disk command allows you to locate the array disks included in a virtual disk by blinking the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the array disks. This command will automatically cancel after a short duration such as 30 or 60 seconds.

Unblink Virtual Disk

The Unblink Virtual Disk command allows you to cancel the Blink Virtual Disk command before the 30 or 60-second threshold has been reached.

Properties

This command brings up a window that shows the properties associated with the virtual disk.

Array Group Commands

This section describes the commands available on the Array Group context menu. These commands are:

• Create Virtual Disk
  
  
• RAID Policy
  
  
• Reset Configuration
  
  
• Properties
  
  

Create Virtual Disk

For more information about this command, see the section Creating Virtual Disks in this chapter.

RAID Policy

This command and the concepts associated with it are discussed in detail in the Policy-Based Storage Management chapter.

Reset Configuration

Use Reset Configuration to erase all information on the controller, so that you can perform a fresh configuration.

This operation will destroy any existing virtual disks on the controller. A warning is displayed before the operation is performed. You can cancel the execution at this step.

To reset a configuration:

1. Right-click an array group and click Reset Configuration.
   
   
2. You will now need to reconfigure your controllers and virtual disks.
   
   

Caution Resetting a configuration permanently destroys all data on these virtual disks.

Properties

This command brings up a window with the properties of the array group.

Array Disk Commands

This section describes the following commands for working with array disks:

• Format
  
  
• Rebuild
  
  
• Assign Global Hot Spare
  
  
• Unassign Global Hot Spare
  
  
• Online Array Disk
  
  
• Offline Array Disk
  
  
• Prepare to Remove
  
  
• Properties
  
  

Format

The Format command does a low-level formatting of the array disk. This command is only available for array disks that have an unknown state.

To format an array disk:

1. Right-click the disk that you want to format.
   
   
2. Click Format. The right pane shows the status of the format. The status appears as Formatting until the operation is finished.
   
   

Rebuild

The Rebuild function is enabled only when a disk has failed. You can rebuild failed disks only in redundant arrays.

To rebuild a failed disk:

1. Right-click the failed disk that you want to rebuild.
   
   
2. Click Rebuild. In the right pane, the status of the disk is Rebuilding and a progress bar shows the percentage of completion.
   
   

Assign Global Hot Spare

A global hot spare is an unused backup disk that is part of the array group. Hot spares remain in standby mode. When an array disk in a virtual disk fails, the assigned hot spare will be activated to replace the failed array disk without interrupting the system or requiring your intervention.

You can change the hot spare disk assignment by unassigning a disk and choosing another disk to assign, as needed.

For more information on hot spares, see Understanding Hot Spares. For information on using hot spares with cluster-enabled controllers, see Recommendations for Hot Spares and Cluster Controllers.

Note Global hot spares must be assigned and unassigned manually. They are not assigned to specific virtual disks. The hot spare should always be equal in size to the largest disk in the array.

To assign a global hot spare:

1. Right-click the array disk that you wish to use as a hot spare.
   
   
2. Click Assign Global Hot Spare.
   
   
3. To confirm the successful completion of the operation, check the properties displayed in the right pane. The status of the array disk must be Ready and type must be Global Spare Array Disk.
   
   

Unassign Global Hot Spare

Use this operation to unassign the global hot spare disk.

To unassign a global hot spare:

1. Right-click the disk that is assigned as a hot spare.
   
   
2. Click Unassign Global Hot Spare.
   
   
3. To confirm the successful completion of the operation, check the properties displayed in the right pane. The status of the array disk must be Ready and type must be Array Disk.
   
   

Online Array Disk

You can set to Online only an array disk that is part of a virtual disk that has been set to Offline.

To online an array disk:

1. Right-click the disk that you want to set to Online.
   
   
2. Click Online. In the right pane, the status of the disk is changed from Offline to Online.
   
   

Offline Array Disk

To offline an array disk:

You can set to Offline only an array disk that is part of a virtual disk that has been set to Online.

1. Right-click the disk that you want to set to Offline.
   
   
2. Click Offline. A confirmation dialog box appears.
   
   
3. Click OK to continue. In the right pane, the status of the disk will be changed from Online to Failed.
   
   

Prepare to Remove

Use this procedure to prepare for removing an array disk from a PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controller.

Before you remove any physical disk from an enclosure, it is recommended that you perform this operation to prevent data loss.

To prepare to remove an array disk:

1. Right-click the disk that you want to remove.
   
   
2. Click Prepare to Remove, then click Yes to continue.
   
   
3. When the lights on the disk you have prepared to remove stop blinking, the disk is ready to be physically removed.
   
   

The disk that you have prepared to remove will not be displayed in the Array Manager tree view. After you have replaced this disk, it is displayed once again in the tree view.

Blink

The Blink command allows you to find an array disk within an enclosure by blinking one of the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the disk. This command automatically cancels after a short duration such as 30 or 60 seconds. You may want to use this command to locate an array disk that has failed.

Unblink

The Unblink command allows you to cancel the Blink command before the 30 or 60-second threshold has been reached.

Properties

Use this command to display the array disk properties.

Note Array disks for the PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC and 3/QC controllers display Ready status if they are not part of a virtual disk and Online status if they are part of a virtual disk.

PERC Subsystem Commands

The PERC subsystem has the following commands on its context menu:

• View Report
  
  
• Save
  
  
• Properties
  
  

View Report

This command allows you to view a report on the PERC subsystem.

Save

This command allows you to save the controller configuration.

Properties

Use this command to view the properties of the PERC subsystem.

General Controller Commands

This section describes the following general controller operations:

• Rescan Controller
  
  
• Flush Cache
  
  
• Enable Alarm
  
  
• Disable Alarm
  
  
• Rebuild Rate
  
  
• Properties
  
  

Rescan Controller

This operation can be used to check whether there are any new disks that were attached after a configuration was set.

1. Right-click the controller you want to rescan.
   
   
2. Click Rescan Controller. After the operation is finished, the console is refreshed and the newly attached disks (if there are any) will appear under the Array Disk Group object and under the controller object.
   
   

Note The removal of an array disk within a virtual disk is reflected immediately in the console, whereas an addition is reflected only by performing the Rescan operation. Array disks that are not part of virtual disks will not be polled for status changes.

Flush Cache

The Flush Cache option forces the PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers to write the contents of cache memory onto the virtual disks. You may want to use this option if you find your application or disks in an unstable condition.

Enable Alarm

Use this function to enable the controller alarm setting. When enabled, the alarm sounds in the event of a device failure.

To enable alarm:

1. Right-click a controller.
   
   
2. Click Enable Alarm.
   
   

Disable Alarm

Use this function to disable the alarm. If disabled, the alarm does not sound in the event of a device failure.

To disable alarm:

1. Right-click a controller.
   
   
2. Click Disable Alarm.
   
   

Quiet Alarm

Use this function to quiet the alarm once it is sounding. Once quieted, the alarm is still enabled in the event of a future device failure.

To quiet alarm:

1. Right-click a controller.
   
   
2. Click Quiet Alarm.
   
   

Rebuild Rate

Use this command to change the rebuild rate settings.

Properties

This command displays controller attributes.

To view properties:

1. Right-click the appropriate controller.
   
   
2. Click Properties. A Controller Properties dialog box appears showing Name, Vendor, Status, Type, Firmware Version, and Cache Size of the controller.
   
   

General Channel Commands

This section describes the following general SCSI channel commands:

• Rescan Channel
  
  
• Properties
  
  

Rescan Channel

This operation can be used to check whether there are any new disks that were attached to the SCSI channel after a configuration was set.

To rescan a channel:

1. Right-click the channel you want to rescan.
   
   
2. Click Rescan. After the operation is finished, the console is refreshed and the newly attached disks (if there are any) appear under the Array Disk Group object and under the channel object.
   
   

Note The removal of an array disk within a virtual disk is reflected immediately in the console, whereas an addition is reflected only by performing the Rescan operation. Array disks that are not part of virtual disks will not be polled for status changes.

Properties

This command displays channel attributes.

To view channel properties:

1. Right-click the channel for which you want to view the properties.
   
   
2. Click Properties. A Channel Properties dialog box appears showing Name, Vendor, Status, Type, and Channel Termination.
   
   

Array and Volume Migration

This section describes array and volume migration for the PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers.

Required Conditions

After some planning and preparation, it is possible to migrate array disks, virtual disks and array volumes between one controller and another, between one enclosure and another, or between one server and another. You can perform array and volume migration on PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers as long as the following conditions are met:

1. PERC 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC virtual disks cannot be migrated to a PERC 2/SC or PERC 2/DC controller. PERC 2/SC and PERC 2/DC virtual disks can be migrated to a PERC 3/DCL, 3/DC, or 3/QC controller.
   
   
2. When moving the array disks from one enclosure to another, the SCSI ID for each disk must remain the same.
   
   
3. When moving the arrays disks from one enclosure to another or when moving an external enclosure from one server to another, the enclosure must be connected to the same channel number on the controller as in the original condition.
   
   

In the case where a virtual disk consists of array disks on multiple channels, each array disk must be migrated to an enclosure that is connected to the same channel number that the array disk or enclosure was originally connected to. This also prevents migration of disks on channel 1 of a PERC 2/DC controller to a PERC 2/SC controller because the PERC 2/SC has only the single channel 0.

4. A virtual disk cannot be migrated between the PERC 2, PERC 2/Si, PERC 3/Si, and PERC 3/Di controller family and the PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controller family.
   
   
5. A virtual disk cannot be migrated from one controller to another unless the receiving controller's configuration has been cleared.
   
   
6. Virtual disks from one controller cannot be merged with virtual disks from another controller.
   
   

Migrating Virtual Disks and Volumes to Another System

To migrate virtual disks and volumes from one system to another, do the following:

1. Shut down the system that the array disks are being moved from.
   
   
2. If the receiving controller has a preexisting virtual disk configuration on attached array disks, use the following procedure for clearing the configuration:
   
   
   • Shut down the receiving server.
     
     
   • Remove all the array disks from the controller.
     
     
   • Start up the receiving server and clear the configuration from the controller BIOS. After making the changes, power down the server when it indicates to reboot the system.
     
     
3. If the receiving controller does not have a preexisting virtual disk configuration, then shut down its server.
   
   
4. Place the array disks into the new enclosure.
   
   
5. Start up the system connected to the receiving controller. When the system connected to the new enclosure comes up, use the BIOS access (Ctrl-M) to update the controller configuration with the information saved on the array disks. Exiting the BIOS access will require one more reboot of the system.
   
   

The migration is complete. The virtual disk is now manageable through Array Manager.

Saving the New Controller Configuration

Use the following procedure to enter the controller BIOS configuration screens to save the new configuration:

1. Reboot the PowerEdge server.
   
   
2. Enter the PowerEdge RAID Controller BIOS by pressing Ctrl+M when prompted during the power on self test (POST) of the controller during the bootup sequence.
   
   
3. Select the Configure menu option and press Enter.
   
   
4. Select View/Add Configuration and press Enter.
   
   
5. Two choices will appear; choose Disk configuration.
   
   

This will read the data on the array disks to restore the RAID controller's proprietary configuration information. Press Esc and save the new configuration when prompted.

6. Reboot the system.
   
   

FlexRAID Virtual Sizing

FlexRAID virtual sizing is a feature of PERC 2/SC and PERC 2/DC controllers. When enabled, the operating system sees your virtual disk as an arbitrarily large disk, typically 1024 GB, instead of its actual size. This lets you add and remove array disks of different sizes to your configuration without having to reboot the system.

Note This feature is not recommended for use on a Windows 2000 server. It can be used on a Windows NT 4.0 server.

This section on FlexRAID virtual sizing has the following topics:

• Enabling FlexRAID Virtual Sizing
  
  
• FlexRAID Virtual Sizing Enabled and Disabled
  
  
• Retained FlexRAID Virtual Sizing Characteristics
  
  
• FlexRAID and Dynamic Volumes
  
  

Enabling FlexRAID Virtual Sizing

This feature is specific to each virtual disk. You create the virtual disk first in Array Manager. Then you must exit Array Manager, reboot the system to bring up the PERC 2/SC or PERC 2/DC controller BIOS utility, and then enable virtual sizing on that virtual disk through a command in the utility.

To enable FlexRAID virtual sizing:

1. After booting the system, when you see "PowerEdge Expandable RAID Controller", press Ctrl+M to enter the BIOS configuration utility.
   
   
2. Select Objects.
   
   
3. Select Logical Drives.
   
   
4. Select any logical drive, such as Logical Drive 0. Logical drives and virtual disks are the same.
   
   
5. Select View/Update Parameters.
   
   
6. Go to FlexRAID Virtual Sizing = ... and select Enabled.
   
   
7. Exit the BIOS configuration utility and reboot.
   
   

FlexRAID Virtual Sizing Enabled and Disabled

To understand the differences between having FlexRAID virtual sizing enabled and disabled, do the following:

1. On a Windows NT 4.0 operating system, create a 4-GB virtual disk.
   
   
2. Perform an Add Member operation to increase the size of the virtual disk to 8 GB.
   
   

You will see the following differences:

• With FlexRAID virtual sizing disabled, when you try to create a volume, Windows NT indicates that you have a maximum of 4 GB to use for the volume.
  
  
• With FlexRAID virtual sizing enabled, when you try to create a volume, Windows NT indicates that you have a maximum of 1024 GB to use for the volume. You actually have only 8 GB.
  
  

Retained FlexRAID Virtual Sizing Characteristics

In Array Manager, if you delete a virtual disk with FlexRAID virtual sizing enabled and then create another virtual disk in its place, that disk will retain the deleted disk's FlexRAID virtual sizing characteristics. For example, if you just deleted six virtual disks with virtual sizing enabled on them and create eight new ones, you should still see virtual sizing on the first six of them, but not on the last two. To avoid having retained virtual sizing characteristics from deleted virtual disks, reboot before creating new virtual disks.

FlexRAID and Dynamic Volumes

FlexRAID virtual sizing does not work with dynamic volumes. On Windows NT, after upgrading a basic disk that has FlexRAID virtual sizing enabled to a dynamic disk, it will display the actual size of the disk. After reverting this disk back to basic, it will again display the virtual size of 1024 GB. On Windows 2000, you will not be able to upgrade a basic disk to dynamic if FlexRAID virtual sizing is enabled. You do not need FlexRAID virtual sizing on a Windows 2000 machine because you can add storage and create and modify dynamic volumes without having to reboot.

Controller Issues

This section on controller issues covers the following topics:

• Array Manager and PERC Console Compatibility Issues
  
  
• Controller Rebuild Rate
  
  
• Drive Status Changes
  
  
• S.M.A.R.T. Alerts
  
  

Array Manager and PERC Console Compatibility Issues

Both Array Manager and PERC Console programs can be installed on the same server. However, only one program can be used to configure PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers at any given time. To maintain the integrity of storage device configuration, simultaneous use of Array Manager and PERC Console is not supported. It is strongly recommended that Array Manager and PERC Console not be used at the same time on the same server.

Controller Rebuild Rate

During a rebuild, the complete contents of an array disk are reconstructed. A rebuild operation can take place during normal operation, but it will degrade performance.

The rebuild rate is the fraction of the compute cycles dedicated to rebuilding failed array disks. The PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC rebuild rate can be configured between 0% and 100%. At 0%, the rebuild is done only if the system is not doing anything else. At 100%, the rebuild has a higher priority than any other system activity; the system is totally dedicated to rebuilding the failed array disks.

You can reduce the rebuild rate to maintain system performance during the rebuild operation. However, a reduced rebuild rate extends the rebuild time.

Drive Status Changes

Because of hardware restrictions, the PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/DCL, 3/SC, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers will not detect a drive status change until I/O is attempted. For example, when an unconfigured drive is removed, the controller will not detect the change until a manual rescan is done or other I/O operations are attempted.

S.M.A.R.T. Alerts

The PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers will not report S.M.A.R.T. alerts for unassigned or hot spare drives.

Enclosure Management

The PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, and 3/QC controllers support enclosure management. This section describes how enclosure management works and then details the specific enclosure management commands. The specific topics in the section are:

• Enclosure Management Overview
  
  
• Enclosure Commands
  
  
• Enclosure Procedures
  
  
• Enclosure Properties
  
  

Enclosure Management Overview

Array Manager enables management of various enclosures and their components. These enclosures include:

• Dell PowerVault 200S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 201S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 210S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 211S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 220S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 221S
  
  

In addition to managing the array disks contained in the enclosure, you can monitor the status of the enclosure's fans, power supply, and temperature probes. You can view these components in the Array Manager tree view.

Array Manager displays the properties of the enclosure's fans, power supply, and temperature probes. Array Manager also notifies you of enclosure status changes through events that are displayed on the Events tab and logged in the Windows 2000 and Windows NT event log.

The following sections provide more information on the enclosure components managed by Array Manager:

• Enclosure Components in the Tree View
  
  
• Thermal Shutdown
  
  
• Enclosure Array Disks
  
  
• Enclosure Fans
  
  
• Enclosure Power Supplies
  
  
• Enclosure Temperature Probes
  
  

Enclosure Components in the Tree View

When you expand the storage subsystem object in the Array Manager tree view, you see the controllers attached to the storage subsystem. The controller object expands to display the controller's channels. These channel objects are numbered in the Array Manager tree view to match the channel number that appears on the controller hardware. (See the controller's documentation for information on identifying the channels on the controller hardware.) For example, if the controller has two channels numbered 0 and 1, then the channel objects in the Array Manager tree view are named Channel 0 and Channel 1.

If the controller has a channel connected to an enclosure, then this connection is reflected in the channel name displayed in the tree view. For example, if Channel 1 is connected to an enclosure, then the channel object's name in the tree view is Enclosure (Channel 1).

Expanding the enclosure channel object displays the enclosure's fans, power supply, and temperature probes. Each of these objects expands to display the individual fans and so forth provided by the enclosure.

In the following graphic, the enclosure object is expanded to show the fans, power supplies, temperature probes, and array disks included in the enclosure. Because the enclosure is connected to channel 2 of the controller, the enclosure's default name is Enclosure (Channel 2).

For more information on the enclosure's components, commands, and the array disks included in the enclosure, see the following sections:

• Enclosure Array Disks
  
  
• Enclosure Fans
  
  
• Enclosure Power Supplies
  
  
• Enclosure Temperature Probes
  
  
• Enclosure Commands
  
  

Thermal Shutdown

Enclosure management provides a feature which automatically shuts down the operating system, the server, and the enclosure when the enclosure's temperature reaches dangerous extremes. The temperature when shutdown occurs is determined by the enclosure temperature probe's Minimum Error Threshold and the Maximum Error Threshold. These thresholds are default settings that cannot be changed.

Thermal Shutdown for the PowerVault 20xS and 21xS Enclosures

The following enclosures:

• Dell PowerVault 200S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 201S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 210S
  
  
• Dell PowerVault 211S
  
  

require that the Dell OpenManage Server Agent 4.0.0 or later be installed on the managed node in order to provide full thermal shutdown functionality. When the Server Agent is installed, the operating system shuts down and the server powers off when the enclosure reaches 0 degrees celsius or 50 degrees celsius. After the server powers off, the enclosure also powers off. If the Server Agent is not installed, then only the operating system shuts down when the enclosure reaches 0 degrees celsius or 50 degrees celsius.

Thermal Shutdown for the PowerVault 220S and 221S Enclosures

For the Dell PowerVault 220S and Dell PowerVault 221S, the operating system and server shut down at 0 degrees celsius or 50 degrees celsius. These enclosures shut down when the temperature reaches 55 degrees celsius regardless of whether Array Manager is installed.

Related Information

For information related to the enclosure's temperature, see the following:

• Enclosure Temperature Probes
  
  
• Set Thresholds for Temperature
  
  
• Checking the Enclosure's Temperature
  
  

Enclosure Array Disks

The enclosure's array disks are displayed under the enclosure object in the tree view. Selecting an array disk in the tree view displays the disk's status information in the right pane. For more information on the status information displayed in the right pane, see the The Right Pane section.

If you right-click an array disk in the tree view, the Array Disks context menu is displayed. See Array Disk Commands for details on these commands.

Enclosure Fans

The fans that are installed in the enclosure are displayed under the Fans object in the tree view. You can select the Fans object to display the individual fans and their status information in the right pane. You can also expand the Fans object to display the individual fans in the left page.

If you right-click the Fans object or an individual fan, a context menu is displayed with a Properties option. For more information on fan properties, see Fan Properties.

Enclosure Power Supplies

The power supplies that are installed in the enclosure are displayed under the Power Supplies object in the tree view. You can select the Power Supplies object to display the individual power supplies and their status information in the right pane. You can also expand the Power Supplies object to display the individual power supplies in the left page.

If you right-click the Power Supplies object or an individual power supply, a context menu is displayed with a Properties option. For more information on power supply properties, see Power Supply Properties.

Enclosure Temperature Probes

The temperature probes that are installed in the enclosure are displayed under the Temperature Probes object in the tree view. You can select the Temperature Probes object to display the individual temperature probes and their status information in the right pane. The status information in the includes the current temperature in celsius and the warning and error thresholds for the temperature probe. The error threshold has a default value that cannot be changed. You can set the warning threshold, however. See Set Thresholds for Temperature for information on setting the warning threshold.

Right-clicking the temperature probes object in the left pane displays a context menu with a Properties option. You can also expand the temperature probe object to display the individual temperature probes in the tree view. Right-clicking an individual temperature probe also displays a context menu with a Properties option. This option enables you to set the minimum and maximum warning threshold for the temperature probe.

For information related to the enclosure's temperature, see the following:

• Checking the Enclosure's Temperature
  
  
• Set Thresholds for Temperature
  
  
• Temperature Properties
  
  
• Thermal Shutdown
  
  

Enclosure Commands

This section describes the commands associated with the enclosure and its fans, power supplies, and temperature probes. For the commands associated with an enclosure's array disks, see Array Disk Commands.

Right-clicking an enclosure object in the tree view displays a context menu with the enclosure commands. Right-clicking the enclosure's fans, power supplies, and temperature probes also displays context menu for these components.

The commands on the enclosure's context menu can vary depending on the model of the enclosure. Enclosure context menu commands may include:

• Rescan — Checks whether any new array disks and other components such as fans or temperature probes have been added to the enclosure.
  
  
• Enable Alarm — Enables an audible alarm that sounds whenever the fault LED lights.
  
  
• Disable Alarm — Turns off the audible alarm settings. If the alarm is already sounding, you can turn it off with this command.
  
  
• Set Tag Data — Allows you to enter or change asset information for the enclosure.
  
  
• Download Firmware — Allows you to download firmware to the enclosure.
  
  
• Enclosure Properties — Displays enclosure properties.
  
  
• Set Thresholds for Temperature — Sets the minimum and maximum values for the temperature warning threshold. This command is not located on the enclosure's context menu. It is located on the context menu for the individual temperature probes.
  
  

The context menu commands for fans, power supplies, and temperature are:

• Fan Properties — Displays fan properties.
  
  
• Power Supply Properties — Displays power supply properties.
  
  
• Temperature Properties — Displays temperature properties. To set the temperature threshold, expand the temperature probes object to display the individual temperature probes in the tree view. The properties for an individual temperature probe enable you to set the warning thresholds.
  
  

Rescan

Use this command to rescan the enclosure. The Rescan command identifies any new array disks, fans, temperature probes, and so forth that have been added to the enclosure.

To rescan the enclosure:

1. Right-click the enclosure object in the tree view.
   
   
2. Select Rescan from the context menu.
   
   

Enable Alarm

Use this command to enable the alarm. When enabled, the audible alarm sounds whenever the fault LED lights. This may occur to signal events such as:

• The enclosure temperature has exceeded the warning threshold
  
  
• A power supply, fan, or enclosure management module (EMM) has failed
  
  
• The split bus is not installed
  
  

To enable the enclosure alarm:

1. Right-click the enclosure object in the tree view.
   
   
2. Select Enable Alarm from the context menu.
   
   

Disable Alarm

Use this command to disable the enclosure alarm. When disabled, the alarm does not sound when the enclosure exceeds a warning threshold for temperature or experiences other error conditions such as a failed fan, power supply, or controller. If the alarm is already sounding, you can turn it off with this function.

To disable the alarm:

1. Right-click the enclosure object in the tree view.
   
   
2. Select Disable Alarm from the context menu.
   
   

Set Tag Data

Use this command to specify the asset tag information and the enclosure's name. When you specify the enclosure's name, the new name is displayed for the enclosure object in the tree view. You can also use this procedure to view the service tag number for the enclosure.

To specify the asset information or view the enclosure's service tag number:

1. Right-click the enclosure object in the tree view.
   
   
2. Select Set Tag Data from the context menu. This action displays the Set Tag Data Page dialog. This dialog has the following fields: two entry boxes which can be modified: Asset Tag and Asset Name.
   
   
   • Service Tag — Displays the enclosure's service tag number. This number is required when talking to Dell support. You could also use this number to identify a specific enclosure in your environment by matching this number with the number on the service tag affixed to the enclosure. For example, if you have multiple enclosures in your environment, and one of them experiences a failure, you can use the service tag number to identify which enclosure has failed. You cannot modify this field.
     
     
   • Asset Tag — Displays the asset tag information for the enclosure. You can modify this field to display information (such as an inventory number) useful for your environment.
     
     
   • Asset Name — Displays the name assigned to the enclosure. You can modify this field. The name specified in the Asset Name field is also the name for the enclosure displayed in the Array Manager tree view.
     
     
3. Specify the new values as required for the Asset Tag and the Asset Name.
   
   
4. Click Apply and then Ok to make the changes. Click Cancel to exit the function without accepting the changes.
   
   

Download Firmware

Use this command to download firmware to the enclosure. When you use this command, the firmware is downloaded to both of the EMM modules in the enclosure. This ensures that the firmware on both modules is at the same level.

Note The Download Firmware function is only available on the Dell PowerVault 220S and Dell PowerVault 221S enclosures.

To download firmware to the enclosure:

1. Right-click the enclosure object in the tree view.
   
   
2. Select Download Firmware from the context menu. This action displays the Firmware Download dialog.
   
   
3. Enter the path to the firmware in the Open field. You can also use the Browse button to locate the firmware.
   
   
4. Click Download Firmware once the correct path to the firmware is displayed in the Open field.
   
   

Set Thresholds for Temperature

Use this command to set the warning threshold for the enclosure's temperature probes.

1. Expand the enclosure object in the tree view. This action displays the lower-level objects contained in the enclosure.
   
   
2. Expand the Temperature Probes object in the tree view. This action displays the individual temperature probes.
   
   
3. Right-click the temperature probe for which you are setting the warning threshold and select Properties from the context menu. This action displays the Temperature Probe Properties dialog.
   
   

The Temperature Probe Properties dialog displays the current status of the temperature probe as well as the default values in celsius for the minimum and maximum error thresholds. The default values for the error thresholds indicate that the enclosure has reached a dangerous temperature that may cause damage. These default values cannot be changed.

4. Enter the desired value in celsius for the minimum and maximum warning thresholds in the Minimum Warning Threshold and the Maximum Warning Threshold fields. The warning thresholds indicate that the enclosure is approaching an unacceptably warm or cool temperature.
   
   

If you wish to apply your changes to all temperature probes in the enclosure, then select the Apply these values to all temperature probes in the enclosure check box.

5. Click Apply and then Ok to make the changes. Click Cancel to exit the function without accepting the changes.
   
   

For information related to the enclosure's temperature, see the following:

• Enclosure Temperature Probes
  
  
• Temperature Properties
  
  
• Checking the Enclosure's Temperature
  
  
• Thermal Shutdown
  
  

Enclosure Procedures

This section describes procedures commonly used in association with enclosures. For additional information on enclosure commands and properties, see Enclosure Commands and Enclosure Properties.

The enclosure procedures are as follows:

• Identifying an Open Channel for the Enclosure
  
  
• Making a New Hard Drive Visible to Array Manager
  
  
• Viewing Enclosure Status Information and Event Messages
  
  
• Checking the Enclosure's Temperature
  
  
• Identifying the enclosure's service tag number — The command that enables you to view the enclosure's service tag number from Array Manager is the Set Tag Data command. See Set Tag Data for more information.
  
  
• Preparing a hard drive for removal — The command that enables you to prepare a hard drive for removal is an array disk command. See Prepare to Remove for more information.
  
  
• Troubleshooting — For general information on troubleshooting procedures, see Troubleshooting.
  
  
• Removing the wrong drive — You can avoid removing the wrong drive by blinking the LED display of the drive you intend to remove. See Blink for more information. If you have already removed the wrong drive, see Recovering from Removing the Wrong Drive.
  
  

Identifying an Open Channel for the Enclosure

If you have not yet attached the enclosure to an open channel, you may need to identify a channel on the controller that can be used for this purpose. To identify an open channel:

1. Expand the Array Manager tree view until the controller object is expanded. When the controller object is expanded, the tree view displays the controller's channels. These channels are numbered starting from zero.
   
   
2. Identify a channel that is not attached to storage. When a controller's channel is attached to an enclosure or an array, the channel object can be expanded to display the disks included in the array or the enclosure. A channel object that cannot be expanded in the Array Manager tree view is an open channel not currently attached to storage. Array Manager displays a number for each channel. These numbers correspond to the channel numbers on the controller hardware. You can use these numbers to identify which open channel displayed in the tree view is the open channel on the controller hardware.
   
   

Making a New Hard Drive Visible to Array Manager

After adding a new hard drive or array disk, you may find that the hard drive is not visible in the Array Manager tree view. To make the new hard drive visible in the tree view:

1. Right-click the computer system object in the tree view.
   
   
2. Select Rescan from the context menu.
   
   

Viewing Enclosure Status Information and Event Messages

You can view the current status of an enclosure and its components. To view status information, select the object for which you wish to see the status in the tree view. In the right pane, the Status field indicates the current status. The possible values are:

• Ready — Indicates that the enclosure or its component is functioning normally.
  
  
• Offline — Indicates that the enclosure or its component is not accessible. The enclosure or its component may be removed.
  
  
• Failed — Indicates that the enclosure or its component has experienced a failure and is no longer functioning.
  
  

For information on enclosure events displayed in the Array Manager event log, see Events Generated by the PERC 2/SC, 3/SC, 2/DC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, 3/QC and the PERC 2, 2/Si, 3/Si, and 3/Di Controllers.

Checking the Enclosure's Temperature

To check the enclosure's temperature, select a temperature probe object in the tree view. The temperature reported by the temperature probe is displayed in celsius in the Current Value field in the right pane.

For information related to the enclosure's temperature, see the following:

• Enclosure Temperature Probes
  
  
• Set Thresholds for Temperature
  
  
• Temperature Properties
  
  
• Thermal Shutdown
  
  

Enclosure Properties

To display the enclosure properties, right-click the controller that is attached to the enclosure in the tree view and select Properties from the context menu.

The enclosure properties can vary depending on the model of the enclosure. Enclosure properties may include:

• Name — This field displays the name assigned to the enclosure. The name is comprised of the enclosure's name followed by the controller channel number to which the enclosure is connected. You can modify the default enclosure name using the Set Tag Data command. The enclosure's name is also displayed in the tree view. For more information on the naming convention for enclosure objects in the tree view, see Enclosure Components in the Tree View.
  
  
• Vendor — This field displays the enclosure vendor's name.
  
  
• Status — This field displays the current status of the enclosure. Possible values are:
  
  
• Ready — The enclosure is functioning normally.
  
  
• Degraded — The enclosure has suffered a failure of a component and is operating in a degraded state.
  
  
• Failed — The enclosure has suffered a failure of one or more components and is no longer functioning.
  
  
• SCSI Data Rate — This field displays the SCSI speed.
  
  
• Type — This field indicates the type of storage component. For enclosure properties, the value in this field is "Enclosure."
  
  
• Channel Termination — This field indicates whether the controller channel connected to the is an 8 bit chanel or a 16 bit channel. Possible values are:
  
  
• Narrow — Indicates an 8 bit channel.
  
  
• Wide — Indicates a 16 bit channel.
  
  
• Channel — This field displays the number of the controller channel connected to the enclosure. This number matches the channel number on the controller hardware.
  
  
• Product ID — This field displays the product ID of the enclosure.
  
  
• Enclosure ID — This field displays the enclosure processor's SCSI ID.
  
  
• Enclosure Configuration — This field indicates whether the mode in which the enclosure is operating. Possible values are:
  
  
• Joined Bus — Indicates that the enclosure is operating in joined-bus mode.
  
  
• Split Bus — Indicates that the enclosure is operating in split-bus mode.
  
  
• Clustered — Indicates that the enclosure is operating in cluster mode.
  
  

For more information on joined, split, and cluster modes, see the enclosure hardware documentation. For information on how to cable the enclosure to accommodate these different modes, see the enclosure's hardware documentation.

• Application Version — This field indicates the version of the upgradable firmware.
  
  
• Kernel Version — This field indicates the version of the non-upgradable firmware.
  
  
• EMM1 Firmware — This field indicates the version of the firmware loaded on the first Enclosure Management Module (EMM). Both modules should have firmware that is at the same level. You can verify the firmware version by comparing the values of the EMM1 Firmware and EMM2 Firmware fields. For information on downloading firmware to a module, see Download Firmware.
  
  
• EMM1 Part Number — This field displays the part number of the enclosure's first management module.
  
  
• EMM2 Firmware — This field indicates the version of the firmware loaded on the second Enclosure Management Module (EMM). Both modules should have firmware that is at the same level. You can verify the firmware version by comparing the values of the EMM1 Firmware and EMM2 Firmware fields. For information on downloading firmware to a module, see Download Firmware. If the enclosure has only one EMM module, this property is not displayed.
  
  
• EMM2 Part Number — This field displays the part number of the enclosure's second management module. If the enclosure has only one EMM module, this property is not displayed.
  
  
• Split Bus Part Number — This field displays the part number of the enclosure's split bus module.
  
  
• Backplane Part Number — This field displays the part number of the enclosure's backplane.
  
  

You can also display the properties for the following enclosure components:

• Fan Properties
  
  
• Power Supply Properties
  
  
• Temperature Properties
  
  

Fan Properties

To display the fan properties, right-click the fan object in the tree view and select Properties from the context menu.

The fan properties can vary depending on whether you select the Fans folder in the tree view or expand the Fans folder and select an individual fan. Fan properties may include:

• Name — This field indicates the name of the fan object as displayed in the tree view.
  
  
• Vendor — This field displays the fan vendor's name.
  
  
• Status — This field displays the current status of the fan. Possible values are:
  
  
• Ready — The fan is functioning normally.
  
  
• Failed — The fan has suffered a failure and is no longer functioning.
  
  
• Offline — The fan has been removed.
  
  
• Type — When the Fans folder is selected, the value in this field is Array Management which means the folder contains items that can be managed with Array Manager. When an individual fan is selected, this field indicates that the enclosure component is a fan.
  
  
• Speed — This field indicates the fan speed. Possible values are Fast, Medium, Slow, and Stopped.
  
  
• Fan Part Number — This field displays the part number for an individual fan.
  
  

Power Supply Properties

To display the power supply properties, right-click the power supply object in the tree view and select Properties from the context menu.

The power supply properties can vary depending on whether you select the Power Supplies folder in the tree view or expand the Power Supplies folder and select an individual Power Supply. Power Supply properties may include:

• Name — This field indicates the name of the power supply object as displayed in the tree view.
  
  
• Vendor — This field displays the power supply vendor's name.
  
  
• Status — This field displays the current status of the power supply. Possible values are:
  
  
• Ready — The power supply is functioning normally.
  
  
• Failed — The power supply has suffered a failure and is no longer functioning.
  
  
• Offline — The power supply has been removed. When a power supply is removed, the power supply's object in the Array Manager tree view is no longer displayed.
  
  
• Type — When the Power Supplies folder is selected, the value in this field is Array Management which means the folder contains items that can be managed with Array Manager. When an individual power supply is selected, this field indicates that the enclosure component is a power supply.
  
  
• Part Number — This field displays the part number for an individual power supply.
  
  

Temperature Properties

To display general properties for all of the temperature probes, right-click the top-level temperature probe object (the level directly under the controller object) and select Properties from the context menu. To set the temperature thresholds, see Set Thresholds for Temperature.

The temperature probe properties can vary depending on whether you select the Temperature Probes folder in the tree view or expand the Temperature Probes folder and select an individual temperature probe. Temperature probe properties may include:

• Name — This field indicates the name of the temperature probe object as displayed in the tree view.
  
  
• Vendor — This field displays the temperature probe vendor's name.
  
  
• Status — This field displays the current status of the temperature probe. Possible values are:
  
  
• Ready — The temperature probe is functioning normally.
  
  
• Degraded — The temperature probe has reached a warning temperature threshold.
  
  
• Failed — The temperature probe has suffered a failure and is no longer functioning.
  
  
• Type — When the Temperature Probes folder is selected, the value in this field is Array Management which means the folder contains items that can be managed with Array Manager. When an individual temperature probe is selected, this field indicates that the enclosure component is a temperature probe.
  
  
• Current Value — This field indicates the current temperature of the enclosure as reported by the temperature probe.
  
  
• Minimum Error Threshold — This field displays the temperature currently set as the minimum error temperature. The minimum error temperature indicates that the enclosure has become so severely cooled that loss of data or other failure may occur. When this temperature is reached, the operating system that writes data to the enclosure automatically shuts down. This field cannot be modified.
  
  
• Minimum Warning Threshold — This field displays the temperature currently set as the minimum warning temperature. The minimum warning temperature indicates that the enclosure is approaching an unacceptably cool temperature. Action should be taken to restore the enclosure to a normal temperature. Otherwise, data loss or other failure may occur.
  
  
• Maximum Warning Threshold — This field displays the temperature currently set as the maximum warning temperature. The maximum warning temperature indicates that the enclosure is approaching an unacceptably warm temperature. Action should be taken to restore the enclosure to a normal temperature. Otherwise, data loss or other failure may occur.
  
  
• Maximum Error Threshold — This field displays the temperature currently set as the maximum error temperature. The maximum error temperature indicates that the enclosure has become so overheated that loss of data or other failure may occur. When this temperature is reached, the operating system that writes data to the enclosure automatically shuts down. This field cannot be modified.
  
  
• Apply these values to all temperature probes in this enclosure — When this check box is selected, Array Manager applies your changes to all temperature probes in the enclosure.
  
  
• Reset Defaults — Click this button to reset the Minimum Warning Threshold and the Maximum Warning Threshold fields to their default values.
  
  

For information related to the enclosure's temperature, see the following:

• Enclosure Temperature Probes
  
  
• Set Thresholds for Temperature
  
  
• Checking the Enclosure's Temperature
  
  
• Thermal Shutdown
  
  

Enclosure Management Module (EMM)

The enclosure may contain one or more Enclosure Management Modules (EMMs). The EMM modules monitor components of the enclosure. These components include:

• Fans
  
  
• Power supplies
  
  
• Temperature probes
  
  
• The insertion or removal of a drive
  
  
• The LEDs on the enclosure
  
  

When the enclosure's alarm is enabled, the EMM activates the alarm when certain conditions occur. For more information on enabling the alarm and the conditions that activate the alarm, see Enable Alarm. For more information on EMMs, see the enclosure hardware documentation.

Naming Convention Differences

The terminology used in the Array Manager console differs from the terminology used in the PERC BIOS Configuration Utility. The table below shows a summary of these differences.

Naming convention differences between Array Manager and PERC BIOS Configuration Utility

Array Manager	PERC BIOS Configuration Utility
Controller	Adapter
Virtual Disk	Logical Drive
Array Disk	Physical Drive
Add Member/ Transform Type	Reconstruct

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