Dell Perc 5i User Guide

							
SAS 5/iR BIOS29
Integrated RAID Configuration and Management Screens
Integrated RAID (IR) configuration and management involves many screens, all of which are accessed by 
selecting  RAID Properties  on the Adapter Properties  screen.
 If no RAID virtual disks are currently configured , you are prompted to create a RAID virtual disk.
 If at least one RAID virtual disk is currently configured, select 
View Existing Array to manage the 
virtual disk(s), or select the appropriate cr eate option to configure a new virtual disk.
The screens in the RAID configuration and management properties area are:
 Select New Virtual Disk Type
 Create New Virtual Disk
 View Virtual Disk
 Manage Virtual Disk
Select New Virtual Disk Type
The two options for creating a new virtual disk are  Create IM Volume and Create IS Volume . 
Additional information about the disk  type options appear on the screen.
Create New Virtual Disk
The Create New Virtual Disk  screen allows you to select  disks for a new virtual disk.
1
Press  to create the virtual disk  once the virtual disk is configured. 
2Save the changes when prompted to do so. 
3Press  to confirm the changes. 
After the virtual disk is created, the utility returns to the Adapter Properties screen. See the table below 
for the virtual disk properties description.
 NOTE: Dell recommends backing up yo ur data prior to adding or updating configurations.
Table 5-2.  Virtual Disk Field Descriptions Field Description
Virtual Disk Type The type of vir tual disk being created: IM or IS
Virtual Disk Size The size of the virtual disk in MB
Slot Num The slot number the device is located in
Device Identifier The device identifier
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30SAS 5/iR BIOS
View Virtual Disk
The View Virtual Disk  screen allows you to view the current virtual disk configuration.
Press  to view the next virtual disk. S ee the table above to view descriptions of each 
virtual disk property.
Manage Virtual Disk
The  Manage Virtual Disk  screen is used to manage the cur rent virtual disk. If you select Synchronize 
Mirror , Activate Mirror , or Delete Virtual Disk , you are prompted to conf irm the choice by pressing 
Y for yes or  N for no.
RAID Disk Specifies whether the disk is part of a RAID vi rtual disk (Yes or No). This field is grayed 
out under the following conditions:
 The disk does not meet the minimum requ irements for use in a RAID virtual disk.
 The disk is not large enough to mirror ex isting data on the primary physical disk.
 The disk is a part  of another virtual disk.
Pred Fail Indicates whether device SM ART is predicting device failure
Drive Status The physical disk drive status
Ok: Disk is online and fully functional

Missing: Disk is not detected

Failed: Disk is not accessible or has reported a failure

Initing: Disk is initializing

Offline: Disk is offline for some other reason

Inactive: Disk has been set inactive

Not Syncd: Data on disk is not synchronize d with the rest of the virtual disk

Primary: Disk is the primary disk  for a 2-disk mirror and is OK

Secondary: Disk is the secondary disk for a 2-disk mirror and is OK

Wr g  Ty p e: Device is not compatible for use  as part of the RAID virtual disk

Too Small: Disk is too small to mirror existing data

Max Dsks: Maximum # of disks allowed for th is type of virtual disk reached

Wr g  I n t f c: Device interface (SAS/SATA) di ffers from existing IR disks
Size (MB) The coerced size of the physical disk in  MB (1 MB = (1024 x 1024) = 1,048,576 bytes).
NOTE: Disk coercion is used to ensure the disks are the same size. In virtual disks consisting 
of different sized physical disks, excess space  on larger physical disks is unusable.
Table 5-2.  Virtual Disk Field Descriptions 
(continued)
Field Description
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SAS 5/iR BIOS31
Exit Screen
It is important to exit the SAS BIOS Configuration Utility properly, because some changes take effect 
only when you exit. From the  Adapter List, press  to exit. In addition, a similar exit screen 
appears when you exit most other screens,  and it can be used to save settings.
Performing Configuration Tasks
Creating an Integrated Striping Virtual Disk
An Integrated Striping (IS) virtual disk, also referred to as RAID 0, offers the ability to stripe data across 
multiple physical disks. This can increase storag e capacity and performance by combining multiple disks 
into one logical virtual disk. Follow these steps to cr eate an IS virtual disk on a SAS 5/iR controller that 
does not currently have a virtual disk configured.
1
Select a controller from the Adapter List in the Configuration Utility. 
2Select the RAID Properties option.
Table 5-3. Manage Virtual Disk Field Descriptions
Field Description
Identifier The identifier of the virtual disk
Type The RAID type of the virtual disk
Scan Order The scan order of the virtual disk
Size (MB) The size of the virtual disk
Status The status of the virtual disk
Synchronize Mirror This opti on is used to synchronize the IM virtual disk.
This option is not accessible  under the following conditions:
 The virtual disk is inactive.
 The virtual disk does not need to be resynchronized.
 IS virtual disk is used.
Manage Secondary Disk This option is used to add a sec ondary drive to a degraded IM virtual disk with a 
missing member. 
This option is not accessible under the following conditions:
 The virtual disk is inactive.
 The virtual disk is not a degraded IM  virtual disk with a missing member.
 IS virtual disk is used.
Activate Mirror This option is used to activate an  inactive (foreign) virtual disk. The option is 
grayed out if there are no  inactive virtual disks.
Delete Virtual Disk This option is used to  delete the currently displayed virtual disk
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32SAS 5/iR BIOS
3Select Create IS Volume when you are prompted to create either an IS virtual disk or an IM virtual disk.
The next screen shows a list of disks  that can be added to a virtual disk.
4Move the cursor to the RAID Disk column. To add a disk to the virtual disk, change “No” to “Yes” by 
pressing the , , or space bar. As disks are added, the 
Virtual Disk Size field changes to reflect 
the size of the new virtual disk.
 NOTICE: All data will be lost upon  creation of the virtual disk.
There are several limitations when  creating an IS virtual disk:
 All disks must be either Dell-comp liant SAS or SATA physical disks.
 SAS and SATA physical disks cannot  be used in the same virtual disk.
 Disks must have 512 byte blocks and must not  be removable media (e.g., floppy drive, 
USB key, etc.).
 There must be at least 2 physical disks in a virtual disk.
 No more than 4 physical disks are allowed in a virtual disk.
5Press  and then select Save changes when the virtual disk ha s been fully configured. 
6Press  to confirm that existing data will be  lost with the creation of the virtual disk. The 
Configuration Utility will pause while  the virtual disk is being created.
 NOTICE: IS does not provide any data protection in the event of disk failure. It is primarily used to increase 
performance.
 
NOTE: Once the number of disks  in a RAID virtual disk is set, it cannot be changed.
 
NOTE: The maximum size of the virtual disk  that contains the bootable operating system is  2 Terabytes. This is due 
to operating system restrictions.The maxim um array size (non-bootable) is 16 Terabytes.
Creating a Integrated Mirroring Virtual Disk
An Integrated Mirroring (IM) virtual disk, also referr ed to as RAID 1, offers the ability to mirror data 
from one physical disk onto another one. This can inc rease reliability by combining multiple disks into 
one logical virtual disk. Follow these steps to create  an IM virtual disk on a SAS 5/iR controller that does 
not currently have a virtual disk configured.
1
Select a controller from the Adapter List in the Configuration Utility. 
2Select the RAID Properties option.
3Select Create IM Volume when you are prompted to create either an  IS virtual disk or an IM virtual disk.
The next screen shows a list of disks  that can be added to a virtual disk.
4Move the cursor to the RAID Disk column. To add a disk to the virtual disk, change “No” to “Yes” by 
pressing the , , or space bar.
 NOTICE: Data on both disks will be lost.  Dell recommends backing up all  data before performing these steps.
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SAS 5/iR BIOS33
5As disks are added, the Virtual Disk Size field will change to reflect the size of the new virtual disk. 
There are several limitations when  creating an IM virtual disk:
 All disks must be either Dell-comp liant SAS or SATA physical disks.
 SAS and SATA physical disks cannot  be used in the same virtual disk.
 Disks must have 512-byte blocks and must not have removable media.
 There must be 2 physical disks in an IM virtual disk.
6Press  and then select Save changes when the virtual disk ha s been fully configured. 
7Press  to confirm that existing data will be  lost with the creation of the virtual disk. The 
Configuration Utility will pause while  the virtual disk is being created.
 NOTE: IM provides protection against the failure of a single physical disk. When a disk fails, the physical disk can 
be replaced and the data re -mirrored to the physical disk , maintaining data integrity.
 
NOTE: The maximum size of the virtual disk  that contains the bootable operating system is  2 Terabytes. This is due 
to operating system restrictions.The maxim um array size (non-bootable) is 16 Terabytes.
Viewing Virtual Disk Properties
Follow these steps to view the properties of IS and IM virtual disks:
1
Select a controller from the Adapter List in the Configuration Utility.
2Select the RAID Properties option.
 If there are no existing virtual disks, you will be  prompted to create an IM or an IS virtual disk.
 If there is one existing virtual disk, select 
View Existing Array.
 If there are two existing virtual disks, pres s  to view the next virtual disk.
3Press  when the Manage Virtual Disk item is selected to manage the current virtual disk.
Synchronizing a Virtual Disk
Synchronizing a virtual disk means that the firmware sy nchronizes the data on the secondary disk(s) with the 
data on the primary disk of the mirro r. Follow these steps to start synchronization for an IM virtual disk:
1
Select Synchronize Mirror.
2Press Y to start the synchronization or N to cancel it.
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34SAS 5/iR BIOS
Activating a Virtual Disk
A virtual disk can become inactive if, for example, it is removed from one SAS 5/iR controller and moved to 
another one. The  Activate Mirror option allows you to reactivate an  inactive virtual disk that has been 
added to a system. This option is only available  when the selected virtual disk is currently inactive.
1
Select Activate Mirror.
2Press Y to proceed with the activation or press N to abandon it.
After a pause, the virtual disk will become active.
 NOTE: Activation of migrated virtual disks is on ly supported when the migrated virtual disk(s) is in an optimal state 
and contains all the physical disks.
Deleting a Virtual Disk
 NOTICE: Before deleting a virtual disk, be sure  to back up all data on the virtual disk th at you want to keep.
Follow these steps to delete a selected virtual disk:
1
Select Delete Virtual Disk.
2Press Y to delete the virtual disk or press N to abandon the deletion.
3Press  to confirm deletion of  the virtual disk. After a pause, the firmware deletes the virtual disk.
 NOTICE: If the physical disks of a virtual disk are removed and  the virtual disk’s configuration is subsequently 
deleted from the SAS 5/iR controller,  the physical disks show up only as simp le disks with no RAID association if 
they are placed back onto the same SAS 5/ iR controller. Once the virtual disk is removed from a SAS 5/iR controller 
using the BIOS Configuration Utility (r egardless whether the physical disks members are present), the virtual disk 
cannot be restored.
Replacing and Rebuilding a Degraded Virtual Disk
In the event of a physical disk fa ilure in an IM virtual disk, you will need to replace the disk and 
resynchronize the virtual disk. Sy nchronization will occur automatically  on replacing the physical disk 
using the following steps.
1
Replace the failed physical disk with a bl ank disk of the same type and capacity.
2Check your management application or the BIOS  Configuration Utility (Ctrl-C) to ensure 
synchronization started automatically.
 NOTE: The Dell SAS 5/iR controller only su pports migration of consistent virtual disks and does not support hot 
migration of virtual disks.
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Troubleshooting35
Troubleshooting
To get help with problems with your Dell™ Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) 5/iR controller, you can 
Contact Dell or access the Dell Support website at  support.dell.com.
BIOS Boot Order
If you intend to boot to the controller, ensure it  is set appropriately in the systems BIOS boot order. 
See your system documentation for more information.
General Problems
Table 6-1. General Problems
Problem Suggested Solution
The controller displays in Windows
® Device 
Manager but has a yellow bang (exclamation point). Reinstall the driver. See 
the driver installation 
procedures in Driver Installation on page 19.
The controller does not appear in Windows Device 
Manager.  Turn off the system and rese
at the controller. Turn on 
the system.
No Physical Disks Found  message appears 
during a CD installation of Microsoft
® Windows 
2000 Server, Windows Server® 2003, or 
Windows XP. The message appears due to one of the following 
reasons: The driver is not suppor
ted on the operating system.
 The controller BIOS is disabled.
 Physical disks are not connected or seated properly.
The corresponding solutions to  the three causes of the 
message are:
 Press  to install the Device Driver  during installation.
 Enter the BIOS Configuration Utility to enable  the BIOS. See SAS 5/iR BIOS on page 27.
 Verify if the physical disks are connected or  seated properly.
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36Troubleshooting
Physical Disk Related Issues
Table 6-2. Physical Disk IssuesProblem Suggested Solution
The system does not boot from the SAS 5/iR 
controller. Ensure that the boot disk is a
ttached to the controller at the 
lowest ID and check the controller and the physical disk boot 
order in the system BIOS.
NOTE: See your system documenta tion for information about 
boot device selection.
Physical disk is not enumerated during POST.
 Go to the Configuration Utility  and ensure that the physical 
disk is not enumerated in the SAS topology.
 Verify the cable connection.
 Reseat the physical disk.
 Check and reseat the cable.
One of the physical disks in the array shows the 
status as Failed. Check the SAS cables.
 Reseat the physical disk.
 Check the enclosure or the backplane for damage.
 Contact Dell if the problem persists.
Integrated Mirroring (IM) virtual disk does 
not rebuild. Enter the Configuration Utility and ensure the physical disk  is enumerated in the SAS topology.
 Ensure the new disk is of the same drive type as the other  disk in the virtual disk (SAS/SATA).
 Ensure the new disk is of equal or greater capacity as the  other disk in the virtual disk.
 Ensure the new disk is not detected as an inactive virtual  disk under the RAID Properties menu. Delete the newly 
inserted inactive disk.
 Ensure the inserted disk has the same ID as the disk it is  replacing. Assign the correct ID to the disk or use the 
Manage Secondary Disk feature in the Manage Virtual Disk 
menu.
 Ensure the new disk is a Dell supported SAS or SATA disk.
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Troubleshooting37
Configuration Utility Error Messages
 NOTE: These error messages are displayed inside the Configuration Utility. Restart your system and retry if you 
encounter any of these.
Table 6-3. Configuration Utility Error Messages Message Meaning and  Suggested Solution
An error occurr ed while reading 
non-volatile settings. An error reading any one of a number of settings from the 
firmware. Reseat the 
controller and reboot. 
An error occurr ed while reading 
current controller settings. Controller setup and initializati
on has failed. Reboot the 
system.
Advanced Device Pr operties settings 
not found. Failed to read vital configurat
ion page from firmware. Reflash 
the firmware and reboot.
Advanced Adapter  Properties settings 
not found. Failed to read vital configuration page from firmware.Reflash 
the firmware and reboot.
Error obtaining PHY properties 
configuration information. Failed to read vital configuration page from firmware.Reflash 
the firmware and reboot.
Configuration Utility  Options Image 
checksum error. Failed to properly read Configuration Utility options from 
flash. Restart and retry. If 
the issue persists, reflash the 
firmware on the controller.
Configuration Utility  Options Image 
error. Failed to properly read Configuration Utility options from 
flash. Restart and retry. If 
the issue persists, reflash the 
firmware on the controller.
Configuration Utility  Options Image 
not found. Failed to properly read Configuration Utility options from 
flash. Restart and retry. If 
the issue persists, reflash the 
firmware on the controller.
Cant load defa ult Configuration 
Utility options. Failed to allocate memory for Configuration Utility options 
structure.
An error occurr ed while writing 
non-volatile settings. An error occurred while writin
g one or more settings to the 
firmware.
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38Troubleshooting
BIOS Error Messages
Table 6-4. BIOS Error MessagesMessage Meaning
Press  to Enable BIOS When the BIOS is disabled, you are given the option to 
enable it by entering the configuration utility. You can 
change the setting to  Enabled in the configuration utility.
Adapter at Basepor t xxxx is not 
responding where xxxx is the 
baseport of the controller If the controller does not resp
ond for any reason but is 
detected by the BIOS, it disp lays this warning and continues. 
Shut down the system and try to  reseat the controller. If this 
message appears again, Contact Dell.
Following SAS targets are not 
responding... When the BIOS determines th
at previously configured 
physical disks are not connecte d to the controller, the BIOS 
displays this warning and continues to boot. The system 
continues to boot. See Phys ical Disk Related Issues on 
page 36 for troubleshooting tips.
Adapter configurat ion may have 
changed, reconfiguration is 
recommended!
Press CTRL-C to  run Dell SAS 5 
Configuration Utility… Start the Configuration Utility 
and confirm the configuration 
of the SAS 5/iR controller.
Initializing... Displays while the BIOS is waiting to initialize.
SAS discovery error Indicates that there was a discovery error reported by the 
firmware and may be accompanied by more such messages. 
Enter the Configuration Utility to investigate.
Integrated RAID ex ception detected: The BIOS detected an exception with one or more RAID 
virtual disk. For additional tr oubleshooting information, see 
the error message  Volume (xx:yy:zzz) is 
currently in state “STATE” .
Volume (xx:yy:zzz)  is currently in 
state “STATE” Lists the current state of the specified virtual disk when it is 
not optimal. The state may include:
 INACTIVE: The virtual disk is inactive, possibly foreign, or 
could be in any one of th e states mentioned below.
 DEGRADED: The virtual disk is  in a degraded state and has 
lost redundancy.
 RESYNCING: The virtual disk is degraded and currently  rebuilding.
 FAILED: The virtual disk has an  error and is in a failed state.
 MISSING: The virtual disk is  no longer present though a 
record of it remains.
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