Dell Sas 6ir Manual

							SAS 6/iR BIOS39
Array 
StatusStatus of the current array
The status definitions are given as:
Optimal—All members of the array are online and ready.
Degraded—One or more members of a RAID 1 array have failed or are 
offline. The array can be returned to the Optimal state by replacing the 
failed or offline member.
Disabled—The array has been disabled
Quiesced—The array has been quiesced
Resync—The array is resynchronizing
Failed—The array has failed 
PermDegraded—The array is permanently degraded. This state indicates 
that the failure threshold on the primary member was reached while no 
secondary was available for correction. The data on the array may be 
accessible, but the array cannot be returned to the optimal state.
Inactive—The imported array is inactive. The array must be activated 
before it can be accessed.
Device 
Slot 
NumberSlot number in which the specified device sits
Device 
IdentifierIdentifier text for the specified device
RAID Disk Specifies whether or not the disk is part of a RAID array (Yes or No). This 
field is grayed out under the following conditions:
 The disk does not meet the minimum requirements for use in a RAID 
array.
 The disk is not large enough to mirror existing data on the primary 
physical disk.
 The disk is a part of another array.
Hotspare Specifies whether or not the disk is a hotspare Table 6-2.  Array Field Descriptions (continued)
Field Description
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							40SAS 6/iR BIOS
Drive 
StatusOk - Disk is online and fully functional.
Missing - Diskette is not detected.
Failed - Disk is not accessible or has reported a failure.
Initing - Disk is initializing.
CfgOffln - Disk is offline at hosts request.
UserFail - Disk is marked failed at hosts request.
Offline - Disk is offline for some other reason.
Inactive - Disk has been set to inactive.
Not Syncd - Data on disk is not synchronized with the rest of the array.
Primary - Disk is the primary disk for a 2 disk mirror and is OK.
Secondary - Disk is the secondary disk for a 2 disk mirror and is OK.
Wr g  Ty p e - Device is not compatible for use as part of a RAID array.
Too Small - Disk is too small to mirror existing data.
Max Dsks - Maximum # of disks allowed for this type of array reached 
Maximum # of total IR disks on a controller reached.
No SMART - Disk doesnt support SMART and cant be used in a RAID 
array.
Wrg Intfc - Device interface (SAS/SATA) differs from existing IR disks.
Predicted 
Fa il u reIndicates whether device SMART is predicting device failure.
Size (MB) Actual physical size of the selected disk in the array.
NOTE: The SAS 6ir controllers do support Drive Status LED operation on Dell 
PowerEdge systems which include drive status LEDs. Status LED support is only 
supported for drives which are configured as members of a Virtual Disk or Hot Spare. 
SAS 6iR supported Drive Status LED states may vary from those supported by other 
hardware based RAID solutions such as PERC 6.
NOTE: Replacing a member of an array in the Permanently Degraded state will result in 
the new physical disk being displayed as failed since resynchronization is possible. This 
does not indicate an actual failure on the new physical disk. Table 6-2.  Array Field Descriptions (continued)
Field Description
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							SAS 6/iR BIOS41
View Array
The View Array screen allows you to view the current array configuration.
Press  to view the next array. See the table above to view 
descriptions of each virtual disk property.
Manage Array
The Manage Array screen is used to manage the current array. The options 
are Manage Hotspares, Synchronize Mirror, Activate Array, and Delete Array. 
A confirmation is requested for each action.
Table 6-3. Manage Array Field Descriptions
Field Description
Identifier The identifier of the array
Type The RAID type of the array
Scan Order The scan order of the array
Size (MB) The coerced size of the array
NOTE: In order to facilitate coercion on new larger disk drives, the disk 
size must be coerced down with a factor of 128 MB. Additionally, to 
comply with the latest Disk Data Format standard, 512 MB of space must 
be reserved for RAID metadata on the drive. This results in several 
hundred MB of space being removed from the usable size of an array 
when it is created.
Status The status of the array
Manage 
HotsparesThis option is used to create or delete global hot spares. Using this 
option you can also:
 Assign a hot spare, (Integrated Raid 1 configurations only).
 Display each drive’s type, size and hot spare status. 
Synchronize 
RAID 1This option is used to synchronize the R1 array.
This option is not accessible under the following conditions:
 The array is inactive.
 The array does not need to be resynchronized.
 R0 array is used.
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							42SAS 6/iR BIOS
Exit Screen
It is important to exit the SAS BIOS Configuration Utility properly, because 
some changes take effect only when you exit. From the Adapter List, press 
 to exit. In addition, a similar exit screen appears when you exit most 
other screens, and it can be used to save settings.
Performing Configuration Tasks
Creating an Integrated Striping Virtual Disk
An Integrated Striping (IS) virtual disk, also referred to as RAID 0, offers the 
ability to stripe data across multiple physical disks. RAID 0 volumes offer 
increased capacity by combining multiple physical disks into a single virtual 
disk. RAID 0 volumes also offer increased performance by striping disk access 
across multiple physical disks. Follow these steps to create a RAID 0 virtual 
disk on a SAS 6/iR controller.
1
Select a controller from the Adapter List in the Configuration Utility. 
2Select the RAID Properties option.
3Select Create RAID 0 Volume when you are prompted to create either a 
RAID 0 virtual disk or a RAID 1 virtual disk.
The next screen shows a list of disks that can be added to a virtual disk.
4Move the cursor to the RAID Disk column. To add a disk to the virtual 
disk, change “No” to “Yes” by pressing the , , or space bar. 
As disks are added, the 
Virtual Disk Size field changes to reflect the size 
of the new virtual disk.
 NOTICE: All data will be lost upon creation of the virtual disk. Activate 
ArrayThis option is used to activate an inactive (foreign) array. The option is 
grayed out if there are no inactive arrays.
Delete Array This option is used to delete the currently displayed array. Table 6-3. Manage Array Field Descriptions (continued)
Field Description
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							SAS 6/iR BIOS43
There are several limitations when creating a RAID 0 virtual disk:
 All disks must be either Dell-compliant SAS or SATA physical disks.
 SAS and SATA physical disks cannot be used in the same virtual disk.
 There must be at least 2 physical disks in a virtual disk.
 No more than 8 physical disks are allowed in a virtual disk.
5Press  and then select Save changes when the virtual disk has been 
fully configured. 
6Press  to confirm that existing data will be lost with the creation of 
the virtual disk. The Configuration Utility will pause while the virtual disk 
is being created.
 NOTICE: RAID 0 does not provide any data protection in the event of disk failure. 
It is primarily used to increase performance.
 
NOTE: Once the number of disks in a RAID virtual disk is set, it cannot be changed.
 
NOTE: The maximum size of the virtual disk that contains the bootable operating 
system is 2 Terabytes. This is due to operating system restrictions.The maximum 
array size (non-bootable) is 16 Terabytes.
Creating a Integrated Mirroring Virtual Disk
An Integrated Mirroring (IM) virtual disk, also referred to as RAID 1, offers 
the ability to mirror data from one physical disk onto another one. RAID 1 
volumes offer increased reliability by combining two physical disks into a 
single virtual disk such that each disk contains a mirrored copy of the other’s 
data. Follow these steps to create a RAID 1 virtual disk on a SAS 6/iR 
controller that does not currently have a virtual disk configured.
1
Select a controller from the Adapter List in the Configuration Utility. 
2Select the RAID Properties option.
3Select Create RAID 1 Volume when you are prompted to create either 
a RAID 0 virtual disk or a RAID 1 virtual disk.
The next screen shows a list of disks that can be added to a virtual disk.
4Move the cursor to the RAID Disk column. To add a disk to the virtual 
disk, change “No” to “Yes” by pressing the , , or space bar.
 NOTICE: Data on both disks will be lost. It is recommended that you back up all 
data before performing these steps.
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							44SAS 6/iR BIOS
5There are several limitations when creating a RAID 1 virtual disk:
 All disks must be either Dell-compliant SAS or SATA physical disks.
 SAS and SATA physical disks cannot be used in the same virtual disk.
 There must be 2 physical disks in a RAID 1 virtual disk.
6Press  and then select Save changes when the virtual disk has been 
fully configured. 
 NOTE: There is an option to create a hot spare for a RAID 1 virtual disk. 
The Create RAID 1 screen allows the option to assign a hot spare. Only drives 
that are compatible with the new virtual disk configuration can be selected. 
The maximum number of hot spares allowed is two.
7Press  to confirm that existing data will be lost with the creation of 
the virtual disk. The Configuration Utility will pause while the virtual disk 
is being created.
 NOTE: RAID 1 provides protection against the failure of a single physical disk. 
When a disk fails, the physical disk can be replaced and the data re-mirrored to the 
physical disk, maintaining data integrity.
Viewing Virtual Disk Properties
Follow these steps to view the properties of RAID 0 and RAID 1 virtual disks:
1
Select a controller from the Adapter List in the Configuration Utility.
2Select the RAID Properties option.
 If there are no existing virtual disks, you will be prompted to create a 
RAID 0 or a RAID 1 virtual disk.
 If there is one existing virtual disk, select 
View Existing Array.
 If there are two existing virtual disks, press  to view the next 
virtual disk.
 If a compatible global hot spare exists it displays with the members of 
the virtual disk.
3Press  when the Manage Array item is selected to manage the 
current virtual disk.
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							SAS 6/iR BIOS45
Synchronizing a Virtual Disk
Synchronizing a virtual disk means that the firmware synchronizes the data on 
the secondary disk(s) with the data on the primary disk of the mirror. 
Follow these steps to start synchronization for a RAID 1 virtual disk:
1
Select Synchronize Mirror.
2Press Y to start the synchronization or N to cancel it.
Activating a Virtual Disk
A virtual disk can become inactive if, for example, it is removed from one SAS 
6/iR controller and moved to another one. The Activate option allows you 
to reactivate an inactive virtual disk that has been added to a system. 
This option is only available when the selected virtual disk is currently inactive.
 NOTE: Do not migrate a volume or hotspares to a different system unless that 
system does not currently have the maximum number of virtual disks and hotspares. 
The maximum number of virtual disks is two and the maximum number of hotspares 
is two. Exceeding this number may result in undesirable behavior.
1Select Activate Mirror.
2Press Y to proceed with the activation or press N to abandon it.
After a pause, the virtual disk will become active.
 NOTE: Activation of migrated virtual disks is only supported when the migrated 
virtual disk(s) is in an optimal state and contains all the physical disks.
 
NOTE: If a virtual disk with defined hot spare drives is migrated to a SAS6/iR 
controller that has a native virtual disk with defined hot spares already configured, 
and the total number of hot spares is greater than the maximum supported number 
of hot spares (2) then the migrated hot spare drive(s) will be deleted. After a reboot, 
those drives are displayed as basic drives on the system. You can then create the 
desired virtual disk and hot spare drive configuration using CTRL-C or the RAID 
management application.
Migrating and Activating a Virtual Disk
Virtual disks and hot spares can be migrated from other SAS 6/IR controllers 
only. Virtual disks cannot be migrated from any other controllers, including 
the SAS 5 series of controllers or PERC series of controllers. During the 
migration process, all systems must be powered down prior to removing and 
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							46SAS 6/iR BIOS
replacing drives. Volumes that are migrated to another controller will be 
inactive and must therefore be activated.To activate a virtual disk see 
Activating a Virtual Disk on page 45.
Deleting a Virtual Disk
 NOTICE: Before deleting a virtual disk, be sure to back up all data on the virtual 
disk that you want to keep.
Follow these steps to delete a selected virtual disk:
1
Select Delete Virtual Disk.
2Press Y to delete the virtual disk or press N to abandon the deletion.
3Press  to confirm deletion of the virtual disk. After a pause, the 
firmware deletes the virtual disk.
 NOTICE: If the physical disks of a virtual disk are removed and the virtual disk’s 
configuration is subsequently deleted from the SAS 6/iR controller, the physical 
disks show up only as simple disks with no RAID association if they are placed back 
onto the same SAS 6/iR controller. Once the virtual disk is removed from a SAS 6/iR 
controller using the BIOS Configuration Utility (regardless whether the physical 
disks members are present), the virtual disk cannot be restored.
Hot Spare Failover 
If a RAID 1 virtual disk enters a degraded state, a compatible hot spare 
automatically begins rebuilding the degraded virtual disk. The missing or 
failed member of the degraded virtual disk displays as a ‘missing’ global hot 
spare. The missing or failed drive must be replaced with a drive compatible 
with an existing virtual disk(s). 
Replacing and Rebuilding a Degraded Virtual Disk
In the event of a physical disk failure in a RAID 1 virtual disk, you will need to 
replace the disk and resynchronize the virtual disk. Synchronization occurs 
automatically on replacing the physical disk using the following steps.
1
Replace the failed physical disk with a blank disk of the same type and of 
equal or greater capacity.
2Check your management application or the BIOS Configuration Utility 
(Ctrl-C) to ensure synchronization started automatically.
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							SAS 6/iR BIOS47
 NOTE: During the rebuilding of a volume the synchronization will be restarted from 
the beginning if a hard drive is added or removed from the system. Wait until any 
synchronization processes have been completed before adding or removing hard 
drives. 
 
NOTE: Always remove any configuration information from hard drives if they are to 
be removed from a system. This can be completed by deleting the RAID 
configuration through the BIOS configuration utility or an operating system unless 
you are migrating these hard drives to a different system level application. SAS 6/iR 
hotspare functionality requires that the slots in which hard drives are inserted be 
associated with the virtual disks they are a part of. Do not insert hard drives with 
foreign or old (out of date) configuration information stored on those hard drives 
into slots that are associated with existing virtual disks. 
 
NOTE: If the system is rebooted while the rebuild is in progress, the rebuild will be 
restarted from the beginning. The rebuild time for a volume varies depending on the 
size of the member disks and any additional system activity. A system with no 
additional activity executes a rebuild at approximately 30 MB per second.
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							48SAS 6/iR BIOS
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