Users Guide

When dealing with SAS devices, the array disk location is displayed as channel:target:enclosure. It is possible to have
the enclosure value as non-zero. If the enclosure has a non-zero value, then all three numbers (channel, target, and
enclosure) have to be included on the command line.
Q: Do I need to specify RAID type and size when creating virtual disks?
A: No. The default RAID type is RAID 0. If RAID size is not provided, the maximum size allowed for virtual disk is created.
The mandatory fields required to create virtual disks are the controller slot ID and the array disks.
Q: What is a hot spare (failover drive)?
A: A hot spare is an extra and unused disk drive that is part of an array disk subsystem. A hot spare is always in standby
mode. If a disk failure occurs, the hot spare replaces the failed drive without interrupting the system.
Q: What is mr2kserv.exe?
A: The mr2kserv.exe is a service needed to configure all LSI RAID controllers in Windows PE. It provides Plug and Play
support.
Q: What features have changed from the MS-DOS version of RAIDCFG to the Windows PE and embedded Linux
versions?
A: Windows PE and embedded Linux version of RAIDCFG support new controllers. For the list of supported controllers,
see Dell Systems Software Support Matrix at dell.com/openmanagemanuals.
Features that have been removed from the MS-DOS version include:
• The --name and --wait options in the create command
• The --runlocation and the --scratchlocation options
• The --getpercentcomplete environment variables
Q: What is the minimum virtual disk size that I can create?
A: For PERC 5 controllers:
• RAID 0: 100 MB
• RAID 1: 100 MB
• RAID 5: 100 MB
For PERC 6 controllers:
• RAID 0: 100 MB
• RAID 1: 100 MB
• RAID 5: 100 MB
• RAID 6: 100 MB
• RAID 60: 100 MB
Q: Why cannot I see any controllers using RAIDCFG?
A: Ensure that the RAID controllers can be seen in the BIOS during POST. If the BIOS does not detect the controller, then
RAIDCFG does not detect it. Also ensure that the controller is set to RAID mode and not any other mode in the controller
BIOS.
Q: What is span length?
A: Span length enables you to select the number of array disks in a span for the nested RAID levels (RAID-10, RAID-50,
and RAID-60). The default (minimum permissible) span length value is 2 for RAID-10, 3 for RAID-50, and 4 for RAID-60.
Q: PARTCFG cannot enumerate the virtual disks created by RAIDCFG. What must be done?
A: A reboot is required for PARTCFG to enumerate virtual disks after creating a virtual disk using the RAIDCFG command.
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