– View the RAID configuration and associated devices
– Monitor operation of the RAID controller
Consider the following information when you use the IBM ServeRAID Configuration
Utility program or ServeRAID Manager to configure and manage arrays:
v The ServeRAID-8s SAS controller supports RAID levels 0, 1, 1E, 5. 6, 10, 50,
and 60.
v Servers that come with twelve 2.5-inch hot-swap SAS drives also come with two
ServeRAID SAS controllers; a ServeRAID-8k controller in the ServeRAID
connector on the system board and a ServeRAID-8s controller in PCI Express
slot 2. The ServeRAID-8k controller supports the first eight hard disk drives, and
the ServeRAID-8s controller supports the four remaining hard disk drives.
v The integrated ServeRAID-8k controller is disabled when BIOS detects an
optional ServeRAID-10is has been installed in the server.
v When you configure the 12 hard disk drives, you may configure the first eight
drives into an array that is attached to the ServeRAID-8k and the remaining four
drives into an array that is attached to the ServeRAID-8s.
v Hard disk drive capacities affect how you create arrays. The drives in an array
can have different capacities, but the ServeRAID controllers treat them as if they
all have the capacity of the smallest hard disk drive.
v To help ensure signal quality, do not use drives with different speeds and data
rates.
v Do not include SAS and SATA drives in the same array.
v To update the firmware and BIOS code for an optional ServeRAID controller or
controllers, you must use the IBM ServeRAID Support CD that comes with the
ServeRAID option.
Using the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Utility program
Use the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Utility program to perform the following
tasks:
v Configure a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) array
v View or change the RAID configuration and associated devices
Starting the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Utility program
To start the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Utility program, complete the following
steps:
1. Turn on the server.
2. When the prompt <<< Press <CTRL><A> for IBM ServeRAID Configuration
Utility! >>> is displayed, press Ctrl+A.
3. To select the channel for which you want to change settings, use the arrow keys
and press Enter.
4. To change the settings of the selected items, follow the instructions on the
screen. Be sure to press Enter to save your changes.
IBM ServeRAID Configuration Utility menu choices
The following choices are on the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Utility menu:
v Array Configuration Utility
Select this choice to create, manage, or delete arrays or to initialize drives.
v SerialSelect Utility
Select this choice to configure the controller interface definitions or to configure
the physical transfer and SAS address of the selected drive.
Chapter 4. Configuring the server 55
