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Confirming SAS Connections
The high availability aspect of Intel® RAID High Availability Storage is based upon redundant SAS data
paths between the clustered nodes and the disk drives. If all of the components in the SAS data path are
configured and connected properly, each Intel® RAID High Availability Storage controller has two SAS
addresses for every drive, when viewed from the Intel® RAID High Availability Storage controllers.
This section explains how to use three tools (CmdTool2, Intel® RAID BIOS Console, and RWC2) to
confirm the correctness of the SAS data paths.
Using Intel® RAID BIOS Console to View Connections for Controllers,
Expanders, and Drives
Use the Physical View in Intel® RAID BIOS Console to confirm the connections between the controllers
®
and expanders in the Intel
RAID High Availability Storage system. As shown in the following figure, if
both expanders are running, the view in Intel® RAID BIOS Console from one of the nodes includes the
other Intel® RAID High Availability Storage RAID controller (Processor 8 in the figure), the two
expanders, and any drives, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 44 Intel® RAID BIOS Console Physical View
If the other node is powered off, the other RAID controller does not appear in Intel® RAID BIOS
Console. In cluster-in-a-box configurations, the other expander is powered by the other node. Therefore, it
appears only when both nodes are running. Devices can appear and disappear while the system is running,
as connections are changed. Use the Intel® RAID BIOS Console rescan feature to rediscover the devices
and topology after a connection change.
Using Intel® RAID BIOS Console to Verify Dual-Ported SAS Addresses to
Disk Drives
Use the Drive Properties View in Intel® RAID BIOS Console to confirm that each SAS drive displays
®
two SAS addresses. In a Intel
RAID High Availability Storage system that is properly cabled and
configured, every drive should have two SAS addresses. If the system lacks redundant SAS data paths,
the Intel® RAID BIOS Console shows only one SAS address on the screen. For information about
redundant cabling configurations, see Section - Cabling Configurations.
To check the drive SAS addresses, open the Physical View on the home page of Intel® RAID BIOS
Console, and click a drive link. On the Disk Properties page, click Next. When the redundant SAS data
paths are missing, this second view of drive properties shows only one SAS address in the left panel, as in
the following figure.
®
Intel
High Availability Storage User Guide
55
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