Acer Network Card Series 520 User Manual

HARDWARE

GUIDE

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

Zero-Channel RAID

Controller

S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 2

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FCC Regulatory Statement

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the

following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and

(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that

may cause undesired operation.

Warning:

Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by

the party responsible for compliance could void the user's author-

ity to operate the equipment.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class

B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed

to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential

installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency

energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may

cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no

guarantee that interference will not occur in a specific installation. If this

equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which

can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, try to correct the

interference by one or more of the following measures:

1. Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

2. Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver.

3. Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which

the receiver is connected.

4. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Shielded interface cables must be used with this product to ensure compliance

with the Class B FCC limits.

Model Number: Series 520

Disclaimer – LSI LOGIC certifies only that this product will work correctly when

this product is used with the same jumper settings, the same system

configuration, the same memory module parts, and the same peripherals that

were tested by LSI LOGIC with this product. The complete list of tested jumper

settings, system configurations, peripheral devices, and memory modules are

documented in the LSI LOGIC Compatibility Report for this product. Call your LSI

LOGIC sales representative for a copy of the Compatibility Report for this

product.

iii

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Preface

This book is the primary reference and Hardware Guide for the LSI Logic

MegaRAID^®SCSI 320-0 Controller. It contains instructions for installing

the MegaRAID controller and for configuring RAID arrays. It also contains

background information on RAID.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller supports single-ended and low-

voltage differential (LVD) SCSI devices on an Ultra320 and Wide SCSI

channel with data transfer rates up to 320 Mbytes/s.

Audience

This document is intended for people who need to install the MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0 Controller in a server and then create and configure RAID

arrays.

Organization

This document has the following chapters and appendixes:

Chapter 1, Overview, provides an overview of the MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 and basic SCSI features.

Chapter 2, Introduction to RAID, introduces important RAID

concepts.

Chapter 3, RAID Levels, describes each supported RAID level and

the factors to consider when choosing a RAID level.

Chapter 4, Features, explains the features of the MegaRAID® SCSI

320-0.

Chapter 5, Configuring Physical Drives, Arrays, and Logical

Drives, explains how to configure SCSI physical drives, arrays, and

logical drives.

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Hardware Guide

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Chapter 6, Hardware Installation, explains how to install the

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller.

Chapter 7, Troubleshooting, provides troubleshooting information

for the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller.

Appendix A, Audible Warnings, explains the meaning of the

warning tones generated by the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 RAID

controller.

Technical Support

If you need help installing, configuring, or running the MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 Controller, you may be able to find the information you need at the

MegaRAID support page at http://megaraid.lsilogic.com

If this does not resolve your problem, you can call your LSI Logic OEM

Technical Support representative at 678-728-1250. Before you call,

please complete the MegaRAID Problem Report form.

MegaRAID Problem Report Form

Customer Information

MegaRAID Information

Name:

Today’s Date:

Company:

Address:

City/State:

Country:

Email Address:

Phone:

Date of Purchase:

Invoice Number:

Serial Number:

Cache Memory:

Firmware Version:

BIOS Version:

Fax:

System Information

Motherboard:

BIOS manufacturer:

BIOS Date:

Operating System:

Op. Sys. Ver.:

Video Adapter:

Preface

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MegaRAID Problem Report Form (Cont.)

MegaRAID

Driver Ver.:

CPU Type/Speed:

Network Card:

System Memory:

Other disk controllers

installed:

Other adapter cards

Installed:

Description of problem:

Steps necessary to re-create problem:

Logical Drive Configuration

Use this form to record the configuration details for your logical drives.

Logical Drive Configuration

Logical

Drive

RAID

Level

Stripe

Size

Logical Drive

Size

Cache

Policy

Read

Policy

Write

Policy

# of Physical

Drives

LD0

LD1

LD2

LD3

LD4

LD5

LD6

LD7

LD8

Preface

vii

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Logical Drive Configuration (Cont.)

Logical

Drive

RAID

Level

Stripe

Size

Logical Drive

Size

Cache

Policy

Read

Policy

Write

Policy

# of Physical

Drives

LD9

LD10

LD11

LD12

LD13

LD14

LD15

LD16

LD17

LD18

LD19

LD20

LD21

LD22

LD23

LD24

LD25

LD26

LD27

LD28

LD29

LD30

LD31

LD32

LD33

viii

Preface

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Logical Drive Configuration (Cont.)

Logical

Drive

RAID

Level

Stripe

Size

Logical Drive

Size

Cache

Policy

Read

Policy

Write

Policy

# of Physical

Drives

LD34

LD35

LD36

LD37

LD38

LD39

Physical Device Layout

Use this form to record the physical device layout.

Physical Device Layout

Channel 0

Channel 1

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Preface

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Physical Device Layout (Cont.)

Channel 0

Channel 1

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Preface

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Physical Device Layout (Cont.)

Channel 0

Channel 1

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Preface

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Physical Device Layout (Cont.)

Channel 0

Channel 1

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

xii

Preface

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Contents

Chapter 1

Overview

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.6

Features

1-2

1-3

1-4

NVRAM and Flash ROM

Single-Ended and Differential SCSI Buses

Maximum Cable Length for SCSI Standards

SCSI Bus Widths and Maximum Throughput

Documentation

1.6.1

1.6.2

1.6.3

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 ZCR Hardware Guide

MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide

MegaRAID Operating System Driver Installation

Guide

1-5

Chapter 2

Introduction to RAID

2.1

2-4

2-6

2-7

2.1.1

2.1.2

Improved I/O

Increased Reliability

2.2

2.3

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 – Host-Based RAID Solution

2.2.1

2.2.2

Host-Based RAID

SCSI-to-SCSI External RAID

RAID Overview

2.3.1

2.3.2

2.3.3

2.3.4

2.3.5

2.3.6

2.3.7

Physical Array

Logical Drive

Consistency Check

Fault Tolerance

Disk Striping

Disk Mirroring

Disk Spanning

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Hardware Guide

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2.3.8

2.3.9

2.3.10 Hot Swapping

2.3.11 Disk Rebuild

2-9

2.3.12 Logical Drive States

2.3.13 SCSI Drive States

2.3.14 Disk Array T y pes

2.3.15 Enclosure Management

2-10

2-11

Chapter 3

RAID Levels

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.6

Selecting a RAID Level

RAID 0

3-1

3-2

3-3

RAID 1

RAID 10

RAID 50

Chapter 4

Features

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

4.7

4.8

4.9

SMART T e chnology

4-8

Configuration on Disk

Configuration Features

Array Performance Features

RAID Management Features

Fault T o lerance Features

Software Utilities

Operating System Software Drivers

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Specifications

4.9.1

4.9.2

4.9.3

4.9.4

PCI Bridge/CPU

Cache Memory

MegaRAID BIOS

SCSI Firmware

4.10 RAID Management

4.10.1 MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility

4.10.2 WebBIOS Configuration Utility

4.10.3 Power Console Plus

xiv

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4.10.4 MegaRAID Manager

4.11 Compatibility

4-8

4-9

4.11.1 Server Management

4.11.2 SCSI Device Compatibility

4.11.3 Software

Chapter 5

Configuring Physical Drives, Arrays, and Logical Drives

5.1

Configuring SCSI Physical Drives

5-1

5.1.1

5.1.2

5.1.3

5.1.4

Basic Configuration Rules

Current Physical Device Configuration

Logical Drive Configuration

Physical Device Layout

5-2

5-3

5-5

5.2

5.3

Configuring Arrays

5-8

5.2.1

5.2.2

Arranging Arrays

Creating Hot Spares

5-8

Creating Logical Drives

5-9

5.3.1

5.3.2

Configuration Strategies

Assigning RAID Levels

5-9

5-11

5-12

5-13

5.4

5.5

Configuring Logical Drives

5.4.1

Optimizing Data Storage

Planning the Array Configuration

5.5.1

Using the Array Configuration Planner

Chapter 6

Hardware Installation

6.1

6.2

Hardware Requirements

Installation Steps

6-1

6-2

6-3

6-5

6-6

6.2.1

6.2.2

6.2.3

6.2.4

6.2.5

6.2.6

Step 1: Unpack

Step 2: Power Down

Step 3: Set Jumpers

Step 4: Install MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

Step 5: Power Up

Step 6: Run the MegaRAID BIOS Configuration

Utility

6-7

6-8

6.2.7

Step 7: Install the Operating System Driver

6.3

Summary

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Chapter 7

Troubleshooting

7.1

7.2

7.3

7.4

General Troubleshooting

BIOS Boot Error Messages

Other BIOS Error Messages

Other Potential Problems

7-1

7-3

7-4

7-5

Appendix A

Audible Warnings

Appendix B

Glossary

Index

Customer Feedback

xvi

Contents

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Chapter 1

Overview

This chapter provides an overview of the MegaRAID^®SCSI 320-0 and

basic SCSI features. It contains the following sections:

Section 1.1, “Features”

Section 1.2, “NVRAM and Flash ROM”

Section 1.3, “Single-Ended and Differential SCSI Buses”

Section 1.4, “Maximum Cable Length for SCSI Standards”

Section 1.5, “SCSI Bus Widths and Maximum Throughput”

Section 1.6, “Documentation”

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 zero-channel RAID (ZCR) controller is a

high-performance intelligent PCI-to-SCSI host adapter with RAID control

capabilities. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 is a low-profile card that

provides reliability, high performance, and fault-tolerant disk subsystem

management.

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 can be installed in a special PCI expansion slot

in a computer with a motherboard that has the LSI Logic 53C1030 SCSI

chip. The zero-channel adapter converts a motherboard’s own on-board

SCSI controller into a powerful PCI SCSI RAID solution, and is targeted

for 1U and 2U server environments.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 is part of the LSI Logic Intel i960RM/RS-

based MegaRAID controller family, and is an entry-level to mid-range

RAID controller solution. This controller offers a cost-effective way to

implement RAID in a server.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 supports data transfer rates up to 320

Mbytes/s per channel, and it supports up to fifteen non-Ultra SCSI

devices. MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 includes MegaRAID features and

performance.

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Hardware Guide

1-1

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1.1 Features

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 features include:

Provides a high performance I/O migration path while preserving

existing PCI-SCSI software.

Performs SCSI data transfers up to 320 Mbytes/s.

Performs synchronous operation on a wide low-voltage differential

(LVD) SCSI bus.

Allows up to 15 LVD SCSI devices on the wide bus.

Includes an Intel GC80302 integrated I/O processor that performs

RAID calculations and routing.

Supports 32 to 128 Mbytes of SDRAM on-board cache memory used

for read and write-back caching, and RAID 5 parity generation.

1.2 NVRAM and Flash ROM

A 32 Kbyte x 8 nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM) stores

RAID system configuration information. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

firmware is stored in flash ROM for easy upgrade.

1.3 Single-Ended and Differential SCSI Buses

The SCSI standard defines two electrical buses:

Single-ended bus

Low-voltage differential bus

1-2

Overview

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1.4 Maximum Cable Length for SCSI Standards

Table 1.1 lists the maximum SCSI cable length and number of disk drives

that you can use, depending on the SCSI speeds.

Table 1.1

Maximum Cable Length for SCSI Standards

Single Ended

SCSI

Low-Voltage

Differential SCSI

Maximum # of

Drives

Standard

Ultra SCSI

1.5 m

3 m

12 m

25 m

12 m

25 m

12 m

25 m

12 m

25 m

12 m

20 m

Ultra SCSI

Wide Ultra SCSI

Ultra 2 SCSI

1.5 m

3 m

Ultra 2 SCSI

Wide Ultra 2 SCSI

Ultra160 SCSI

Wide Ultra160 SCSI

Ultra320

Maximum Cable Length for SCSI Standards

1-3

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1.5 SCSI Bus Widths and Maximum Throughput

Table 1.2 lists the SCSI bus widths and maximum throughput, based on

the SCSI speeds.

Table 1.2

SCSI Bus Widths and Maximum Throughput

SCSI Standard

SCSI Bus Width

SCSI Throughput

Fast Wide SCSI

Wide Ultra SCSI

Wide Ultra 2 SCSI

Wide Ultra 160 SCSI

Ultra 320 SCSI

16 bits

20 Mbytes/s

40 Mbytes/s

80 Mbytes/s

160 Mbytes/s

320 Mbytes/s

1.6 Documentation

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 documentation set includes:

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 ZCR Hardware Guide

The MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide

The MegaRAID Operating System Driver Installation Guide

1.6.1 MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 ZCR Hardware Guide

The Hardware Guide contains the RAID overview, RAID planning, and

RAID system configuration information you need first. Read this

document first.

1.6.2 MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide

This manual describes the software configuration utilities that you can

use to configure and modify RAID systems.

1-4

Overview

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1.6.3 MegaRAID Operating System Driver Installation Guide

This manual provides detailed information about installing the MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0 operating system drivers.

Documentation

1-5

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1-6

Overview

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Chapter 2

Introduction to RAID

This chapter introduces important RAID concepts. It contains the

following sections:

Section 2.1, “RAID Benefits”

Section 2.2, “MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 – Host-Based RAID Solution”

Section 2.3, “RAID Overview”

RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a data storage method

in which data, along with parity information, is distributed among two or

more hard disks (called an array) to improve performance and reliability.

The RAID array appears to the host computer as a single storage unit or

as multiple logical units. I/O is expedited because several disks can be

accessed simultaneously. RAID systems provide improved data storage

reliability and fault tolerance compared to single-drive computers. If a

disk drive in a RAID array fails, data can be reconstructed from the data

and parity information on the remaining disk drives.

2.1 RAID Benefits

RAID is widely used because it improves I/O performance and increases

storage subsystem reliability. RAID provides data security through fault

tolerance and redundant data storage. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

management software configures and monitors RAID disk arrays.

2.1.1 Improved I/O

Although disk drive capabilities have improved drastically, actual

performance of individual disk drives has been improved only three to

four times in the last decade. RAID provides a way to achieve much

better data throughput.

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2.1.2 Increased Reliability

The electromechanical components of a disk subsystem operate more

slowly, require more power, and generate more noise and vibration than

electronic devices. These factors reduce the reliability of data stored on

disks. RAID provides a way to achieve much better fault tolerance and

data reliability.

2.2 MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 – Host-Based RAID Solution

RAID products are either host-based or external.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller is a host-based RAID solution.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 is a PCI adapter card that is installed in a

PCI expansion slot in a host system with a motherboard that contains the

LSI Logic 53C1030 SCSI chip.

2.2.1 Host-Based RAID

A host-based RAID product puts all of the RAID intelligence on an

adapter card that is installed in a network server. A host-based RAID

product provides the best performance. MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 is part of

the file server, so it can transmit data directly across the computer’s

buses at data transfer speeds up to 132 Mbytes/s.

The available sequential data transfer rate is determined by the following

factors:

The sustained data transfer rate on the motherboard PCI bus

The sustained data transfer rate on the i960RM PCI to PCI bridge

The sustained data transfer rate of the SCSI controller

The sustained data transfer rate of the SCSI devices

The number of SCSI channels

The number of SCSI disk drives

Host-based solutions must provide operating system-specific drivers.

2-2

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2.2.2 SCSI-to-SCSI External RAID

A SCSI-to-SCSI external RAID product puts the RAID intelligence inside

the RAID chassis and uses a plain SCSI host adapter installed in the

network server. The data transfer rate is limited to the bandwidth of the

SCSI channel. A SCSI-to-SCSI external RAID product that has two wide

SCSI channels operating at speeds up to 320 Mbytes/s must squeeze

the data into a single wide SCSI (320 Mbytes/s) channel back to the host

computer.

In SCSI-to-SCSI external RAID products, the disk drive subsystem uses

only a single SCSI ID, which allows you to connect multiple drive

subsystems to a single SCSI controller.

2.3 RAID Overview

RAID is a collection of specifications that describes a system for ensuring

the reliability and stability of data stored on large disk subsystems. A

RAID system can be implemented in a number of different versions (or

RAID levels). MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 supports standard RAID levels 0,

1, and 5, and RAID levels 10 and 50, special RAID versions supported

by MegaRAID SCSI 320-0.

2.3.1 Physical Array

A RAID array is a collection of physical disk drives governed by the RAID

management software. A RAID array appears to the host computer as

one or more logical drives.

2.3.2 Logical Drive

A logical drive is a partition in a physical array of disks that is made up

of contiguous data segments on the physical disks. A logical drive can

consist of any of the following:

An entire physical array

More than one entire physical array

A part of an array

Parts of more than one array

RAID Overview

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A combination of any two of the above conditions

2.3.3 Consistency Check

A consistency check verifies the correctness of redundant data in a RAID

array. For example, in a system with distributed parity, checking

consistency means computing the parity of the data drives and

comparing the results to the contents of the parity drives.

2.3.4 Fault Tolerance

Fault tolerance is achieved through auto detection of failed drives,

rebuilds with hot spare drive, the ability to hot swap drives, Configuration

on Disk capability, and support for self-monitoring analysis and reporting

technology (SMART). MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 provides hot swapping

through the hot spare feature. A hot spare drive is an unused online

available drive that MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 can instantly plug into the

system when an active drive fails.

After the hot spare is automatically moved into the RAID subsystem, the

failed drive is automatically rebuilt. The RAID disk array continues to

handle request while the rebuild occurs.

2.3.5 Disk Striping

Disk striping writes data across multiple disk drives instead of just one

disk drive, as shown in Figure 2.1.

2-4

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Figure 2.1 Disk Striping

MegaRAID Controller

Segment 1

Segment 5

Segment 9

Segment 2

Segment 6

Segment 10

Segment 3

Segment 7

Segment 11

Segment 4

Segment 8

Segment 12

Disk striping involves partitioning each disk drive’s storage space into

stripes that can vary in size from 2 to 128 Kbytes. These stripes are

interleaved in a repeated, sequential manner. The combined storage

space is composed of stripes from each drive. MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

supports stripe sizes of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 Kbytes.

For example, in a four-disk system using only disk striping (as in RAID

level 0), segment 1 is written to disk 1, segment 2 is written to disk 2,

and so on. Disk striping enhances performance because multiple drives

are accessed simultaneously; but disk striping does not provide data

redundancy.

2.3.5.1

Stripe Width

Stripe width is a measure of the number of disks involved in an array

where striping is implemented. For example, a four-disk array with disk

striping has a stripe width of four.

RAID Overview

2-5

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2.3.5.2

Stripe Size

The stripe size is the length of the interleaved data segments that

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 writes across multiple drives. MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 supports stripe sizes of 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 Kbytes.

2.3.6 Disk Mirroring

With disk mirroring (used in RAID 1), data written to one disk drive is

simultaneously written to another disk drive, as shown in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2 Disk Mirroring

MegaRAID Controller

Segment 1

Segment 2

Segment 3

Segment 4

Segment 1 Duplicated

Segment 2 Duplicated

Segment 3 Duplicated

Segment 4 Duplicated

If one disk drive fails, the contents of the other disk drive can be used to

run the system and reconstruct the failed drive. The primary advantage

of disk mirroring is that it provides 100% data redundancy. Since the

contents of the disk drive are completely written to a second drive, it

does not matter if one of the drives fails. Both drives contain the same

data at all times. Either drive can act as the operational drive.

Although disk mirroring provides 100% redundancy, it is expensive

because each drive in the system must be duplicated.

2-6

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2.3.7 Disk Spanning

Disk spanning allows multiple disk drives to function like one big drive.

Spanning overcomes lack of disk space and simplifies storage

management by combining existing resources or adding relatively

inexpensive resources. For example, four 60 Gbyte disk drives can be

combined to appear to the operating system as one single 240 Gbyte

drive.

Disk spanning alone does not provide reliability or performance

enhancements. Spanned logical drives must have the same stripe size

and must be contiguous. In Figure 2.3, two RAID 1 arrays are turned into

a RAID 10 array.

Figure 2.3 Disk Spanning

MegaRAID Controller

Data Flow

RAID 1

Disk 1

Disk 2

Disk 3

Disk 4

Segment 1

Segment 2

Segment 3

Segment 5

Segment 3

Segment 5

Segment 4

Segment 6

Segment 4

Segment 6

RAID 0

RAID Overview

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Table 2.1 describes how disk spanning is used for RAID 10 and RAID 50.

Table 2.1 Spanning for RAID 10 and RAID 50

Level Description

Configure RAID 10 by spanning two contiguous RAID 1 logical drives.

The RAID 1 logical drives must have the same stripe size.

Configure RAID 50 by spanning two contiguous RAID 5 logical drives.

The RAID 5 logical drives must have the same stripe size.

Note:

Spanning two contiguous RAID 0 logical drives does not

produce a new RAID level or add fault tolerance. It does

increase the size of the logical volume and improves

performance by doubling the number of spindles.

2.3.8 Parity

Parity generates a set of redundancy data from two or more parent data

sets. The redundancy data can be used to reconstruct one of the parent

data sets. Parity data does not fully duplicate the parent data sets. In

RAID, this method is applied to entire drives (dedicated parity) or to

stripes across all disk drives in an array (distributed parity).

RAID 5 combines distributed parity with disk striping. If a single disk drive

fails, it can be rebuilt from the parity and the data on the remaining

drives. Parity provides redundancy for one drive failure without

duplicating the contents of entire disk drives, but parity generation can

slow the write process.

2.3.9 Hot Spares

A hot spare is an extra, unused disk drive that is part of the disk

subsystem. It is usually in standby mode, ready for service if a drive fails.

Hot spares permit you to replace failed drives without system shutdown

or user intervention.

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 implements automatic and transparent rebuilds

using hot spare drives, providing a high degree of fault tolerance and

zero downtime. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 RAID Management software

allows you to specify physical drives as hot spares. When a hot spare is

needed, the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller assigns the hot spare that

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has a capacity closest to and at least as great as that of the failed drive

to take the place of the failed drive.

Note:

Hot spares are employed only in arrays with redundancy—

for example, RAID levels 1, 5, 10, and 50. A hot spare

connected to a specific MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller

can be used only to rebuild a drive that is connected to the

same controller.

2.3.10 Hot Swapping

Hot swapping is the manual replacement of a defective physical disk unit

while the computer is still running. When a new drive has been installed,

you must issue a command to rebuild the drive.

2.3.11 Disk Rebuild

You rebuild a disk drive by recreating the data that had been stored on

the drive before the drive failed. Rebuilding can be done only in arrays

with data redundancy such as RAID level 1, 5, 10, and 50.

Standby (warm spare) rebuild is employed in a mirrored (RAID 1)

system. If a disk drive fails, an identical drive is immediately available.

The primary data source disk drive is the original disk drive.

A hot spare can be used to rebuild disk drives in RAID 1, 5, 10, or 50

systems. If a hot spare is not available, the failed disk drive must be

replaced with a new disk drive so that the data on the failed drive can be

rebuilt.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller automatically and transparently

rebuilds failed drives with user-definable rebuild rates. If a hot spare is

available, the rebuild starts automatically when a drive fails. MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0 automatically restarts the system and the rebuild if the

system goes down during a rebuild.

2.3.11.1 Rebuild Rate

The rebuild rate is the fraction of the compute cycles dedicated to

rebuilding failed drives. A rebuild rate of 100% means the system is

totally dedicated to rebuilding the failed drive.

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The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 rebuild rate can be configured between 0%

and 100%. At 0%, the rebuild is only done if the system is not doing

anything else. At 100%, the rebuild has a higher priority than any other

system activity.

2.3.12 Logical Drive States

Table 2.2 describes the logical drive states.

Table 2.2

Logical Drive States

Description

State

Optimal

The drive operating condition is good. All configured drives are

online.

Degraded

The drive operating condition is not optimal. One of the

configured drives has failed or is offline.

Failed

Offline

The drive has failed.

The drive is not available to MegaRAID SCSI 320-0.

2.3.13 SCSI Drive States

A SCSI disk drive can be in one of the states described in Table 2.3.

Table 2.3

State

SCSI Drive States

Description

Online

(ONLIN)

The drive is functioning normally and is a part of a configured

logical drive.

Ready

(READY)

The drive is functioning normally but is not part of a configured

logical drive and is not designated as a hot spare.

Hot Spare

(HOTSP)

The drive is powered up and ready for use as a spare in case an

online drive fails.

Fail

A fault has occurred in the drive, placing it out of service.

(FAIL)

Rebuild

(REB)

The drive is being rebuilt with data from a failed drive.

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2.3.14 Disk Array Types

Table 2.4 describes the RAID disk array types.

Table 2.4

Type

Disk Array Types

Description

Software-

Based

The array is managed by software running in a host computer

using the host CPU bandwidth. The disadvantages associated

with this method are the load on the host CPU and the need

for different software for each operating system.

SCSI to SCSI The array controller resides outside of the host computer and

communicates with the host through a SCSI adapter in the

host. The array management software runs in the controller. It

is transparent to the host and independent of the host

operating system. The disadvantage is the limited data transfer

rate of the SCSI channel between the SCSI adapter and the

array controller.

Bus-Based

The array controller resides on the bus (for example, a PCI or

EISA bus) in the host computer and has its own CPU to

generate the parity and handle other RAID functions. A bus-

based controller can transfer data at the speed of the host bus

(PCI, ISA, EISA, VL-Bus) but is limited to the bus it is designed

for. MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 resides on a PCI bus, which can

handle data transfer at up to 132 Mbytes/s. With MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0, the channel can handle data transfer rates up to

320 Mbytes/s per SCSI channel.

2.3.15 Enclosure Management

Enclosure management is the intelligent monitoring of the disk

subsystem by software and/or hardware.

The disk subsystem can be part of the host computer or can be separate

from it. Enclosure management helps you stay informed of events in the

disk subsystem, such as a drive or power supply failure. Enclosure

management increases the fault tolerance of the disk subsystem.

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Chapter 3

RAID Levels

This chapter describes each supported RAID level and the factors to

consider when choosing a RAID level. It contains the following sections:

Section 3.1, “Selecting a RAID Level”

Section 3.2, “RAID 0”

Section 3.3, “RAID 1”

Section 3.4, “RAID 5”

Section 3.5, “RAID 10”

Section 3.6, “RAID 50”

3.1 Selecting a RAID Level

To ensure the best performance, you should select the optimal RAID

level when you create a system drive. The optimal RAID level for your

disk array depends on a number of factors:

The number of drives in the disk array

The capacity of the drives in the array

The need for data redundancy

The disk performance requirements

Note:

The SCSI 320-0 controller supports a maximum of 15

physical drives.

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3.2 RAID 0

RAID 0 provides disk striping across all drives in the RAID subsystem.

RAID 0 does not provide any data redundancy, but does offer the best

performance of any RAID level. RAID 0 breaks up data into smaller

blocks and then writes a block to each drive in the array. The size of each

block is determined by the stripe size parameter, set during the creation

of the RAID set. RAID 0 offers high bandwidth. By breaking up a large

file into smaller blocks, MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 can use several drives to

read or write the file faster. RAID 0 involves no parity calculations to

complicate the write operation. This makes RAID 0 ideal for applications

that require high bandwidth but do not require fault tolerance.

Uses

RAID 0 provides high data throughput, especially for large

files. Suitable for any environment that does not require

fault tolerance.

Strong Points

Weak Points

Drives

Provides increased data throughput for large files. No

capacity loss penalty for parity.

Does not provide fault tolerance. All data lost if any drive

fails.

1 to 30

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller supports one or two

SCSI channels, with up to 15 SCSI devices on each

channel.

Figure 3.1 shows a RAID 0 array with four disk drives.

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Figure 3.1 RAID 0 Array

MegaRAID Controller

Segment 1

Segment 5

Segment 9

Segment 2

Segment 6

Segment 10

Segment 3

Segment 7

Segment 11

Segment 4

Segment 8

Segment 12

3.3 RAID 1

In RAID 1, the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 duplicates all data from one drive

to a second drive. RAID 1 provides complete data redundancy, but at the

cost of doubling the required data storage capacity.

Uses

Use RAID 1 for small databases or any other environment

that requires fault tolerance but small capacity.

Strong Points Provides complete data redundancy. RAID 1 is ideal for any

application that requires fault tolerance and minimal capacity.

Weak Points

Drives

Requires twice as many disk drives. Performance is impaired

during drive rebuilds.

Figure 3.2 shows a RAID 1 array.

RAID 1

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Figure 3.2 RAID 1 Array

MegaRAID Controller

Segment 1

Segment 2

Segment 3

Segment 4

Segment 1 Duplicated

Segment 2 Duplicated

Segment 3 Duplicated

Segment 4 Duplicated

3.4 RAID 5

RAID 5 includes disk striping at the byte level and parity. In RAID 5, the

parity information is written to several drives. RAID 5 is best suited for

networks that perform many small I/O transactions simultaneously.

RAID 5 addresses the bottleneck issue for random I/O operations. Since

each drive contains both data and parity, numerous writes can take place

concurrently. In addition, robust caching algorithms and hardware based

exclusive-or assist make RAID 5 performance exceptional in many

different environments.

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Uses

Provides high data throughput, especially for large files. Use

RAID 5 for transaction processing applications, because each

drive can read and write independently. If a drive fails, the

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 uses the parity data to recreate all

missing information. Use also for office automation and online

customer service that requires fault tolerance. Use for any

application that has high read request rates but low write

request rates.

Strong Points Provides data redundancy and good performance in most

environments

Weak Points

Disk drive performance is reduced if a drive is being rebuilt.

Environments with few processes do not perform as well

because the RAID overhead is not offset by the performance

gains in handling simultaneous processes.

Drives

3 to 30

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller supports one or two

SCSI channels, with up to 15 SCSI devices on each channel.

Figure 3.3 shows a RAID 5 array with six disk drives.

Figure 3.3 RAID 5 Array

MegaRAID Controller

Note: Parity is distributed

across drives in the array.

Data Flow

Disk 1

Disk 2

Disk 3

Disk 4

Disk 5

Disk 6

Segment 1

Segment 7

Parity (9–12)

Segment 2

Segment 8

Segment 3

Segment 9

Parity (5–8)

Segment 4

Segment 10

Segment 5

Segment 11

Parity (1–4)

Segment 6

Segment 12

RAID 5

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3.5 RAID 10

RAID 10 is a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1. RAID 10 has mirrored

drives. RAID 10 breaks up data into smaller blocks, and then stripes the

blocks of data to each RAID 1 RAID set. Each RAID 1 RAID set then

duplicates its data to its other drive. The size of each block is determined

by the stripe size parameter, which is set during the creation of the RAID

set. RAID 10 can sustain one to four drive failures while maintaining data

integrity, if each failed disk is in a different RAID 1 array.

Uses

Works best for data storage that must have 100%

redundancy of mirrored arrays and that also needs the

enhanced I/O performance of RAID 0 (striped arrays). RAID

10 works well for medium-sized databases or any

environment that requires a higher degree of fault tolerance

and moderate to medium capacity.

Strong Points

Weak Points

Drives

Provides both high data transfer rates and complete data

redundancy.

Requires twice as many drives as all other RAID levels

except RAID 1.

4 to 18

Must be a multiple of two.

Figure 3.4 shows a RAID 10 array with four disk drives.

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Figure 3.4 RAID 10 Array

MegaRAID Controller

Data Flow

RAID 1

Disk 1

Disk 2

Disk 3

Disk 4

Segment 1

Segment 2

Segment 3

Segment 5

Segment 3

Segment 5

Segment 4

Segment 6

Segment 4

Segment 6

RAID 0

3.6 RAID 50

RAID 50 provides the features of both RAID 0 and RAID 5, including both

parity and disk striping across multiple drives. RAID 50 is best

implemented on two RAID 5 disk arrays with data striped across both

disk arrays. RAID 50 breaks up data into smaller blocks, and then stripes

the blocks of data to each RAID 5 RAID set. RAID 5 breaks up data into

smaller blocks, calculates parity by performing an exclusive-or on the

blocks, and then writes the blocks of data and parity to each drive in the

array. The size of each block is determined by the stripe size parameter,

which is set during the creation of the RAID set.

RAID 50

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RAID 50 can sustain one to four drive failures while maintaining data

integrity, if each failed disk is in a different RAID 5 array.

Uses

Works best when used with data that requires high reliability,

high request rates, high data transfer, and medium to large

capacity.

Strong Points Provides high data throughput, data redundancy, and very

good performance.

Weak Points

Drives

Requires 2 to 4 times as many parity drives as RAID 5.

6 to 30

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller supports one or two

SCSI channels, with up to 15 SCSI devices on each channel.

Figure 3.5 shows a RAID 50 array with six disk drives.

Figure 3.5 RAID 50 Array

MegaRAID Controller

Data Flow

RAID 5

Disk 4

Disk 5

Disk 6

Disk 1

Disk 2

Disk 3

Segment 1

Segment 6

Parity (9-10)

Segment 2

Parity (5-6)

Segment 9

Parity (1-2)

Segment 5

Segment 10

Segment 3

Segment 8

Parity (11-12)

Segment 4

Parity (7-8)

Segment 11

Parity (3-4)

Segment 7

Segment 12

RAID 0

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Chapter 4

Features

This chapter explains the features of the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0. It

contains the following sections:

Section 4.1, “SMART T e chnology”

Section 4.2, “Configuration on Disk”

Section 4.3, “Configuration Features”

Section 4.4, “Array Performance Features”

Section 4.5, “RAID Management Features”

Section 4.6, “Fault T o lerance Features”

Section 4.7, “Software Utilities”

Section 4.8, “Operating System Software Drivers”

Section 4.9, “MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Specifications”

Section 4.10, “RAID Management”

Section 4.11, “Compatibility”

MegaRAID is a family of high performance intelligent PCI-to-SCSI host

adapters with RAID control capabilities. MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 supports

Ultra320 and Wide SCSI at data transfer rates up to 320 Mbytes/s, and

up to 15 Wide devices and up to seven non-Wide devices.

4.1 SMART Technology

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting

Technology (SMART) detects up to 70% of all predictable drive failures.

SMART monitors the internal performance of all motors, heads, and drive

electronics.

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4.2 Configuration on Disk

Configuration on Disk (drive roaming) saves configuration information

both in nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM) on the MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0, and on the disk drives controlled by the MegaRAID SCSI

320-0. If the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 is replaced, the new MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0 controller can detect the actual RAID configuration,

maintaining the integrity of the data on each drive, even if the drives have

changed channel and/or target ID.

4.3 Configuration Features

Table 4.1 contains the configuration features for the MegaRAID 320-0.

Table 4.1

Configuration Features

Specification

Feature

RAID levels

0, 1, 5, 10, and 50

SCSI channels

0 (The MegaRAID 320-0 enables

RAID capability on one or two SCSI

channels controlled by the LSI Logic

53C1030 SCSI chip installed on the

motherboard.)

Maximum number of drives per channel 15

Array interface to host

Drive interface

PCI 2.2

Fast and Wide, Ultra320 single-

ended and low-voltage differential

(LVD)

Upgradeable cache size

Cache function

Cache memory onboard

Write-through, write-back, adaptive

read-ahead, no read-ahead, read-

ahead

Multiple logical drives/arrays per

controller

Up to 40 logical drives per controller

Maximum number of MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 controllers per system

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Table 4.1

Configuration Features (Cont.)

Feature

Specification

Online capacity expansion

Hot spare support

Yes

Flashable firmware

Hot swap devices supported

Non-disk devices supported

Mixed capacity hard disk drives

Support for hard disk drives with

capacities of more than 8 Gbytes.

Clustering support (Failover control)

Online RAID level migration

RAID remapping

Yes

No reboot necessary after expansion

More than 200 Qtags per physical drive Yes

Hardware clustering support on the

board

Yes

User-specified rebuild rate

Yes

4.4 Array Performance Features

Table 4.2 lists the array performance features.

Table 4.2

Array Performance Features

Feature

Specification

Host data transfer rate

Drive data transfer rate

Stripe sizes

533 Mbytes/s

320 Mbytes/s

2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128 Kbytes

Array Performance Features

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4.5 RAID Management Features

Table 4.3 lists the RAID management features.

Table 4.3

RAID Management Features

Specification

Feature

Support for SNMP

Yes

Performance Monitor provided

Remote control and monitoring

Support for concurrent multiple stripe sizes

Windows NT, 2000, XP, and .NET server support using a GUI

client utility

4.6 Fault Tolerance Features

Table 4.4 lists the fault tolerance features.

Table 4.4

Fault Tolerance Features

Specification

Feature

Support for SMART

Yes

Enclosure management

SCSI-accessed fault-tolerant

enclosure (SAF-TE) compliant

Drive failure detection

Automatic

Manual disk replacement without system Yes, by using hot swap features

shutdown

Drive rebuild using hot spares

Parity generation for RAID

Automatic

Hardware

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4.7 Software Utilities

Table 4.5 lists the software utility features.

Table 4.5

Software Utilities

Specification

Feature

Graphical user interface

Yes

Management utility

Bootup configuration using MegaRAID Manager

Online read, write, and cache policy switching

4.8 Operating System Software Drivers

MegaRAID SCSI 320-1 includes a DOS software configuration utility, and

drivers for:

Windows NT 4.0

Windows 2000

Windows .NET

Windows XP

Novell NetWare 5.1, 6.0

Red Hat Linux 7.2, 7.3

DOS version 6.xx or later

The DOS drivers for MegaRAID are contained in the firmware on

MegaRAID, except for the DOS ASPI and CD drivers. Call LSI Logic

Technical Support at 678-728-1250 or access the web site at

www.lsilogic.com for information about drivers for other operating

systems.

Software Utilities

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4.9 MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Specifications

Table 4.6 lists the specifications for the SCSI 320-0.

Table 4.6

Parameter

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Specifications

Specification

Card size

2.536 x 6.6 inches (low-profile PCI)

Intel GC80302 integrated I/O processor

PCI 2.2

Processor

Bus type

PCI controller

Intel GC80302

Bus data transfer rate Up to 132 Mbytes/s

BIOS

MegaRAID BIOS

Cache configuration

Predefined during manufacturing; ECC through a

66MHz 72-bit unbuffered 3.3V SDRAM.

Firmware

1 MB × 8 flash ROM

Nonvolatile RAM

Operating voltage

32 Kbytes × 8 for storing RAID configuration

5.00 V ± 0.25 V

SCSI data transfer rate Up to 320 Mbytes/s

SCSI device types

supported

Synchronous or asynchronous. Disk and non-disk.

RAID levels supported 0, 1, 5, 10, and 50

4.9.1 PCI Bridge/CPU

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 uses the Intel i960RM PCI bridge with an

embedded 80960JX RISC processor running at 66 MHz. The RM bridge

handles data transfers between the primary (host) PCI bus, the

secondary PCI bus, cache memory, and the SCSI bus. The DMA

controller supports chaining and unaligned data transfers. The

embedded 80960JX CPU directs all controller functions, including

command processing, SCSI bus transfers, RAID processing, drive

rebuilding, cache management, and error recovery.

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4.9.2 Cache Memory

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 supports 32 to 128 Mbytes of ECC SDRAM

DIMM on-board cache memory. MegaRAID supports write-through or

write-back caching, which can be selected for each logical drive. To

improve performance in sequential disk accesses, MegaRAID does not

use read-ahead caching for the current logical drive. The default setting

for the read policy is Normal, meaning no read-ahead caching. You can

disable read-ahead caching.

Warning:

Write caching is not recommended for the physical drives.

When write cache is enabled, loss of data can occur when

power is interrupted.

4.9.3 MegaRAID BIOS

The BIOS resides on a 1 Mbyte × 8 flash ROM for easy upgrade. The

MegaRAID BIOS supports INT 13h calls to boot DOS without special

software or device drivers. The MegaRAID BIOS provides an extensive

setup utility that can be accessed by pressing <Ctrl><M> at BIOS

initialization. The MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility is described in

the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide.

4.9.4 SCSI Firmware

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 firmware handles all RAID and SCSI

command processing and also supports the items in Table 4.7.

Table 4.7

Feature

SCSI Firmware

Description

Disconnect/

reconnect

Optimizes SCSI bus seek.

Stripe size

Variable for all logical drives: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, or 128

Kbytes.

Rebuild

Multiple rebuilds and consistency checks with user-

definable priority.

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4.10 RAID Management

RAID management is provided by software utilities that manage and

configure the RAID system and MegaRAID SCSI 320-0, create and

manage multiple disk arrays, control and monitor multiple RAID servers,

provide error statistics logging, and provide online maintenance. They

include:

MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility

WebBIOS Configuration Utility

Power Console Plus

MegaRAID Manager

4.10.1 MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility

BIOS Configuration Utility is used to configure and maintain RAID arrays,

format hard drives, and manage the RAID system. It is independent of

any operating system. See the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide

for additional information.

4.10.2 WebBIOS Configuration Utility

The WebBIOS Configuration Utility is an HTML-based utility used to

configure and maintain RAID arrays, format hard drives, and manage the

RAID system. See the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide for

additional information.

4.10.3 Power Console Plus

Power Console Plus runs in Windows NT, 2000, XP, and .NET. It

configures, monitors, and maintains multiple RAID servers from any

network node or a remote location. See the MegaRAID Configuration

Software Guide for additional information.

4.10.4 MegaRAID Manager

This is a character-based utility that works in DOS, Novell NetWare, and

Red Hat Linux. See the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide for

additional information.

4-8

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4.11 Compatibility

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 compatibility issues include:

Server management

SCSI device compatibility

Software compatibility

4.11.1 Server Management

As a simple network management protocol (SNMP) agent, MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0 supports all SNMP managers.

4.11.2 SCSI Device Compatibility

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 supports SCSI hard drives, CD drives, and tape

drives.

4.11.3 Software

All SCSI backup and utility software should work with MegaRAID SCSI

320-0. This software is not provided with MegaRAID SCSI 320-0.

Compatibility

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Chapter 5

Configuring Physical Drives,

Arrays, and Logical Drives

This chapter explains how to configure SCSI physical drives, arrays, and

logical drives. It contains the following sections:

Section 5.1, “Configuring SCSI Physical Drives”

Section 5.2, “Configuring Arrays”

Section 5.3, “Creating Logical Drives”

Section 5.4, “Configuring Logical Drives”

Section 5.5, “Planning the Array Configuration”

5.1 Configuring SCSI Physical Drives

Physical SCSI drives must be organized into logical drives. The arrays

and logical drives that you construct must be able to support the RAID

level that you select. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller does not

have a SCSI channel; the number of SCSI channels depends on the

SCSI controller on the motherboard.

5.1.1 Basic Configuration Rules

You should observe the following guidelines when connecting and

configuring SCSI devices in a RAID array:

You can place up to 15 physical drives in an array, depending on the

RAID level.

Include all drives that have the same capacity in the same array.

Make sure any hot spare has a capacity that is at least as large as

the largest drive that may be replaced by the hot spare.

When replacing a failed drive, make sure that the replacement drive

has a capacity that is at least as large as the drive being replaced.

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Note:

Be sure to back up your data regularly, even when using

RAID.

5.1.2 Current Physical Device Configuration

Use Table 5.1 to describe the current configuration for your physical

devices.

Table 5.1

Physical Device Configuration

SCSI ID Device Description

Termination?

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5.1.3 Logical Drive Configuration

Use Table 5.2 to record the configuration for your logical drives.

Logical Drive Configuration

Table 5.2

Logical

Drive

RAID

Level

Stripe

Size

Logical Drive

Size

Cache

Policy

Read

Policy

Write

Policy

# of Physical

Drives

LD0

LD1

LD2

LD3

LD4

LD5

LD6

LD7

LD8

LD9

LD10

LD11

LD12

LD13

LD14

LD15

LD16

LD17

LD18

LD19

LD20

LD21

Configuring SCSI Physical Drives

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Table 5.2

Logical Drive Configuration (Cont.)

Logical

Drive

RAID

Level

Stripe

Size

Logical Drive

Size

Cache

Policy

Read

Policy

Write

Policy

# of Physical

Drives

LD22

LD23

LD24

LD25

LD26

LD27

LD28

LD29

LD30

LD31

LD32

LD33

LD34

LD35

LD36

LD37

LD38

LD39

5-4

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5.1.4 Physical Device Layout

Use Table 5.3 to record the physical device layout.

Table 5.3

Physical Device Layout

Channel 0

Channel 1

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Configuring SCSI Physical Drives

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Table 5.3

Physical Device Layout (Cont.)

Channel 0

Channel 1

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

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Table 5.3

Physical Device Layout (Cont.)

Channel 0

Channel 1

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

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Table 5.3

Physical Device Layout (Cont.)

Channel 0

Channel 1

Target ID

Device type

Logical drive number/Drive number

Manufacturer/Model number

Firmware level

5.2 Configuring Arrays

You organize the physical disk drives in arrays after they are connected

to the SCSI channels controlled by the LSI Logic SCSI chip on the

motherboard, and after they are formatted. An array can consist of up to

15 physical disk drives, depending on the RAID level.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 supports up to eight arrays. The number of

drives in an array determines the RAID levels that can be supported.

5.2.1 Arranging Arrays

You must arrange the arrays to provide additional organization for the

drive array. You must arrange arrays so that you can create system drives

that can function as boot devices.

You can sequentially arrange arrays with an identical number of drives

so that the drives in the group are spanned. Spanned drives can be

treated as one large drive. Data can be striped across multiple arrays as

one logical drive.

You can create spanned drives by using the MegaRAID BIOS Setup

utility or the MegaRAID Manager.

5.2.2 Creating Hot Spares

Any drive that is present, formatted, and initialized, but is not included in

a array or logical drive is automatically designated as a hot spare.

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You can designate drives as hot spares using the MegaRAID BIOS

Configuration Utility, the MegaRAID Manager, or Power Console Plus.

5.3 Creating Logical Drives

Logical drives are arrays or spanned arrays that are presented to the

operating system. You must create one or more logical drives.

The logical drive capacity can include all or any portion of an array. The

logical drive capacity can also be larger than an array by using spanning.

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 supports up to 40 logical drives.

5.3.1 Configuration Strategies

The most important factors in RAID array configuration are: drive

capacity, drive availability (fault tolerance), and drive performance. You

cannot configure a logical drive that optimizes all three factors, but it is

easy to choose a logical drive configuration that maximizes one factor at

the expense of the other two factors, although needs are seldom that

simple.

5.3.1.1

Maximize Capacity

RAID 0 achieves maximum drive capacity, but does not provide data

redundancy. Maximum drive capacity for each RAID level is shown

below. OEM-level firmware that can span up to 4 logical drives is

assumed. Table 5.4 describes the RAID levels, including the number of

drives required, and the capacity.

Table 5.4

Capacity for RAID Levels

RAID

Drives

Level Description

Required

Capacity

Striping

without parity

1 – 30

(Number of disks) X capacity of

smallest disk

Mirroring

(Capacity of smallest disk) X (1)

Striping with

floating parity

drive

3 – 30

(Number of disks) X (capacity of

smallest disk) - (capacity of 1 disk)

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Table 5.4

RAID

Capacity for RAID Levels (Cont.)

Drives

Level Description

Required

Capacity

Mirroring and 4 – 18

(Number of disks) X (capacity of

smallest disk) / (2)

Striping

(Must be a

multiple of 2.)

RAID 5 and

Striping

6 – 30 (Must (Number of disks) X (capacity of

be a multiple smallest disk) – (capacity of 1 disk X

of arrays.)

number of Arrays)

5.3.1.2

Maximizing Drive Availability

You can maximize the availability of data on the physical disk drive in the

logical array by maximizing the level of fault tolerance. Table 5.5

describes the levels of fault tolerance for the RAID levels.

Table 5.5

Fault Tolerance for RAID Levels

RAID Level Fault Tolerance Protection

No fault tolerance.

100% protection through data mirroring.

100% protection through striping and parity. The data is striped

and parity data is written across a number of physical disk

drives.

100% protection through data mirroring.

100% protection through data striping and parity. All data is

striped and parity data is written across all drives in two or

more arrays.

5.3.1.3

Maximizing Drive Performance

You can configure an array for optimal performance. But optimal drive

configuration for one type of application will probably not be optimal for

any other application. A basic guideline of the performance

characteristics for RAID drive arrays at each RAID level is shown in

Table 5.6.

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Table 5.6

Performance Characteristics for RAID Levels

RAID Level Performance Characteristics

Excellent for all types of I/O activity, but provides no data

security.

Provides data redundancy and good performance.

Provides data redundancy and good performance in most

environments.

Provides data redundancy and excellent performance.

Provides data redundancy and very good performance.

5.3.2 Assigning RAID Levels

Only one RAID level can be assigned to each logical drive. Table 5.7

shows the drives required per RAID level.

Table 5.7

Number of Physical Drives for RAID Levels

RAID

Level

Minimum # of Physical Drives Maximum # of Physical Drives

Note:

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller supports one or two SCSI

channels, with up to 15 SCSI devices on each channel.

Creating Logical Drives

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5.4 Configuring Logical Drives

After you have installed the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller in the

server and have attached all physical disk drives, perform the following

actions to prepare a RAID array:

1. Optimize MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller options for your system.

See Chapter 6 for additional information.

2. Press <Ctrl><M> to run the BIOS Configuration Utility.

3. If necessary, perform a low-level format of the SCSI drives that will

be included in the array and the drives to be used for hot spares.

4. Customize the RAID array and define and configure one or more

logical drives by selecting Easy Configuration or New Configuration.

5. Create and configure one or more system drives (logical drives) by

selecting the RAID level, cache policy, read policy, and write policy.

6. Save the configuration.

7. Initialize the system drives.

After initialization, you can install the operating system.

5.4.1 Optimizing Data Storage

5.4.1.1

Data Access Requirements

Each type of data stored in the disk subsystem has a different frequency

of read and write activity. If you know the data access requirements, you

can more successfully determine a strategy for optimizing the disk

subsystem capacity, availability, and performance.

Servers that support Video on Demand typically read the data often, but

write data infrequently. Both the read and write operations tend to be

long. Data stored on a general-purpose file server involves relatively

short read and write operations with relatively small files.

5.4.1.2

Array Functions

You must first define the major purpose of the disk array. Will this disk

array increase the system storage capacity for general-purpose file and

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print servers? Does this disk array support any software system that

must be available 24 hours per day? Will the information stored in this

disk array contain large audio or video files that must be available on

demand? Will this disk array contain data from an imaging system? You

must identify the purpose of the data to be stored in the disk subsystem

before you can confidently choose a RAID level and a RAID

configuration.

5.5 Planning the Array Configuration

Fill out Table 5.8 to help plan this array.

Table 5.8

Question

Factors for Planning the Array Configuration

Answer

Number of physical disk drives in the array

Purpose of this array. Rank the following factors:

Maximize drive capacity

Maximize the safety of the data (fault tolerance)

Maximize hard drive performance and throughput

Number of hot spares

Amount of cache memory installed on MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

Are all of the disk drives and the server protected by a UPS?

5.5.1 Using the Array Configuration Planner

The following table lists the possible RAID levels, fault tolerance, and

effective capacity for all possible drive configurations for an array

consisting of one to eight drives. This table does not take into account

any hot spare (standby) drives. You should always have a hot spare drive

in case of drive failure. RAID 1 requires two drives, RAID 10 at least four,

and RAID 50 at least six.

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Use Table 5.9 to plan the array configuration.

Table 5.9 Array Configuration Planner

Possible

Relative

Fault

Tolerance

Effective

Capacity

# of Drives RAID Levels Performance

None

RAID 0

None

Excellent

Good

Yes

100%

50%

RAID 0

RAID 1

None

Excellent

Good

100%

67%

RAID 0

RAID 5

None

Excellent

Good

100%

75%

RAID 0

RAID 5

RAID 10

None

Good

50%

Excellent

Good

100%

80%

RAID 0

RAID 5

None

Excellent

Good

100%

83%

RAID 0

RAID 5

RAID 10

RAID 50

None

Good

50%

Good

67%

Excellent

Good

100%

86%

RAID 0

RAID 5

None

Excellent

100%

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Table 5.9

Array Configuration Planner (Cont.)

Possible

Relative

Fault

Tolerance

Effective

Capacity

# of Drives RAID Levels Performance

RAID 0

RAID 5

Excellent

Good

Yes

100%

87%

50%

75%

RAID 10

RAID 50

Good

Planning the Array Configuration

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Chapter 6

Hardware Installation

This chapter explains how to install the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller.

It contains the following sections:

Section 6.1, “Hardware Requirements”

Section 6.2, “Installation Steps”

Section 6.3, “Summary”

6.1 Hardware Requirements

You must have the following in order to install the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

controller and create arrays:

A host computer with the following:

–

Special ZCR PCI expansion slot

Installed LSI Logic 53C1030 SCSI chip

Support for PCI version 2.2 or later

Intel Pentium, Pentium Pro, or more powerful CPU

Floppy drive, color monitor, VGA adapter card, mouse, and

keyboard

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Installation CD

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for the entire system

Ultra320, Ultra, Fast SCSI 2 or Wide SCSI hard disk drives

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Hardware Guide

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6.2 Installation Steps

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 provides extensive customization options. If

you need only basic MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 features and your computer

does not use other adapter cards with resource settings that may conflict

with MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 settings, even custom installation can be

quick and easy.

Table 6.1 lists the hardware installation steps. Each step is described in

detail in the following pages.

Table 6.1

Hardware Installation Steps

Step Action

Additional Information

Unpack the MegaRAID controller and

inspect for damage. Make sure all items

are in the package.

If damaged, call your LSI

Logic OEM support

representative.

Turn the computer off and remove the

cover.

Check the jumper settings on the

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller.

See page 6-3for the

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

jumper settings.

Install the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 card.

Replace the computer cover and turn the Be sure the SCSI devices

power on.

are powered up before or

at the same time as the

host computer.

Run MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility. Optional.

Install software drivers for the desired

operating systems.

6.2.1 Step 1: Unpack

Unpack and install the hardware in a static-free environment. Remove

the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller card from the anti-static bag and

inspect it for damage. If the card appears damaged, or if any item listed

below is missing, contact LSI Logic or your MegaRAID OEM support

representative. The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller is shipped with the

following:

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The Driver and Documentation CD, which contains these items:

–

The MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide

The MegaRAID Operating System Driver Installation Guide

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 ZCR Hardware Guide

The software license agreement

The MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 configuration utilities for DOS

The warranty registration card

6.2.2 Step 2: Power Down

Turn off the computer, remove the power cord, then remove the cover.

Make sure the computer is turned off and disconnected from any

networks before installing the controller card.

6.2.3 Step 3: Set Jumpers

Make sure the jumper settings on the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 card are

correct. The jumpers are set at the factory and you probably do not need

to change them. Table 6.2 lists the jumpers (and a connector).

Table 6.2

Item

Jumpers for the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

Description

Type

Dirty cache LED

Clear EPROM

BIOS enable

2-pin header

BBU daughter card connector 40-pin connector

Figure 6.1 shows the location of these items on the MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 controller.

Installation Steps

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Figure 6.1 MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Controller Layout

J2 J3 J4

Optional Backup

Battery Unit

Connector

6.2.3.1

J2 Dirty Cache LED

J2 is a two-pin header for the dirty cache LED. This can be connected

to an LED on the computer enclosure. The LED will be lit when data in

the cache has not yet been written to the storage device.

6.2.3.2

6.2.3.3

J3 Clear EPROM

J3 is a two-pin header that clears the erasable progammable read-only

memory (EPROM) configuration data.

J4 BIOS Enable

J4 is a 2-pin header that enables or disables the MegaRAID onboard

BIOS. The onboard BIOS should be enabled (J4 unjumpered) for normal

board position. Table 6.3 contains the pinout for J4.

Table 6.3

J4 Setting

Pinout for J4 BIOS Enable

Onboard BIOS Status

Unjumpered

Jumpered

Enabled

Disabled

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6.2.3.4

J8 Connector for Optional BBU Daughter Card

J8 is 40-pin connector that is used to mount an optional battery backup

unit that is on a daughtercard.

6.2.4 Step 4: Install MegaRAID SCSI 320-0

Select the ZCR 3.3 V or 5 V PCI slot and align the MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 controller bus connector with the slot. Figure 6.2 shows the

differences between the 3.3 V and 5 V slots.

Figure 6.2 3.3 V and 5V Slots

Note:

The slot must be a specific ZCR slot on a motherboard that

has an installed LSI Logic 53C1030 SCSI chip; see your

motherboard manual for this information.

Insert the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 card in the ZCR PCI slot, as shown in

Figure 6.3. Press down gently but firmly to make sure that the card is

properly seated in the slot. The bottom edge of the controller card should

be flush with the slot. Attach the bracket to the computer frame with the

bracket screw.

Installation Steps

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Figure 6.3 Installing the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Controller

Bracket Screw

32-Bit Slots

(3.3 V)

64-Bit Slots

(5 V)

6.2.5 Step 5: Power Up

Replace the computer cover and reconnect the AC power cords. Turn

power on to the host computer. Set up the power supplies so that the

SCSI devices are powered up at the same time as or before the host

computer. If the computer is powered up before a SCSI device, the

device might not be recognized.

During boot, the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 BIOS message appears:

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Disk Array Adapter BIOS Version x.xx

date

Firmware Initializing... [ Scanning SCSI Device ...(etc.)... ]

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The firmware takes several seconds to initialize. During this time the

adapter will scan the SCSI channel(s). When ready, the following

appears:

Host Adapter-1 Firmware Version x.xx DRAM Size 16 MB

0 Logical Drives found on the Host Adapter

0 Logical Drives handled by BIOS

Press <Ctrl><M> to run MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 BIOS

Configuration Utility

The <Ctrl><M> utility prompt times out after several seconds. The

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 host adapter (controller) number, firmware

version, and cache DRAM size are displayed in the second portion of the

BIOS message. The numbering of the controllers follows the PCI slot

scanning order used by the host motherboard.

6.2.6 Step 6: Run the MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility

Press <Ctrl><M> to run the MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility. See

the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide for information about

running this utility.

6.2.7 Step 7: Install the Operating System Driver

MegaRAID can operate under MS-DOS or any DOS-compatible

operating system using the standard AT BIOS INT 13h Hard Disk Drive

interface. To operate with other operating systems, you must install

software drivers. MegaRAID provides software drivers on the Driver and

Documentation CD for the following operating systems:

MS-DOS version 6.xx or later

Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows

.NET

Novell NetWare 5.1, 6.0

Red Hat Linux 7.2, 7.3

Note:

Refer to the MegaRAID Driver Installation Guide for the

procedures used to install operating system drivers.

Important: When booting the system from a drive connected to a

MegaRAID controller and using EMM386.EXE,

MEGASPI.SYS must be loaded in CONFIG.SYS before

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EMM386.EXE is loaded. If you do not do this, you cannot

access the boot drive after EMM386 is loaded.

6.3 Summary

This chapter discussed hardware installation. Configure the RAID system

using software configuration utilities. See the MegaRAID Configuration

Software Guide for all information about MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 software

utilities. The utility programs for configuring MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 are

shown in Table 6.4.

Table 6.4

Configuration Utilities and Operating Systems

Configuration Utility

Operating System

MegaRAID BIOS Configuration Utility

WebBIOS Configuration Utility

MegaRAID Manager

Independent of the operating system

DOS

Red Hat Linux 7.2, 7.3

Novell NetWare 5.1, 6.0

Power Console Plus

Microsoft Windows NT

Windows 2000

Windows XP

Windows .NET

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Chapter 7

Troubleshooting

This chapter provides troubleshooting information for the MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0 controller. It contains the following sections:

Section 7.1, “General Troubleshooting”

Section 7.2, “BIOS Boot Error Messages”

Section 7.3, “Other BIOS Error Messages”

Section 7.4, “Other Potential Problems”

7.1 General Troubleshooting

This section lists the general problems that can occur, along with

suggested solutions. Table 7.1 describes general problems you might

encounter, along with suggested solutions.

Table 7.1

Problem

General Problems and Suggested Solutions

Suggested Solution

The system hangs during the boot

process after installation.

Make sure the SCSI BIOS on the motherboard has been

disabled.

Make sure the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 adapter card is

installed in the proper PCI expansion slot. It must be

installed in the RAID Upgrade PCI slot.

Some operating systems do not load in Check the system BIOS configuration for PCI interrupt

a computer with a MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 adapter.

assignments. Make sure some Interrupts are assigned for

PCI.

Initialize the logical drive before installing the operating

system.

MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 Hardware Guide

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Table 7.1

Problem

General Problems and Suggested Solutions (Cont.)

Suggested Solution

One of the hard drives in the array fails Check the drive error counts using Power Console Plus. See

often.

the MegaRAID Configuration Software Guide for more

information.

Format the drive.

Rebuild the drive

If the drive continues to fail, replace the drive with another

drive with the same capacity.

Pressed <Ctrl><M>. Ran

Check the drives IDs on each channel to make sure each

Megaconf.exe and tried to make a new device has a different ID.

configuration. The system hangs when

scanning devices.

Check the termination. The device at the end of the channel

must be terminated.

Replace the drive cable.

Multiple drives using the same power

Set the drives to spin on command. This will allow

supply. There is a problem spinning the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 to spin two devices simultaneously.

drives all at once.

Pressing <Ctrl><M> or running

megaconf.exe does not display the

Management Menu.

These utilities require a color monitor.

Cannot flash or update the EEPROM. You may need a new EEPROM.

Make sure that TERMPWR is being properly provided to

each peripheral device populated channel.

Firmware Initializing...

appears and remains on the screen.

Make sure that each end of the channel chain is properly

terminated using the recommended terminator type for the

peripheral device.

Make sure (on a channel basis) only two types of cables are

connected at any one time.

Make sure that the MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 controller is

properly seated in the ZCR PCI slot.

What SCSI IDs can a non-hard disk

device have and what is maximum

number allowed per adapter?

Non-hard disk devices can accommodate only SCSI IDs 1,

2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, regardless of the channel used. A maximum

of six non-hard disk devices are supported per MegaRAID

SCSI 320-0 adapter.

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7.2 BIOS Boot Error Messages

Table 7.2 describes error messages that can display when you boot the

system, and suggested solutions.

Table 7.2

Message

BIOS Boot Error Messages

Problem

Suggested Solution

Adapter BIOS Disabled. The MegaRAID BIOS is Enable the BIOS using the MegaRAID BIOS

No Logical Drives

Handled by BIOS

disabled. Sometimes the Configuration Utility.

BIOS is disabled to

prevent booting from the

BIOS.

Host Adapter at

Baseport xxxx Not

Responding

The BIOS cannot

communicate with the

adapter firmware.

Make sure MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 is properly

installed.

No MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 Adapter

The BIOS cannot

communicate with the

adapter firmware.

Make sure MegaRAID SCSI 320-0 is properly

installed.

Configuration of

nonvolatile RAM

(NVRAM) and drives

mismatch.

The configuration stored 1. Press a key to run MegaRAID Manager.

in the MegaRAID SCSI

320-0 adapter does not

match the configuration

stored in the drives.

2. Select View/Add Configuration from the

Configure menu.

3. Use View/Add Configuration to examine

both the configuration in NVRAM and the

configuration stored on the disk drives.

Run View/Add

Configuration option of

Configuration Utility.

Press any key to run the

Configuration Utility.

4. Resolve the problem by selecting one of the

configurations.

1 Logical Drive Failed

A logical drive failed to

sign on.

Make sure all physical drives are properly

connected and are powered on.

Run MegaRAID Manager to find out if any

physical drives are not responding. Reconnect,

replace, or rebuild any drive that is not

responding.

X Logical Drives

Degraded

x number of logical

drives signed on in a

degraded state.

Make sure all physical drives are properly

connected and are powered on.

Run MegaRAID Manager to find if any physical

drives are not responding. Reconnect, replace,

or rebuild any drive that is not responding.

BIOS Boot Error Messages

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Table 7.2

Message

BIOS Boot Error Messages (Cont.)

Problem

Suggested Solution

1 Logical Drive

Degraded

A logical drive signed on Make sure all physical drives are properly

in a degraded state.

connected and are powered on.

Run MegaRAID Manager to find out if any

physical drives are not responding. Reconnect,

replace, or rebuild any drive that is not

responding.

The following SCSI IDs The physical drives with Make sure the physical drives are properly

are not responding:

Channel x:a.b.c

SCSI IDs a, b, and c are connected and are powered on.

not responding on SCSI

channel x.

7.3 Other BIOS Error Messages

Table 7.3 describes other BIOS error messages, their meaning, and

Suggested Solution

Following SCSI disk

not found and no

empty slot available

for mapping it

The physical disk roaming

feature did not find the

physical disk with the

displayed SCSI ID. No slot is

available to map the physical

drive. MegaRAID cannot

resolve the physical drives

into the current configuration.

Reconfigure the array.

Following SCSI IDs

have the same data y, feature found the same data

The physical drive roaming

Remove the drive or drives that should not

be used.

on two or more physical drive

on channel x with SCSI IDs a,

b, and c. MegaRAID cannot

determine the drive that has

the duplicate information.

Channel x: a, b, c

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Table 7.3

Message

Other BIOS Error Messages (Cont.)

Problem

Suggested Solution

Unresolved

configuration

mismatch between

disks and NVRAM on on the drives.

the adapter

The configuration stored in the 1. Press a key to run MegaRAID Manager.

MegaRAID NVRAM does not

match the configuration stored

2. Select View/Add Configuration from the

Configure menu.

3. Use View/Add Configuration to examine

both the configuration in NVRAM and the

configuration stored on the disk drives.

4. Resolve the problem by selecting one of

the configurations.

7.4 Other Potential Problems

Table 7.4 describes other potential problems.