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Mylex Global Array Manager Installation Manual And User's Manual

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  • Page 3: User Manual

    Global Array Manager™ Client Software for Mylex PCI Disk Array Controllers k Array Controllers Installation Guide and User Manual for Software Kit 5 Form Number SA67-0049-01 © Copyright 2002 IBM Corporation. All Rights Reserved. All contents of this manual are copyrighted by IBM. The...
  • Page 4 Greetings Thank you for purchasing the Mylex Global Array Manager® Client Software for Mylex PCI Disk Array Controllers. Requests for technical information about this and other Mylex products should be made to your Mylex/IBM authorized reseller or Mylex/IBM marketing representative.

  • Page 5: About This Manual

    About This Manual This installation guide covers the steps involved to install and use the client component of Mylex’s Global Array Manager® with Mylex PCI Disk Array Controllers for Software Kit 5. For information on installing and running the server component of Global Array Manager, consult the Global Array Manager Server Software Installation Guide and User Manual for Software Kit 5.

  • Page 7: Table Of Contents

    Installation Overview ................ 2–1 Installation of Global Array Manager Client ........2–2 Installing Global Array Manager Client Software ....... 2–2 Installing Global Array Manager Client with Linux ......2–5 Install Wine ................2–5 Install GAM Client ..............2–5 To Uninstall GAM Client Software ..........2–6 Chapter 3 Startup &...
  • Page 8 Window Menu ..............3–14 Help Menu ................ 3–14 Toolbar and Toolbar Icons ............3–14 Exiting Global Array Manager ............3–16 Exiting GAM Server ..............3–16 Setting Up Server Groups and Servers .......... 3–17 Adding a Server Group to the Server Group List ..... 3–17 Adding a Server to the Server Groups List ......
  • Page 9 Transporting a Disk Array ............... 4–36 Clustering & Teaming ..............4–38 Managing Channels ............... 4–40 Spanning in Global Array Manager ..........4–43 Enable Spanning in GAM ............... 4–44 Configuring a Spanned Disk Array ..........4–44 Creating a Spanned Disk Array ..........4–45 Loading a Configuration from Disk ..........
  • Page 10 Device Information: RAID Controller ........5–7 Device Information: Disk Drive ........... 5–7 Viewing the Request Sense Data and NVRAM Error Log ..5–10 Displaying Logical Drive Information ........5–13 Enclosure Monitoring and Management ......... 5–16 Information Page .............. 5–17 Details Page ..............5–18 SCSI Enclosures ..............

  • Page 11: Introduction

    • eXtremeRAID 2000/3000 • AcceleRAID 352/170/160 If you are using Mylex controllers that are not listed above, refer to the Global Array Manager Client Installation and User Manual for Software Kit GAM Client software is used to: •...

  • Page 12: Global Array Manager Components

    Overview Global Array Manager Components Global Array Manager has two components: • Global Array Manager Server component (which is part of the Mylex Disk Array Controller Software Kit 5) • Global Array Manager Client component Each component handles specific tasks based upon the selected function.

  • Page 13: Requirements

    Introduction Requirements Since Global Array Manager is a client/server application, the GAM Server software component provided in the Mylex Disk Array Controller Software Kit must be installed in one or more file servers in order for the GAM Client software component to operate. Hardware and software requirements for...

  • Page 14: Optional

    Requirements Optional • Modem or Fax/Modem (Hayes-compatible) • MAPI- or SMTP-compliant messaging such as Microsoft Outlook™ (Required for Windows) • Microsoft Exchange®, and Microsoft At Work® (Windows 95) for fax notification of events Refer to your server documentation and to the Windows documentation for more information on hardware and operating system requirements.

  • Page 15: Installation

    Chapter 2 Installation Installation Overview Installation of the Global Array Manager Client component requires one of the following operating systems: • Windows XP 32-bit or 64-bit • Linux (using Wine) • Windows NT 4.0 • Windows 2000 • Windows 98 •...

  • Page 16: Installation Of Global Array Manager Client

    AutoRun will cause the CD-ROM to display the Mylex RAID Management Software Installation menu (Figure 2-1). Figure 2-1. Mylex RAID Management Software Installation Menu 3. Click the option called “Install Global Array Manager.” This option is used to install GAM Server and GAM Client. GAM Client User’s Guide...
  • Page 17 Installation Global Array Manager Setup will load the installation wizard. 4. After a few moments, the Welcome dialog box will display (Figure 2-2). Click Next to proceed with the installation, or click Cancel to end the installation procedure and return to the menu.
  • Page 18 Installation of Global Array Manager Client Figure 2-3. Select Components to Install 6. To select Global Array Manager Client for installation, click the box (if necessary) to check the Global Array Manager Client option. Note If installing the Global Array Manager Client, you may also choose to install Global Array Manager Server at this time.

  • Page 19: Installing Global Array Manager Client With Linux

    Installation Installing Global Array Manager Client with Linux Installing the Global Array Manager Client on a Linux operating system requires the use of Wine™. Wine is a program that ports the GAM Client onto Linux. It is highly recommended that you use the Wine version from the specified web site.

  • Page 20: To Uninstall Gam Client Software

    Installing Global Array Manager Client with Linux To Uninstall GAM Client Software 1. Query the installed GAM Client software: rpm -qa | grep gam 2. Uninstall GAM Client software: rpm -e gam-5.00-xxxxxxxx GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 21: Startup & Navigation

    Startup & Navigation Navigation Starting Global Array Manager Starting the Global Array Manager Client requires both the Server and Client components. It is required that you install and start GAM Server before you attempt to run the Global Array Manager Client.

  • Page 22: Navigating Global Array Manager Client

    This section describes the navigating features and options that GAM provides. Button Controls Dialog boxes throughout the Global Array Manager Client have a series of control buttons. Some examples of these include: Click this button to apply the settings made in the dialog box.

  • Page 23: Components Of The Gam Client Opening Screen

    Components of the GAM Client Opening Screen Upon startup (with defined servers), Global Array Manager Client displays the opening screen, consisting of the Global Array Manager window, the Global Status View window, and the Log Information Viewer (Figure 3-1). Figure 3-1. Opening GAM Screen...

  • Page 24: Components Of The Global Status View Window

    Navigating Global Array Manager Client names of each server group that is in contact with the current client workstation. Each group may consist of multiple servers. You may select a specific server group to view, or select “All Servers” if you want to view all the servers that are connected to this workstation.

  • Page 25: Components Of The Controller View Window

    Startup & Navigation • Severity. The severity level of this event. • Source. The IP address or name of the file server that is the sender (source) of this event. • Source Time. Day of the week, month, day of the month, time of day, and year at the source file server’s location when this event occurred.
  • Page 26 Navigating Global Array Manager Client • Item #2: The physical devices present on each channel, specifying the target ID, capacity of the device, device type, and device status. See “Physical Device and Logical Drive Monitoring” on page 5-6 for more information.

  • Page 27: Extremeraid 3000

    Startup & Navigation eXtremeRAID 3000 The Controller View window for the eXtremeRAID 3000 (Figure 3-4), displays the same information as described in the previous section. However, it is organized graphically to allow many more targets to be shown in each of the fibre channels, and the Controller View is scrollable.
  • Page 28 Status Icons Logical Drive Consistency Check State Logical Drive Online State (configured) Logical Drive Offline State GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 29: Menu Bar And Menus

    Startup & Navigation Menu Bar and Menus GAM Client contains a menubar (Figure 3-5) in the Global Array Manager window. Figure 3-5. Menu Bar File Menu The File menu (Figure 3-6) contains the following options: • Open Configuration (Ctrl+O): Loads a configuration from disk and saves it to the controller.

  • Page 30: View Menu

    Status Icons View Menu The View menu (Figure 3-7) contains the following options: • Global Status View: Toggles the Global Status View window. The Global Status View window opens by default when Global Array Manager Client starts. • Controller View: Toggles the Controller View window showing channel/ID/target information and physical device/logical drive configurations for the controller selected in the controller selection box.

  • Page 31: Administration Menu

    IP addresses within each group. • Select Current Server Group (Ctrl+G): Displays the current contents of the server selection box located in the Global Array Manager window. Functions in the same way as directly selecting the server selection box.
  • Page 32 Status Icons Figure 3-8. Administration Menu • Initialize Logical Drives: Offers the ability to run a full initialization of logical drives at a time of your choice, not just immediately following a new configuration. If it’s inconvenient to follow a configuration immediately with a logical drive initialization, you can decline the initialization and use this menu item to start the process at a later time.
  • Page 33 Startup & Navigation • Intelligent BBU: (Only enabled if the selected controller has an Intelligent Battery Backup Unit installed.) Displays a dialog box from which you can do the following: • Monitor the power remaining in the Intelligent BBU. • Request reconditioning of the Intelligent BBU (for eXtremeRAID 2000 and eXtremeRAID 3000).

  • Page 34: Window Menu

    • About Global Array Manager: Displays the Windows standard “About” box. Figure 3-11. Help Menu Toolbar and Toolbar Icons GAM Client contains a toolbar (Figure 3-12) in the Global Array Manager window. Figure 3-12. Toolbar Each toolbar button corresponds to a function available from the menu bar.
  • Page 35 Startup & Navigation Scan Devices: Scans for new, recently added devices which are not yet identified within GAM. Displays Controller Information: Displays key information about the currently-selected RAID Controller or HBA. Error Table: Displays a table of “request sense” data. Sign-On: Enables configuration and administration functions to Administrators and monitoring functions to “Users.”...

  • Page 36: Exiting Global Array Manager

    Exiting Global Array Manager Exiting Global Array Manager Exit Global Array Manager Client as shown in Figure 3-13: Figure 3-13. Select “Exit” Note We recommend leaving the GAM Client running as long as there are servers you wish to monitor or configure.

  • Page 37: Setting Up Server Groups And Servers

    Startup & Navigation Setting Up Server Groups and Servers p Server Groups and Servers Adding a Server Group to the Server Group List Open Define Server Groups as shown in Figure 3-14. (This is not necessary if you are starting GAM and no Server Groups are defined. The Define Server Groups dialog box will display automatically.) Figure 3-14.

  • Page 38: Adding A Server To The Server Groups List

    4. To add more servers to the group, repeat steps 1 through 3. 5. Click OK in the Define Server Groups dialog box when you are finished. After adding servers, Global Array Manager returns to the Global Status window. Note Select “All Servers”...

  • Page 39: Signing On To A Server

    Startup & Navigation Signing On to a Server This section describes the different server access levels and the methods of signing onto the Global Array Manager Client. Security Access Levels The ability to perform certain actions within the GAM Client depends on your security access level.

  • Page 40: Administrator

    Signing On to a Server Administrator Administrator access level is achieved by signing on to a server host using the username “gamroot”; use of a password is highly recommended. Administrators have the capabilities of Guests and Users plus the full privilege to view and change the status and settings of the selected controller and other internal GAM settings.
  • Page 41 Startup & Navigation Figure 3-17. Select “Sign On” GAM’s internal operation during Sign On is to: 1. Encrypt the username and password and send them to the GAM Server running on the selected server host. 2. The GAM Server receives and decrypts the username and password and makes an operating system specific call to validate them per the server host’s operating system’s user accounts.

  • Page 42: Setting And Modifying User Preferences

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences Uncheck the box if you want to retain the option of signing on to each server you wish to access individually. 3. Click the Sign-On button (see Figure 3-16). Setting and Modifying User Preferences Open Settings by clicking Administration->Settings on the menu bar or the Preferences icon as shown in Figure 3-18.

  • Page 43: Alert Preferences

    Startup & Navigation Alert Preferences Figure 3-19. Settings Dialog Box – Alert Preferences In the Settings dialog box, under the Alert Preferences tab (Figure 3-19), you have several options: Event Log • Append events to your current log file, or •...

  • Page 44: Alarm Setup

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences Events are numbered from 0 for most severe to 4 for least severe, and can be edited by the user. Finish by doing one of the following: • Click OK to accept the global alert settings and exit the Settings dialog box, or •...

  • Page 45: Add A Pager

    Startup & Navigation Add a Pager 1. Select the Pager alarm type in the upper window. 2. Click Add. The Pager setup box is displayed as shown in Figure 3-21. Figure 3-21. Pager Setup Dialog Box 3. In the Pager box: •...

  • Page 46: Remove A Pager

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences • Select the appropriate button for a Numeric or Alphanumeric pager. 4. If you need to enter a Message Prefix, Suffix, or Delay interval, click Advanced. Type the desired information and click OK to return to the Pager setup box.

  • Page 47: Add A Fax Using Windows

    Startup & Navigation Add a Fax Using Windows For fax notification Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft At Work Fax software must be installed on your system. GAM supports only Microsoft At Work Fax under Windows 95. The Software field is not selectable. The required fax software components should already be available as part of the normal Windows installation.

  • Page 48: Remove A Fax

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences The Fax setup box is displayed as shown in Figure 3-24. Figure 3-24. Fax Setup Dialog Box 3. In the Fax box: • Enable or disable this Fax entry using the Enabled check box. • Type the fax phone number of someone who will receive a fax. •...

  • Page 49: Add A Fax Using Linux

    Startup & Navigation Add a Fax Using Linux When using Linux, the behavior of the Fax Alert function is defined in gam2cl.ini file as follows, which is located under “~User/.gam/”. Note If you are using a fax utility program other than “fax,” you may need to modify the FAXUSERSCRIPT accordingly.

  • Page 50: Add An Email Using Windows

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences Add an Email Using Windows 1. Select the Email alarm type in the upper window of the Alarm Setup dialog box (Figure 3-25). Figure 3-25. Email Alarm Setup 2. Click Add. The Email setup box is displayed as shown in Figure 3-26. Figure 3-26.

  • Page 51: Remove Email

    Startup & Navigation 4. To test the email using the settings you’ve input, click Test. 5. When you are satisfied with the Email you’ve set up, click OK. Your new Email entry appears in the lower window of the Alarm Setup dialog box.

  • Page 52: Add An Email Using Linux

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences Add an Email Using Linux When using Linux, the behavior of the E-mail Alert function is defined in gam2cl.ini file as follows, which is located under “~User/.gam/”. [COMM_SECTION] EMAILUSERSCRIPT=/usr/bin/mail -s “%S” %R < %M where, %S is replaced with subject string %R is replaced with recipients %M is replaced with message file name...

  • Page 53: Remove An Application To Launch

    Startup & Navigation Figure 3-28. Launch Application Setup Dialog Box 3. In the Launch Application box: • Enable or disable this Application entry using the Enabled check box. • Enable Launch Only Once if you want to prevent the application from launching again if GAM detects that it is already running.

  • Page 54: Properties

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences 4. At the confirmation message, click Yes to remove the application entry, or click No to keep the entry. Properties For any of the four alarm types (Pager, Fax, Email, Application), you may view a particular entry’s settings by selecting an entry in the lower window of Alarm Setup and clicking Properties.

  • Page 55: Stop Bits

    Startup & Navigation Stop Bits Select the number of stop bits required for communication sessions: 1, 1.5, Data Bits Select the number of data bits required for communication sessions: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Finish by doing one of the following: •...

  • Page 56: Event Id/User Event Id/Severity/Default

    Setting and Modifying User Preferences Event ID/User Event ID/Severity/Default 1. Select an Event ID to edit from the Event ID list box. 2. Type your own number for this event in the User Event ID list box, or keep the default (equal to the Event ID number). 3.

  • Page 57: For More Information

    For More Information... This concludes the Startup & Navigation chapter. For additional information on Global Array Manager options and functionality, refer to other chapters in this installation guide, and to the context-sensitive online help file available from the Help menu, by pressing F1, or by right-mouse-clicking an item on which you require help.
  • Page 58 For More Information... 3-38 GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 59: Configuration

    • Setting or modifying controller options to suit your application needs • Modifying physical device options for data transfer or tag value • Creating, modifying, or deleting Mylex RAID Controller configurations • Loading a configuration from disk and saving it to the controller...

  • Page 60: Setting And Modifying Controller Options

    Setting and Modifying Controller Options Setting and Modifying Controller Options Open Controller Options as shown in Figure 4-1. Figure 4-1. Select “Controller Options” To configure options for a controller, complete the following property pages. Controller Options To configure Controller Options, follow these steps: 1.
  • Page 61 Configuration Figure 4-2. Controller Options Dialog Box for new PCI DAC 2. Enable or disable (by checking or unchecking) any of the following global parameters: • Automatic Rebuild Management. Works in conjunction with SAF-TE disk array enclosures to detect removal of a failed drive and perform an automatic rebuild after installation of a replacement drive.
  • Page 62 Setting and Modifying Controller Options • Consistency Check Rate. Change the default Rate Controls to less than or equal to 50. Do this by using the slide bar or typing the rate in the edit box. A rate of 50 dedicates the maximum allowable resources to a Consistency Check allowing it to proceed at its fastest.

  • Page 63: Advanced Controller Options

    Configuration Cache Line Size. The cache line size represents the size of the data in controller memory that will be read or written at one time. Change the following cache line size parameters: • User Selected. Select the 64KB cache line size if all of your logical drives have a stripe size greater than 64KB.

  • Page 64: Scsi Host Bus Adapters

    Setting and Modifying Controller Options • Temporarily Offline RAID Array. Prevents a second physical drive associated with a currently critical system drive from being permanently marked offline. The disk drive is marked temporarily unavailable or dead. • Device Health Monitoring (S.M.A.R.T). S.M.A.R.T. (Self- Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology) will monitor the condition of drives and global and dedicated hot spare drives that are part of a RAID configuration group.
  • Page 65 Configuration Figure 4-4. Controller Options Dialog Box for SCSI HBA Enable or disable (by checking or unchecking) the following SCSI Device Parameters: • Wide Negotiation. Allows the controller to negotiate at wide data transfer rates. • Disconnect. Allows the target to disconnect from the initiator. Change the SCSI ID of this HBA.

  • Page 66: Modifying Physical Device Options

    Modifying Physical Device Options Modifying Physical Device Options Open Physical Device Options as shown in Figure 4-5: Figure 4-5. Select “Physical Device Options” The Physical Device Options dialog box (Figure 4-6) displays and allows you to change certain physical device transfer options. Figure 4-6.

  • Page 67: Running Raid Assist

    Running RAID Assist RAID Assist is the Global Array Manager Client’s “wizard” for the setup and configuration of new logical drives and disk arrays. In its simplest form, RAID Assist provides an Auto Configuration option which immediately configures all available drives into an optimal, RAID 5 configuration.
  • Page 68 Running RAID Assist Figure 4-7. Select “RAID Assist” The RAID Assist “Welcome” dialog box displays (Figure 4-8). Figure 4-8. RAID Assist “Welcome” Dialog Box In the RAID Assist “Welcome” dialog box (Figure 4-8), do one of the following: • Click the Automatic Configuration button if you want to provide only 4-10 GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 69: Automatic Configuration

    Configuration minimal input and allow RAID Assist to set up an optimal configuration automatically, or • Click the Assisted Configuration button if you want RAID Assist to lead you step-by-step through the configuration, or • Click the Manual Configuration button if you want full control over your configuration setup, or •...
  • Page 70 Running RAID Assist The new configuration created is based on the total number of drives discovered by the Global Array Manager. The automatic configuration feature uses the maximum number of drives, provides a fault tolerant RAID level when able, and creates a hot spare drive for drive failure protection.
  • Page 71 Configuration Do the following: 1. Examine the Configuration Summary for details about the configuration that RAID Assist will set up. 2. If you want to start over, click the Back or Cancel button, or the Welcome tab, OR If you want to view the configuration before it is applied to the controller, click the Details button.

  • Page 72: Assisted Configuration

    Running RAID Assist Assisted Configuration Assisted Configuration provides three options: • New Configuration. Sets up a new configuration on the controller, deleting the previous configuration and data (if any). • Add Logical Drive. Sets up additional arrays (logical drives) leaving the existing array(s) intact.

  • Page 73: Fault Tolerance Tab

    Configuration Fault Tolerance Tab Configure the following options (Figure 4-13) for fault tolerance. 1. Do you want Fault Tolerance? [Yes/No] 2. Do you want a Hot Spare? [Yes/No] Figure 4-13. Assisted Configuration – Fault Tolerance Manual No. SA67-0049-01 4-15...
  • Page 74 Running RAID Assist RAID Level Tab If Fault Tolerance Was Yes (Figure 4-14), choose between: • Parity error correction (RAID 5, RAID 3), or • Fully redundant drives (RAID 1, RAID 0+1) Figure 4-14. Assisted Configuration – RAID Level With Fault Tolerance 4-16 GAM Client User’s Guide...
  • Page 75 Configuration RAID Level Tab If Fault Tolerance Was No (Figure 4-15), choose between: • Striping (RAID 0), or • Stand-alone drive (JBOD) Figure 4-15. Assisted Configuration – RAID Level With No Fault Tolerance Manual No. SA67-0049-01 4-17...

  • Page 76: Logical Drives Tab

    This is done after the configuration has been applied. Figure 4-16. Assisted Configuration –Logical Drives Certain Mylex PCI RAID Controllers allow Immediate RAID Availability of logical drives after configuration. For these controllers, initialization can take place in the background without the need to wait for full foreground initialization.
  • Page 77 Configuration Figure 4-17. Background Initialization is Supported 4. If this message appears, click Yes to request a full foreground initialization of logical drives once the new configuration is applied, Click No to take advantage of the background initialization support. Once you’ve applied your configuration, your logical drives will be available for immediate use.

  • Page 78: Optimization Tab

    Running RAID Assist Optimization Tab Configure the following options (Figure 4-18) for optimization. 1. Choose between: • Write cache enabled (write back) • Write cache disabled (write through) 2. Select a Stripe Size from the valid drop-down list. 3. Select Cache line size. Valid cache line size values depend on the stripe size settings.
  • Page 79 Configuration Finish Tab When you get to the Finish screen (Figure 4-19), do the following: Figure 4-19. Assisted Configuration ->New Configuration ->Finish 1. Examine the Configuration Summary for details about the configuration that RAID Assist will set up. 2. If you want to start over, click the Welcome tab or Cancel button, OR If you want to change your answers to any of the questions you were asked, click the appropriate tab to return to that screen, OR If you want to view the configuration before it is applied to the...

  • Page 80: Manual Configuration

    Running RAID Assist Figure 4-20. WARNING Before Applying the Configuration 4. Type YES and click OK if you are sure you want to apply the new configuration and overwrite the old. If you are not sure, click Cancel. Note In Assisted Configuration, Add Logical Drive and Expand Array function very similarly to the New Configuration option.
  • Page 81 Configuration • Defragment Array. Defragments unused spaces in an existing array. For example open New Configuration as shown in Figure 4-21. Figure 4-21. Select “New Configuration” The Disk Arrays tab in Manual Configuration is where you begin to configure your unused disk drives (lower left, Figure 4-22). Manual No.
  • Page 82 Running RAID Assist Figure 4-22. Manual Configuration – Disk Arrays Each disk array is represented by two lines in the Disk Arrays area of the screen (upper left, Figure 4-22). Logical drives (if any have already been configured) display on the right side. Do the following: 1.
  • Page 83 Configuration 5. Once you have assembled the disk array groups, click the Logical Drives tab to continue on to logical drive setup (Figure 4-23). Figure 4-23. Manual Configuration – Logical Drives The Logical Drives tab in Manual Configuration is where you configure your disk arrays into logical drives.
  • Page 84 Running RAID Assist few existing segmented spaces, the largest space is used to create the logical drive. 4. Check the Write Cache box if you want this logical drive to use Write Back caching. This improves performance but puts data at risk. You should have a battery backup unit or uninterruptable power supply if selecting this feature.
  • Page 85 Configuration 8. Click the Add Drive button to register your new logical drive. 9. Click Apply to save the configuration if you are finished setting up logical drives, OR Repeat the process above to set up additional logical drives, then click Apply when you’re done.

  • Page 86: Global Hot Spares Vs. Dedicated Hot Spares

    Global Hot Spares vs. Dedicated Hot Spares Global Hot Spares vs. Dedicated Hot Spares A hot spare is classified as two types: 1) a Dedicated Hot Spare and 2) a Global Hot Spare. Dedicated Hot Spares belong to a single disk array or spanned disk array.
  • Page 87 Configuration 8. If you want the Global Hot Spare to be a Dedicated Hot Spare drag and drop it to the disk array that the Global Hot Spare belongs (see Figure 4-27). Figure 4-27. Creating a Dedicated Hot Spare A Dedicated Hot Spare is created, and a green plus sign indicates the physical disk drive has changed to a Dedicated Hot Spare (see Figure 4-27).

  • Page 88: Expand Capacity

    Expand Capacity Expand Capacity GAM provides an advanced configuration mode known as MORE2 (Mylex Online RAID Expansion 2) which provides two features, Online Capacity Expansion and Extension (OCE), and RAID Level Management (RLM). These features allow you to increase the capacity of a RAID array in a variety of ways.
  • Page 89 Configuration To expand a logical drive, follow these steps: Caution It is highly recommended that you backup your current configuration before making modifications. 1. Select Administration->RAID Assist on the menu bar or the RAID Assist icon (see Figure 4-7). 2. Click the Manual Configuration button. 3.
  • Page 90 Expand Capacity Figure 4-29. Expand Capacity – Add Logical Drive(s) 5. Select a RAID level for your new logical drive. 6. Type the desired amount of available logical or physical capacity for this logical drive. 7. Check the Write Cache box if you want this logical drive to use Write Back caching.
  • Page 91 Configuration 11. Click the Apply button to save your new configuration. A message box appears as shown in Figure 4-30, click Yes to proceed: Figure 4-30. Message Before Applying the Configuration A warning confirmation box appears as shown in Figure 4-31 Figure 4-31.
  • Page 92 Expand Capacity Figure 4-32. Expand Capacity Status Box Click Close to close the Expand Capacity Status box at any time. Click View-> Expand Capacity Status to open the status box at any time. 4-34 GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 93: Migrating A Raid Level

    Configuration Migrating a RAID Level RAID Level Migration is the ability to change the RAID level on one or more system drives. This may require more or less space on the physical drives. Any other logical drives are moved to make room for the size change. This includes moving system drives to remove gaps between the system drives that either exist before migration or those that would be a result of the migration.

  • Page 94: Transporting A Disk Array

    Transporting a Disk Array Transporting a Disk Array You can transport a disk array group between any single controller to any dual controllers and vice versa. However, it may not be easy for you to know which disk drives in an enclosure belongs to which specific disk array. To help you, the locate function is expanded to indicate visually all disk drives (dedicated hot spares and global hot spares are not included) that belong to a specific disk array by using LEDs.
  • Page 95 Configuration 3. Click the Transport Button, the Disk Array Transport Information Window opens (Figure 4-34). Figure 4-34. Disk Array Transport Information Window All of the physical drives including the global and dedicated spares associated with the selected logical drive and all of the logical drives that belong to the same disk array are displayed.

  • Page 96: Clustering & Teaming

    Clustering & Teaming Clustering & Teaming In a clustered RAID environment, multiple controllers share the same back end SCSI disk drives through a SCSI or Fibre channel cable(s). If the controllers reside on different systems respectively, it is called clustering. A clustering software manages the clustering configuration.
  • Page 97 Configuration registered as a single server group through the Administration->Define Server Groups dialog box (see “Setting Up Server Groups and Servers” on page 3-17). The colors of the lines have no relation to other color indications (e.g. channel colors). To launch PATHpilot, click Administration->Advanced Functions ->PATHpilot.

  • Page 98: Managing Channels

    Managing Channels Managing Channels To avoid future “Boot Failure” as result of disk array creation across channels after performing a clustering configuration, a channel that a physical disk belongs will be specifically indicated. The following colors combinations will be used per channel: •...
  • Page 99 Configuration Figure 4-37. Disk Array Tab – Four Channels Displayed Figure 4-38 shows the Controller View window displaying four channels. Figure 4-38. Controller View – Four Channels Displayed When an attempt is made to create a disk array across channels, the caution message in Figure 4-39 opens.
  • Page 100 Managing Channels GAM Client is running, this message will display once at the first attempt. Figure 4-39. Caution – Mixing Channels If intermixing between Private and Shared channel happens during configuring, the operation is inhibited and a warning message (Figure 4-40) is displayed.

  • Page 101: Spanning In Global Array Manager

    Configuration Spanning in Global Array Manager Spanning allows you to configure multiple drive packs or parts of multiple drive packs as one system drive. This means that space is used from the first array to the last identical array. A drive pack is a group of individual disk drives (preferably identical) that are logically tied to each other and are addressed as a single unit.

  • Page 102: Enable Spanning In Gam

    Enable Spanning in GAM • In GAM more than one system drive can be defined on a single drive pack; a system drive can also span 16 packs. • The minimum size of a system drive is 8MB. The maximum is 2 TB. •...

  • Page 103: Creating A Spanned Disk Array

    Configuration Creating a Spanned Disk Array Note Spanned disk arrays cannot be created across a Private and Shared channel. 1. Click on the Disk Arrays tab. 2. Click on the Add Array button to add the desired number of arrays. Each time you click the Add Array button, an array will be added to your configuration (A1, A2, A3, etc...).

  • Page 104: Loading A Configuration From Disk

    Loading a Configuration from Disk Loading a Configuration from Disk Load a previously-saved configuration from disk as shown in Figure 4-42. Figure 4-42. Select “Open Configuration” 1. In the Open Configuration dialog box (Figure 4-43), select the configuration file you wish to open to save to the controller. Figure 4-43.

  • Page 105: Saving A Configuration To Disk

    Configuration 3. To confirm your decision to overwrite the existing configuration, type YES then click OK, or Click Cancel to stop without applying the saved configuration. Saving a Configuration to Disk Saves a configuration file to a new filename, disk, and/or directory. Figure 4-45.
  • Page 106 Saving a Configuration to Disk 4-48 GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 107: Monitoring

    Chapter 5 5 Monitoring Introduction Monitoring activities involve the following: • Monitoring events (messages) sent by various servers to the client workstation(s). • Monitoring controller activity; reviewing controller configuration and other information. • Reviewing physical device and logical drive information. •...

  • Page 108: Event Monitoring

    Event Monitoring Event Monitoring The Global Array Manager Server driver subcomponent monitors activity and performance of all devices and controllers attached to the server. When an identified activity occurs which results in an “event” (whether severe, such as a hard disk failure, or informational, such as assignment of a drive to hot spare status), the event is sent to selected workstations running GAM Client.
  • Page 109 Monitoring 1. Check that the Log Information Viewer is displayed. 2. Determine which event you would like more information about (scroll the Log Information Viewer if necessary), and double-click anywhere along the event line (or double-click in the Event ID field). An event information window for your selected event is displayed.

  • Page 110: Controller Monitoring

    Controller Monitoring Controller Monitoring After a client and server connection is made through sign-on, the GAM Client opens a window for each RAID controller, SCSI HBA, and their drives operating in that file server. These controller windows are the Global Array Manager Client’s Controller View (see “Components of the Controller View Window”...
  • Page 111 Monitoring Figure 5-3. Controller Information The following information is displayed: • The controller model • Whether an Intelligent Battery Backup Unit is installed (N/A for not supported on the current controller) • The firmware and BIOS versions residing on the controller •...

  • Page 112: Physical Device And Logical Drive Monitoring

    Physical Device and Logical Drive Monitoring Physical Device and Logical Drive Monitoring This section describes how the Global Array Manager Client monitors physical devices and logical drives. Displaying Device Information The Controller View window details which physical devices are associated with each controller channel.

  • Page 113: Device Information: Raid Controller

    Monitoring Figure 5-5. Disk Device Information Device Information (Figure 5-4, Figure 5-5) displays the following about the currently-selected physical device. Device Information: RAID Controller • The vendor or source of the controller • The controller’s product identification • The revision level of the hardware •...
  • Page 114 Refer to the online help file, or call IBM for support on these options. The Locate button allows you to locate this physical device visually (only for new Mylex PCI controllers): 1. Click the Locate button. The LED of the physical disk will blink to reveal its location.
  • Page 115 Monitoring Note LEDs associated with global or dedicated spares will not blink. Figure 5-6. Locate Device Message 2. Click OK (see Figure 5-6) to end the locate operation and return to normal status. The PFA Count shows the amount of device errors registered. Click the PFA Information button to display the PFA sense code details (Figure 5-7).

  • Page 116: Viewing The Request Sense Data And Nvram Error Log

    Physical Device and Logical Drive Monitoring Viewing the Request Sense Data and NVRAM Error Log Open the Error Table by clicking View->Error Table on the menu bar or the Error Table icon as shown in Figure 5-8. Figure 5-8. Select “Error Table” If you click the Request Sense Data tab, the following type of information appears (Figure 5-9): Figure 5-9.
  • Page 117 Monitoring 1. Click Save File to record the request sense data for later use. The .rsd file can be saved to a floppy disk or your hard drive. 2. Click Read File to open and view a .rsd file that was previously saved. 3.
  • Page 118 • Request Sense: Also referred to as 'Error Events', this records only error activity in the form of vendor unique SCSI request sense format for Mylex errors or actual SCSI request sense from physical device, i.e. rebuild failed, consistency check failed, deferred write error, etc.

  • Page 119: Displaying Logical Drive Information

    Monitoring Displaying Logical Drive Information The icons on the right side of the Controller View window represent the logical drives (also known as logical units or system drives) created by the controller out of the available physical drives. Double-click a logical drive icon to display information about a particular logical drive (Figure 5-11).
  • Page 120 The Locate button allows you to locate the physical devices visually that comprise this logical drive (only for new Mylex PCI controllers). 1. Click the Locate button. The LED(s) of the physical disk(s) will blink to reveal their location.
  • Page 121 Monitoring Figure 5-12. Locate Device Message 2. Click OK (see Figure 5-12) to end the locate operation and return to normal status. 3. Click the Close button to close the dialog box. The Transport button opens the Disk Array Transport Information window that shows all of the physical drives, including the spares associated with the selected logical drive, and all of the logical drives that belong to the same disk array.

  • Page 122: Enclosure Monitoring And Management

    Enclosure Monitoring and Management Enclosure Monitoring and Management The Controller View window contains an Enclosure button with a status light. The Green square indicates OK, the Yellow circle indicates Critical status, and a Red X indicates failed status. You can monitor information, status, and additional details about enclosures by clicking the Enclosure button in Controller View.

  • Page 123: Information Page

    Monitoring Figure 5-14. SES Enclosure Information – Information Page Information Page Enclosure Information displays the following about the currently-available enclosures: • The status of each enclosure, identified by an icon and an enclosure number (1–32) , as well as one of the following expressed in text: •...

  • Page 124: Details Page

    Enclosure Monitoring and Management • The product identification. • The product revision level. • The number of drive slots in the enclosure cabinet. Highlight an enclosure and the Locate button will become available. Click the Locate button to “blink” the LEDs of all of the physical drives in the enclosure to reveal its location.
  • Page 125 Monitoring The access status of each enclosure, which indicates the controller’s ability to communicate with the enclosure. The status values are: • OK – Access is optimal. • Critical – Only one access path remains of the several that were detected previously.
  • Page 126 Enclosure Monitoring and Management • Absent – The alarm is not installed, or has failed in an undetectable way. • OK – The alarm is optimal. One additional item is displayed with this state: ON – the alarm is currently on or sounding. •...

  • Page 127: Scsi Enclosures

    Monitoring Click the Close button or press the Enter key to close the dialog box. SCSI Enclosures Among the stack of drives displayed in a channel tower of the Controller View window, you will find an enclosure depicted. Its icon looks something like this: Double-click the enclosure icon to display enclosure information about the enclosure icon (Figure 5-16).

  • Page 128: Process Status Monitoring

    Process Status Monitoring Process Status Monitoring This section describes the various ways to monitor long operation tasks. Background and Foreground Initialization Status While background or foreground initialization is performed, open the Background or Foreground Initialization Status box as shown in Figure 5-17 to monitor the progress of or cancel the process.

  • Page 129: Rebuild Status

    Monitoring Click the Select All button, which selects all drives for cancellation, then click Cancel to stop all the initializations. To cancel individual drive initializations... Check the box(es) of the drive(s) to cancel, then click Cancel to stop only those initializations. If all drives are selected for cancellation and you wish to reverse that...

  • Page 130: Consistency Check Status

    Process Status Monitoring Figure 5-20. Rebuild Status Box Click Cancel to stop the rebuild. You may need to check the Views menu to see if Rebuild Status is still enabled. If so, you may need to cancel other rebuilds as well. Click Close to close the Rebuild Status box at any time.

  • Page 131: Expand Capacity Status

    Monitoring Figure 5-22. Consistency Check Status Box Click Cancel to stop the consistency check. You may need to check the Views menu to see if Consistency Check Status is still enabled. If so, you may need to cancel other consistency checks as well. Click Close to close the Consistency Check Status box at any time.

  • Page 132: Patrol Status

    Process Status Monitoring Figure 5-24. Expand Capacity Status Box WARNING Expand Capacity cannot be canceled. Click Close to close the Expand Capacity Status box at any time. Patrol Status To monitor the Patrol Read Status, open the Patrol Status box as shown in Figure 5-25.
  • Page 133 Monitoring Once you click on the Start button to begin the Patrol Read operation, the Start button will change to Stop. Click the Stop button to end Patrol Reading. Figure 5-26. Patrol Read Status Dialog Box Manual No. SA67-0049-01 5-27...

  • Page 134: Battery Backup Unit Monitoring And Maintenance

    (BBU), you will be able to open the BBU dialog box as shown in Figure 5-27: Figure 5-27. Select “Intelligent BBU” Figure 5-28 shows the Intelligent BBU window for new Mylex PCI RAID Controllers. Figure 5-28. Intelligent BBU – New PCI Controllers The Intelligent Battery Backup Unit (BBU) dialog box is used to monitor and charge or recharge the backup battery pack on the controller.

  • Page 135: Power Levels

    Monitoring battery pack maintains the controller's data in RAM in case AC power is lost to the disk storage system. When a new battery is needed, the BBU dialog indicates this by showing the battery can no longer take or hold a charge. This dialog box is also used after an old battery pack is replaced with a new one.

  • Page 136: Actions

    Battery Backup Unit Monitoring and Maintenance • Battery Type. The battery pack type. Available options are Ni-Cad or Unknown. • Version. Version number for the controller. Version selection numbers are from 0 to 255. The version number used for the first release is 1 for the controller production release.

  • Page 137: Conditioning The Battery

    Monitoring • Discharge Battery. Currently inactive. Reserved for future use. • Fast Charge. To initiate a fast charge on the battery, select Fast Charge, then click Apply. A fast charge also occurs when the controller is powered on. • Stop Recondition. Only enabled when a recondition process is underway.
  • Page 138 Battery Backup Unit Monitoring and Maintenance 5-32 GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 139: Maintenance Processes

    Error Table. • Running a data rebuild on a physical drive that replaces a drive that went dead or offline. • Upgrading Mylex PCI Controller firmware, BIOS, boot block, or BIOS Configuration Utility. • Defragmenting an Array.

  • Page 140: Running A Logical Drive Initialization

    Running a Logical Drive Initialization Running a Logical Drive Initialization Logical drive initialization offers the ability to run a full initialization of logical drives at a time of your choice, not just immediately following a new configuration. If it’s inconvenient to follow a configuration immediately with a logical drive initialization, you can decline the initialization and use this menu item to start the process at a later time.
  • Page 141 Maintenance Processes To select logical drives to initialize, check the desired checkboxes next to the appropriate logical drive. Click The OK button or press the Enter key to begin the initialization. A Warning message dialog box will open for confirmation. Figure 6-3.

  • Page 142: Running A Logical Drive Consistency Check

    Running a Logical Drive Consistency Check Running a Logical Drive Consistency Check From time to time run a consistency check on each of your fault tolerant logical drives. This check scans the logical drive to determine whether consistency data has become corrupted and needs to be restored. If you have reason to believe that logical drive consistency data is corrupted, or if you wish to run a consistency check for maintenance reasons, perform the following procedure:...

  • Page 143: Running A Device Rebuild

    Maintenance Processes Running a Device Rebuild If a single device in a fault tolerant system fails, the system is spared data loss by virtue of the striping with parity present across the logical drive (RAID 3, RAID 5) or the total redundancy of data (RAID 1, RAID 0+1). The failed drive needs to be replaced, and the failed drive’s data must be rebuilt on a new drive to restore the system to fault tolerance once again.
  • Page 144 Running a Device Rebuild 3. Click the Rebuild button in the Disk Device Information dialog box. Rebuild runs and the Rebuild Status box appears (see the previous chapter). Close the box and continue or leave the box open until Rebuild has completed.

  • Page 145: Using The Flash Utility

    The Flash Utility is used to upgrade firmware, BIOS, boot block, and BIOS Configuration Utility software by “flashing” the new code stored in an identified .IMG file to the on-board BIOS of the Mylex PCI Disk Array Controller. As maintenance releases of this code become available, this utility allows you to keep your controller current using GAM.
  • Page 146 Using the Flash Utility The Flash Utility dialog box appears as shown in Figure 6-8: Figure 6-8. Flash Utility Dialog Box Under Current RAM Information, you see displayed the key information regarding the code that is currently stored in the BIOS of your selected controller.
  • Page 147 Maintenance Processes Figure 6-9. Open Image File Dialog Box 2. Select the image filename using the file selection dialog box. 3. Click Open. Once you’ve specified an appropriate image file, the Start Flash button becomes available in the Flash Utility dialog box, and the Flash file selection area displays details regarding the .IMG file (Figure 6-10).
  • Page 148 Using the Flash Utility 4. Compare the information for the new .IMG with the current information to confirm that a flash is warranted (for example, that the .IMG contains a newer version of code). 5. Click Start Flash. Because flashing new code to the controller erases what was there previously, two levels of confirmation are required to proceed with the flash.

  • Page 149: Defragmenting An Array

    Maintenance Processes Defragmenting an Array Randomly deleting a logical drive(s) will result in unused spaces in an array. Use this feature to unify space. You will need the following information before beginning a defragmentation: • The location of unused space for the creation of a new logical drive. •...
  • Page 150 Defragmenting an Array The Array Space pane shows the following information: • unused disk space • total number of unused space (MB) in the array • the largest unused space (MB) in the array Click the Apply button to begin defragmenting. A warning message box opens (Figure 6-12): Figure 6-12.

  • Page 151: Clearing A Configuration

    Maintenance Processes Clearing a Configuration Use the following procedure to clear a configuration. 1. Open the Clear Configuration dialog box, select File>Clear Configuration. The Clear Configuration Dialog box opens (see Figure 6-13). Figure 6-13. Clear Configuration Dialog Box 2. Select the disk array(s) that you want to delete. 3.
  • Page 152 Clearing a Configuration Figure 6-15. Clear Configuration Warning Message 5. To confirm your decision to clear the selected configuration, type YES then click OK, or click Cancel to stop. 6-14 GAM Client User’s Guide...

  • Page 153: Appendix A Event Information

    Overview w Global Array Manager provides information about drive and controller failures, as well as maintaining an event log. Global Array Manager classifies the events it records into five severity levels described in Table A-1. All event information can also be found in the text file EventDef.txt in the GAMFiles folder of the GAM directory.

  • Page 154: Overview

    Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions A physical disk has Device was None been added as hot configured. Manual spare. hot spare was done. Automatic hot spare was done. 'Raidbld' made it hot spare. An automatic A physical device None.
  • Page 155 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Rebuild stopped At least one more It may not be because logical physical device failed possible to drive failed. in the array. Bad data recover from this table overflow.
  • Page 156 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Expand Capacity RAID Expansion None. Completed finished. Expand Capacity Multiple physical It may not be Stopped with error. devices failed. possible to recover from this error. Contact your service representative.
  • Page 157 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Parity error found. A physical device did It may not be not generate proper possible to parity. The controller recover from this failed, did not check error. Refer to parity properly.
  • Page 158 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Active spare found. Device was None. configured. Manual active spare was done. Automatic active spare was done. Warm spare found. Device was None. configured. Manual warm spare was done.
  • Page 159 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Initialization User cancelled the Physical disk cancelled. operation. must be initialized again or the Physical disk cannot be used. A physical disk Write recovery Replace physical failed because write process failed.
  • Page 160 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions A physical disk The device returned Replace physical failed because of busy status. The disk and rebuild busy status or parity SCSI transaction error. with the device met with parity error.
  • Page 161 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions A Physical disk Bad Physical disk. Replace failed because write Device write Physical disk operation of the protected. and rebuild it. 'Configuration On Check the Disk' failed. startup option parameters on the system.
  • Page 162 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Hot spare replaced The new hot spare None. with a smaller may have a smaller capacity physical physical capacity disk. than the physical disk it replaced. The controller's coercion setting may have reduced the configurable size of...
  • Page 163 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Consistency check User started a None. is started. consistency check. Raidbld started consistency check. Consistency check Consistency check None. is finished. completed successfully without detecting any errors. Consistency check User cancelled the Restart...
  • Page 164 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Logical drive has Rebuild completed. None. been placed online. User set the physical disk online. New configuration was added. An automatic A physical disk failed None. rebuild has started and a spare device on logical drive.
  • Page 165 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Rebuild stopped At least one more It may not be because logical physical disks failed possible to drive failed. in the array. recover from this error. Contact your service representative.
  • Page 166 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Expand capacity User started the None. started. Online RAID Expansion operation. Expand Capacity Online RAID None. Completed. Expansion completed. Expand Capacity Multiple physical It may not be stopped with error. disks failed.
  • Page 167 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Attempt to read Attempt to read from Restore data data from block that block that is already from a back up. is marked in Bad marked bad in Bad Data Table.
  • Page 168 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Low battery charge Controller was Run consistency level. Logical drive powered off for check to verify may have lost data. duration longer than logical drive battery capacity. consistency. If User connected a needed, restore new controller.
  • Page 169 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Over temperature. Room temperature is Turn off the Temperature is too high. Bad fan. system and above 70 degrees Bad sensor. allow it to cool Celsius. down. Adjust the room temperature.
  • Page 170 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Storage Works Problem has been None. enclosure reported rectified. normal state. Fan failure. Cable connection Replace fan. broken. Fan failure. Fan has been Faulty fan has been None. restored.
  • Page 171 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Normal temperature Faulty fan has been None. has been restored. replaced. Room temperature was reduced. Temperature Enclosure Refer to the sensor is not management enclosure present. connection is broken. manufacturer's Management service manual.
  • Page 172 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Internal log Too many Reboot the structures getting configuration system by power full, PLEASE changes occurred cycling when SHUTDOWN AND since the last boot. ever convenient. RESET THE SYSTEM IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
  • Page 173 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Battery Power Low. Battery power is low. If this message occurs without power failure, replace the Battery. Battery Power OK. Battery does not None. have enough power to enable the write data cache.
  • Page 174 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Battery Removed. Battery physically Reinstall the removed. battery. Soft ECC error Faulty Memory Replace Memory Corrected. Module. Module. Physical ECC error Faulty Memory Replace Memory Corrected. Module. Module. BBU out of service.
  • Page 175 Event Information Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Controller User improperly Run consistency improperly shutdown the check to verify shutdown! Data controller that logical drive may have been lost. resulted in consistency. inconsistent logical If needed, drive and/or data restore data from loss.
  • Page 176 Overview Table A-2. GAM Events for PCI Controllers Severity Description Details Actions Internal Controller Internal controller is Controller has to hung. in the hung state. be powered off and on. Internal Controller Internal Controller Controller has to i960 processor has encountered be powered off error.
  • Page 177 Glossary ANSI American National Standards Institute, a standards organization that promotes and facilitates understanding among qualified members for the implementation of agreed upon code and signaling standards and conformity. ANSI represents the U.S. in the ISO (International Standards Organization). Applet Small application programs that are usually built into an operating system or a larger application program and designed to run from within another application.
  • Page 178 Compare with Synchronous Data Transfer. Automatic Rebuild Mylex controllers provide automatic rebuild capabilities in the event of a physical disk drive failure. The controller performs a rebuild operation automatically when a disk drive fails and both of the following conditions...
  • Page 179 Glossary benchmark. Programs can be specially designed to provide measurements for a particular operating system or application. Berkeley RAID Levels A family of disk array protection and mapping techniques described by Garth Gibson, Randy Katz, and David Patterson in papers written while they were performing research into I/O systems at the University of California at Berkeley.
  • Page 180 Under RAID EzAssist , the cache line size (also known as Segment Size) should be based on the stripe size you selected. The default segment size for Mylex RAID controllers is 8K. See also Stripe Size. Caching Allows data to be stored in a pre-designated area of a disk or RAM.
  • Page 181 Glossary RAID Level 5, a consistency check calculates the parity from the data written on the disk and compares it to the written parity. A consistency check from Mylex utilities such as Global Array Manager (GAM) or RAID EzAssist give the user the ability to have a discrepancy reported and corrected.
  • Page 182 A time-out causes the disk to be “reset” and the command to be retried. If the command times out again, the controller could take the disk “offline.” Mylex DAC960 controllers also monitor SCSI bus parity errors and other potential problems. Any disk with too many errors will also be taken “offline.”...
  • Page 183 Glossary Drive Groups, Drive Packs A group of individual disk drives (preferably identical) that are logically tied to each other and are addressed as a single unit. In some cases this may be called a drive “pack” when referring to just the physical devices. All the physical devices in a drive group should have the same size;...
  • Page 184 Glossary eXtremeRAID™ ID™ A family of Mylex RAID controllers which offer uncompromising fault tolerance, data availability, superior configuration, and management flexibility. The eXtremeRAID controllers use driver technology, which has won tpm-C benchmarks worldwide. With this technology, eXtremeRAID controllers provide the highest performance and most flexible RAID solution available today.
  • Page 185 (1,073,741,824) bytes. Abbreviated as G or GB. Global Array Manager (GAM)™ A Mylex RAID management utility that allows a system administrator to configure, monitor, and manage network RAID storage from anywhere in the world. GAM can communicate critical information via e-mail, fax, pager, SNMP, or the launching of an application.
  • Page 186 Glossary as IDE (integrated drive electronics), and SCSI. Internet A worldwide system of computers that is a public, cooperative, and self- sustaining facility accessible to tens of millions of users worldwide. Intranet A network contained within an enterprise, the main purpose of which is usually to share company information and computing resources among employees.
  • Page 187 Glossary I/O bottlenecks. The processes deal with interrupt handling, buffering, and data transfer. An I O driver also includes an OS-specific module (OSM), which handles higher-level OS details, and a hardware device module (HDM), which knows how to communicate with certain devices. Integrated Software Module, part of the I O package that helps operators insert special functions into the I...
  • Page 188 The logical devices presented to the operating system. System drives are presented as available disk drives, each with a capacity specified by the Mylex RAID controller. See also Storage Device. Logical Drive States A logical (system) drive can be Online, Critical, or Offline. Notice that the term “online”...
  • Page 189 LVD devices consume less power and can sense single-ended devices on the bus and revert to single-ended signaling. Devices need to be Ultra2 SCSI LVD drives in order to take advantage of the LVD signaling. Mylex AcceleRAID, eXtremeRAID, and DAC FL controllers are LVD controllers. Megabit A million bits;...
  • Page 190 RAID set can add another disk drive to create a six-disk-drive RAID set. The M.O.R.E. operation can be performed on all RAID levels except JBOD. Mylex’s Global Array Manager (GAM) supports two M.O.R.E. features: • Expand Capacity allows logical drive expansion for FFx external controllers only.
  • Page 191 Glossary NVRAM Non-Volatile Random Access Memory, a memory unit equipped with a battery so that the data stays intact even after the main power had been switched off. Offline A Logical Drive is in an “offline” state if no data can be read from it or written to it.
  • Page 192 Glossary Parity Check A function used to verify the integrity of data on a system drive. It verifies that mirror or parity information matches the stored data on the redundant arrays. If the parity block information is inconsistent with the data blocks, the controller corrects the inconsistencies.
  • Page 193 RAID Redundant Array of Independent Disks, a collection of two or more disks working together in an array. Mylex RAID controllers implement this technology to connect up to 15 SCSI devices per channel. The different forms of RAID implementation are known as “RAID levels.” See also Berkeley RAID Levels, Disk Array, and RAID Levels.

  • Page 194: Raid Levels

    Glossary RAID EzAssist™ A Mylex RAID management utility for configuration and maintenance of RAID controllers. RAID Levels Mylex disk array controllers support four RAID Advisory Board approved (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 3, and RAID 5), two special (RAID 0+1, and JBOD), and three spanned (RAID 10, 30, and 50) RAID levels.
  • Page 195 Glossary Note: The host operating system drivers and software utilities remain unchanged regardless of the level of RAID installed. The controller makes the physical configuration and RAID level implementation. RAID Migration A feature in RAID subsystems that allows for changing a RAID level to another level without powering down the system.
  • Page 196 Glossary replaced by others through standby replacement. Read-Only Memory, built-in computer memory containing data that normally can only be read, not written to. ROM contains the programming that allows a computer to be “booted up” each time you turn it on. Unlike a computer's random access memory (RAM), the data in ROM is not lost when the computer power is turned off;...
  • Page 197 SAF-TE specification. Products compliant with the SAF- TE specification will reduce the cost of managing storage enclosures, making it easier for a LAN administrator to obtain base-level fault-tolerant alert notification and status information. All Mylex RAID controllers feature SAF-TE. See Storage Area Network SANArray™...
  • Page 198 Glossary Sector The unit in which data is physically stored and protected against errors on a fixed-block architecture disk. Segment Size See Cache Line Size Sequential I/O A type of read and write operation where entire blocks of data are accessed one after another in sequence, as opposed to randomly.
  • Page 199 Glossary disk drives with SMART offer early warning of some hard disk failures so critical data can be protected. Server Message Block protocol, a method for client applications in a computer to read and write to files on, and to request services from server programs in, a computer network.
  • Page 200 Glossary providing accelerated data access. Stripe Order The order in which SCSI disk drives appear within a drive group. This order must be maintained, and is critical to the controller’s ability to “rebuild” failed drives. Stripe Size The size, in kilobytes (1024 bytes) of a single I/O operation. A stripe of data (data residing in actual physical disk sectors, which are logically ordered first to last) is divided over all disks in the drive group.
  • Page 201 Glossary Synchronous Data Transfer Data transmission synchronized to a defined time interval, and is faster than asynchronous SCSI because there is no wait for acknowledgment of each byte from the receiving device (up to 20MHz). Compare with Asynchronous Data Transfer. System Disk The disk on which a system’s operating software is stored.
  • Page 202 Tpm-C, which reflects price and performance metrics. TPC-C reflects new order transaction rate, a benchmark for transaction speed. Mylex products have won consistently high TPC-C results. Transfer Rate The rate at which data moves between the host computer and storage, input, or output devices, usually expressed as a number of characters per second.
  • Page 203 Glossary Write-Through Cache A caching strategy whereby data is written to the SCSI drive before a completion status is returned to the host operating system. This caching strategy is considered more secure, since a power failure will be less likely to cause loss of data.
  • Page 204 Glossary Glossary-28 GAM Client User’s Guide...
  • Page 205 4–14 Components of the Opening Screen 3–3 RAID level 4–16, 4–17 Controller View Window 3–5 Asynchronous Data Transfer G–1 Global Array Manager Window 3–3 Auto Configuration 4–9 Global Status View Window 3–4 Auto Drive Sizing 4–4 log information viewer 3–4 Automatic Configuration status icons 3–7...
  • Page 206 Events 5–2, A–1 Degraded Mode G–6 Exit 3–9 Delay 4–7 Exiting GAM Server 3–16 Device Driver G–6 Exiting Global Array Manager 3–16 Device Errors 5–8 client 3–16 Device Information 5–7 Expand Array 4–11, 4–14, 4–22 Device Inquiry Data 5–7 eXtremeRAID 3000 3–7 Disconnect 4–7...
  • Page 207 Latency G–11 enabling 3–23 Loading a Configuration from Disk Global Array Manager (GAM)™ G–9 4–46 Global Array Manager Client 1–1, 1–2 Log Information Viewer 3–3, 3–10, 5–2 dialog boxes 3–2 Logical Drive G–12 Global Array Manager Server 1–2 expanding 4–30 Global Hot Spares 4–28...
  • Page 208 RAID Assist 1–2, 3–7, 3–11, 3–14 Navagating options 4–9 Button Controls 3–2 starting 4–9 Navigating welcome 4–10 Global Array Manager Client 3–2 RAID Controller 5–4 New Configuration 4–11, 4–14, 4–22 RAID EzAssist™ G–17 NFS G–14 RAID Level 4–25, 4–32, 5–13 Non-Fibre Controller 3–6 RAID Levels G–18...
  • Page 209 Index client 1–3 Spanning 4–43, G–23 SAF-TE G–20 Spin-up 4–7 SAN G–21 Startup & Navigation 3–1 SANArray™ G–21 Status SANmapping™ G–21 background initialization 3–10 Save Configuration 3–9 consistency check 3–11, 5–24 Saving a Configuration to Disk 4–47 expand array 5–25 Scan Devices 3–13, 3–15 expand capacity 3–11, 5–25 SCSI Enclosures 5–21...
  • Page 210 scan devices 3–15 sign on 3–15 icons 3–14 save as button 3–15 toolbar Icons display controller information 3–15 error table 3–15 help 3–15 settings 3–15 TPC-C, Tpm-C G–26 Transfer Rate G–26 Transporting a Disk Array 4–36 User Access Level 3–19 WAN G–26 Web G–26 Wide Negotiation 4–7...

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