Isolating A Controller Module Expansion Port Connection Fault - Seagate RealStor 5005 Series Hardware Installation

Isolating a controller module expansion port connection fault

During normal operation, when a controller module's expansion port is connected to a drive enclosure, the expansion port
status LED is green. If the connected port's expansion port LED is off, the link is down. Use the following procedure to
isolate the fault. This procedure requires scheduled downtime.
NOTE: Do not perform more than one step at a time. Changing more than one variable at a time can complicate the
troubleshooting process.
1. Halt all I/O to the storage system
2. Check the host activity LED.
If there is activity, halt all applications that access the storage system.
3. Check the Cache Status LED to verify that the controller cached data is flushed to the disk drives.
Solid – Cache contains data yet to be written to the disk.
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Blinking – Cache data is being written to CompactFlash.
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Flashing at 1/10 second on and 9/10 second off – Cache is being refreshed by the supercapacitor.
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Off – Cache is clean (no unwritten data).
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4. Reseat the expansion cable, and inspect it for damage.
Is the expansion port status LED on?
Yes – Monitor the status to ensure there is no intermittent error present. If the fault occurs again, clean the
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connections to ensure that a dirty connector is not interfering with the data path.
No – Proceed to the next step.
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5. Move the expansion cable to a port on the controller enclosure with a known good link status.
This step isolates the problem to the expansion cable or to the controller module's expansion port.
Is the expansion port status LED on?
Yes – You now know that the expansion cable is good. Return the cable to the original port. If the expansion port
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status LED remains off, you have isolated the fault to the controller module's expansion port. Replace the
controller module.
No – Proceed to the next step.
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6. Move the expansion cable back to the original port on the controller enclosure.
7. Move the expansion cable on the drive enclosure to a known good expansion port on the drive enclosure.
Is the expansion port status LED on?
Yes – You have isolated the problem to the drive enclosure's port. Replace the expansion module.
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No – Proceed to the next step.
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8. Replace the cable with a known good cable, ensuring the cable is attached to the original ports used by the previous
cable.
Is the host link status LED on?
Yes – Replace the original cable. The fault has been isolated.
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No – It is likely that the controller module must be replaced.
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68 Troubleshooting and problem solving
"Stopping I/O" (page 88).