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Starting the DAC Utility
Starting the DAC Utility
Installation Abort
NVRAM/Flash Configuration Mismatch
Configuration Checksum Error
Configuring the DAC960PL
1. Insert the Configuration Utilities and NetWare Software Kit diskette in drive A and boot from it.
Change to the daccfg directory.
2. Type dellcf and press <ENTER> to start the DAC utility.
After a few seconds, the system displays a list of connected devices and then displays the Main menu.
The DAC utility will find the number of DAC960PL controllers present in the system. If there is more than one controller installed in the system, a box will display all of them. Highlight the DAC960PL to be configured by using the up and down arrow keys, and then press <ENTER>. The utility will get the drive information and check if a configuration-checksum error, an installation-abort condition, or a mismatch between flash EEPROM and the NVRAM configuration (as reported by the BIOS at boot-up time) is present. If none of the above conditions are seen, the utility will scan all the drives connected to the DAC960PL and display the MAIN MENU.
Main Menu
Installation Abort
If an installation-abort condition is reported, a message similar to the one shown in Installation Abort
is displayed. This message will display the state of all the drives whose state has changed from ONLINE to DEAD since the last time the DAC960PL was powered off.
The cause of this error could be faulty SCSI cabling, a faulty SCSI channel, a faulty controller, loose cabling, or improper power to disk drives. Also, check the system setup and power cycle of the system.
When a key is pressed, a screen similar to Current Configuration of Drives
is displayed. This screen shows the current configuration of the disk drives and waits for user input. When <SRRR is pressed, the displayed configuration information is saved to the DAC960PL. This process in no way affects the system drive and other associated information already stored. Once the configuration is saved, power off the system and restart it.
NVRAM/Flash Configuration Mismatch
If a mismatch between the configurations saved in the NVRAM and flash EEPROM is detected, then a message similar to the one shown in Configuration Mismatch
is displayed. The cause of this error is probably a bad or a corrupted NVRAM. Since the system has two different copies of the configuration, the user will be asked to select which configuration is correct.
When a key is pressed, a menu similar to the one in Loading a Configuration
is displayed. Here, the user must choose to load the configuration from flash EEPROM or NVRAM. In most cases, the configuration in flash EEPROM is more accurate and should be selected.
When the required configuration is selected, a screen similar to Saving a Configuration
is displayed. The user should verify the configuration. There is also the option of going back to the previous menu and choosing the other configuration by pressing <ESC>. After having decided which configuration to use, press <S> to save the configuration. Once the configuration is saved, restart the system.
Configuration Checksum Error
If a configuration checksum error is present, the utility will display a screen similar to Configuration Checksum Error
and advise the user to reset the DAC960PL to a default configuration. A checksum error may be reported after the DAC960PL firmware has been upgraded. In such a condition, the user will need to reboot the system after saving the default configuration, and restore the previously backed up configuration by using the TOOLS/RESTORE CONFIGURATION options of this utility.
Configuring the DAC960PL
If the drives are not formatted, select the TOOLS option in the MAIN MENU. In the TOOLS menu, select the FORMAT DRIVE option to low-level format all the drives. Then, use the DEFINE PACK option in the NEW CONFIGURATION menu to create one or more physical packs and arrange the created physical packs. Next, use the DEFINE SYSTEM DRIVE option in the NEW CONFIGURATION menu to create one or more system drives with the required size, RAID level, and write policy. The information is then saved on the DAC960PL in a flash EEPROM. Thereafter, all the system drives need to be initialized by selecting the INITIALIZE SYSTEM DRIVE option from the MAIN MENU. The system can now be rebooted to complete the configuration process.
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