Monitoring Status With Software - Silicon Graphics InfiniteStorage S330 RAID User Manual

Monitoring Status with Software

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007-4798-001
Use storage management software (TPSSM) to monitor enclosure status. You should run the
software constantly and check it frequently.
TPSSM provides the best method to diagnose and repair failures. This software helps you do the
following:
• Determine the nature of the failure.
• Locate the failed component.
• Provide recovery procedures to repair the failure.
Although the enclosure has fault indicators, these lights do not necessarily indicate which
component has failed or needs to be replaced, or which type of recovery procedure you must
perform. In some cases (such as loss of redundancy in various components), the fault light does
not even come on. Only TPSSM can detect the failure.
For example, the recovery procedure for an impending drive failure (a predictive failure analysis,
or PFA, flag on a drive) varies depending on the drive status (hot spare, unassigned, RAID level,
current volume status, and so on). Depending on the circumstances, a PFA flag on a drive can
indicate a high risk of data loss (if the drive is in a RAID 0 volume) or a minimal risk (if the drive
is unassigned). Only TPSSM can identify the risk level and provide the necessary recovery
procedures. Note also that in the case of PFA flags, the global fault and drive fault indicators do
not come on, so just checking the indicators will not notify you of the failure, even if the risk of
data loss is high.
In addition, recovering from a failure may require you to perform procedures other than replacing
the component (such as backing up the volume or failing a drive before removing it). TPSSM
provides these procedures.
Caution: If the software recovery procedures are not followed, data loss can result.
Note: For more information on the storage management software (TPSSM), see the SGI TPSSM
Administration Guide (007-4306-00x), the SGI TPSSM Software Concepts Guide (007-4305-00x),
and the SGI Storage Area Network Installation Instructions (108-0252-00x).
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