Users Guide

Q: What is strict creation?
A: Strict creation is an optional ag that has been added to the create virtual disk command. It allows you to create virtual disks only if the
array disks (that is, hard drives) are within a specied percentage of disk space of each other.
Q: Why is the drive location of array disks displayed like 0:0:0?
A: The nexus used to display array disks is "channel:target:lun." The Logical Unit Number (LUN) is always "0." The channel and the target
IDs are necessary to identify array disks when dealing with SCSI devices.
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
elds 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 congure 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 EMC
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: 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.
SYSCFG questions
Q: Can I use the SYSCFG utility to congure Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) over the serial port to access my RAC?
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Known issues and frequently asked questions