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Dell OpenManage™ Storage Management User's Guide
How to Avoid Removing the Wrong Disk
Replacing an Array Disk Receiving SMART Alerts
Array
and Hard Disk Properties and Tasks
An array disk is attached to a RAID controller and can be used in a virtual disk. A hard disk is attached to a non-RAID controller and cannot be used in a virtual disk. The term "physical disk" is sometimes used when referring to a hard disk or when discussing procedures for physically adding or removing a disk from the system.
The new disk should be displayed in the tree view after the rescan. If the new disk is not displayed, restart the computer.
You can avoid removing the wrong disk by blinking the LED display on the disk that you intend to remove. See the following sections for information on blinking the LED display:
If you have already removed the wrong disk, see Recovering from Removing the Wrong Drive.
SMART alerts are messages predicting that a disk may fail in the near future. If an array disk is receiving SMART alerts, you should replace the disk. Use the following procedures to replace a disk receiving SMART alerts.
If the disk is part of a redundant virtual disk:
If the disk is not part of a redundant virtual disk:
Related information:
See the following sections:
Use this window to view information about array disks and execute array disk tasks.
Array disks are attached to RAID controllers and hard disks are attached to non-RAID SCSI controllers. The following table describes properties that may be displayed depending on the controller.
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Property |
Definition | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Status
| These icons represent the severity or health of the storage component. See Storage Component Severity for more information. | ||
Name | This property displays the name of the array disk. The name is comprised of the channel number followed by the disk number. | ||
State | This property displays the current status of the array or hard disk.
| ||
Device Name | This property displays the operating system device name for this object. | ||
Capacity | This property displays the full capacity of the disk. | ||
Used RAID Disk Space | This property displays how much of the array disk space is being used by the virtual disks on the controller. This property is Not Applicable for hard disks attached to non-RAID SCSI controllers.
| ||
Free RAID Disk Space | This property displays the amount of available space on the disk. This property is Not Applicable for hard disks attached to non-RAID SCSI controllers. | ||
Hot Spare | This property indicates whether the disk has been assigned as a hot spare. This property is Not Applicable for hard disks attached to non-RAID SCSI controllers. | ||
Product ID | This property displays the disk's product ID. | ||
Revision | This property displays the disk's revision number. | ||
Vendor ID | This property displays the disk's hardware vendor. |
Do the following to execute an array disk task:
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Note: Different controllers support different features. For this reason, the tasks displayed on the Tasks drop-down menu can vary depending on which controller is selected in the tree view. |
The Blink task allows you to find a disk within an enclosure by blinking one of the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on the disk. This task automatically cancels after a short duration such as 30 or 60 seconds. You may want to use this task to locate a failed disk.
The Unblink task allows you to cancel the Blink task before the 30 or 60-second threshold has been reached.
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Note: The Blink and Unblink tasks are only supported for hotswap array disks (disks that reside in a carrier). When using an Ultra SCSI, Ultra2 SCSI, Ultra160 SCSI, or LSI 1020 or LSI 1030 controller, the Blink and Unblink tasks apply to hard disks contained in carriers that can be inserted into a server or an enclosure. If the hard disk is not contained in a carrier but is instead designed to be connected with a SCSI cable (typically a ribbon cable), then the Blink and Unblink tasks are disabled. |
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Note: The Blink and Unblink tasks are not supported on the PERC 4/IM or CERC ATA100/4ch controller. |
The Remove Dead Segments task recovers disk space that is currently unusable. A "dead" or "orphaned" disk segment refers to an area of an array disk that is unusable for any of the following reasons:
A global hot spare is an unused backup disk that is part of the array group. Hot spares remain in standby mode. When an array disk that is used in a virtual disk fails, the assigned hot spare is activated to replace the failed array disk without interrupting the system or requiring your intervention. When a hot spare is activated, it rebuilds the data for all redundant virtual disks that were using the failed array disk.
You can change the hot spare assignment by unassigning a disk and choosing another disk as needed. You can also assign more than one array disk as a global hot spare.
See Protecting Your Virtual Disk with a Hot Spare for more information.
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Note: Global hot spares must be assigned and unassigned manually. They are not assigned to specific virtual disks. There are size requirements for the hot spare. See Considerations for Hot Spares on PERC 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, 3/QC, 4/SC, 4/DC, 4e/DC, 4/Di, 4e/Si, 4e/Di, and CERC ATA100/4ch Controllers for more information. If you want to assign a hot spare to a virtual disk (it will replace any array disk that fails in the virtual disk) then use the Assign and Unassign Dedicated Hot Spare. |
Use the Prepare to Remove task to spin down an array disk so that it can safely be removed from an enclosure. It is recommended that you perform this task before removing a disk to prevent data loss.
This task causes the lights on the disk to blink. You can safely remove the disk under the following conditions:
An array disk is no longer in Ready state after doing a Prepare to Remove. Removing the array disk from the enclosure and replacing it causes the array disk to spin up and return to Ready state.
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Note: This procedure is not available for array disks that have been assigned as a hot spare. In addition, this procedure is only supported for hotswap array disks (disks that reside in a carrier). |
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Note: This procedure is not supported on the PERC 4/IM, CERC ATA100/4ch, CERC SATA1.5/6ch, and CERC SATA1.5/2s controllers. |
The Online and Offline tasks only apply to array disks that are included in a redundant virtual disk and attached to a PERC 2/SC, 2/DC, 3/SC, 3/DCL, 3/DC, 3/QC,4/SC, 4/DC, 4e/DC, 4/Di, 4/IM, or CERC ATA100/4ch controller.
Use the Offline task to deactivate a disk before removing it. Use the Online task to reactivate an offline disk. In some cases, you may wish to use the Online task on a failed disk in an attempt to recover data from the disk. See Using the Array Disk Online Command on Select Controllers for more information.
The Initialize task prepares an array disk for use as a member of a virtual disk.
Array disks attached to PERC 2, 2/Si, 3/Si, 3/Di, CERC SATA1.5/6ch, and CERC SATA1.5/2s controllers must be initialized before they can be used.
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Caution: This is a data-destructive task. Any virtual disks residing on this array disk will be removed. |
Use the Rebuild task to reconstruct data when an array disk in a redundant virtual disk fails. See Replacing a Failed Disk that is Part of a Redundant Virtual Disk for more information.
Rebuilding a disk may take several hours.
Use the Cancel Rebuild task to cancel a rebuild that is in progress. If you cancel a rebuild, the virtual disk remains in a degraded state. The failure of an additional array disk can cause the virtual disk to fail and may result in data loss. It is highly recommended that you rebuild the failed array disk as soon as possible.
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