Installation guide

2-8
Bull S.A.May 25th, 1999
6. devices.pci.441000a4 – (SCSI RAID PCI Adapter)
This package provides the software to support the SCSI RAID (Redundant Array of
Inexpensive Disks) PCI adapter. It includes the board driver and the DPT storage manager
for the configuration and the management of RAID volumes.
Refer to the “SCSI RAID Adapter, Installation & Configuration Guide” (Ref: 86 A1 44HX), for
more information.
6.1 Restrictions and Limitations
• If the Storage manager, during a “Set System Configuration” displays the message ODM
could not be updated, please reboot to complete the operation.
• Using the Storage Manager program, the click on the buttons of the mouse function
becomes ineffective if num_lock mode is set.
• After software installation (either the first time, or with a PTF), the firmware of the board
is automatically updated, if necessary, at next reboot time.
• The first boot after first installation may lead to duplicate disk definitions in ODM bases:
you may find a set of disks in defined state. No functional issues. Just delete these
objects with rmdev –dl hdisk<x> command to clean up the bases.
• Do not use direct AIX commands or smit menus to manage disks in RAID Array (rmdev,
mkdev, etc...). These actions are safely performed through the Storage Manager
program.
• To launch the Storage Manager program in curses mode, change to /usr/lpp/dpt
directory, then issue the dptmgrac command for the curses version, and dptmgram
command for the graphical Motif version.
• If newly created RAID volumes are not seen after RAID building, update the ODM
objects with the cfgmgr command.
6.2 Storage Manager on Graphical Motif Mode
When using the Motif program, the Num Lock key must be unlocked. There is
incompatibility between this key and mouse button operations.
6.3 Device Write Caching Configuration
The Write Through mode is the default mode supported on all the drives. It is the only mode
supported on the disk drives with rootvg. The Write Cache mode must be selected on
physical drives before the creation of RAID arrays.
6.4 Operations on RAID Arrays
Before inserting, modifying or deleting a drive in an array, check that the drive is not AIX
active and not used (varyoffvg).
Operations on arrays using the Storage Manager must be considered as low–level
hardware modification of the disk configuration, at the same level as disk formatting
operations.
6.5 Errlog from SCSI RAID Adapter
Sometimes the errors logged by the SCSI RAID adapter are incorrectly time–stamped in
the ASCII formatted message. Prefer the Errlog head date which is accurate.
The Error Recovery Procedure results in the logging of some SRA (SCSI RAID Adapter)
name errors but these have no impact on data operations.