RAID configurations, Boot options and limitations

Configuration options, a combination of:

Zero or one internal SCSI disk in media bay 0 and one SCSI DVD-RAM drive in media bay 1.

One internal disk drive could be installed in media bay 0 mounted behind the operator panel. The SCSI DVD-RAM drive needs to be mounted in media bay 1. You will need the SCSI Connector Cable and Repeater Card (# 4248) and the SCSI 3-Drop Connector Cable (# 4249) to attach the drives to the system.

2.5.2 RAID configurations

The Models 6C1 and 6E1 offer under-the-covers SCSI RAID configurations. Internal RAID provides an excellent means to protect customer data, or to provide flexible storage solutions for performance-oriented applications. When used in combination with AIX mirroring and the available media bay disk drive mounting kit (# 6566), a reliable solution for operating system and customer data can be provided.

To configure a system, the internal Ultra3 SCSI backplane for hot-swap storage (# 6567) must be included with the order as well as an available RAID PCI adapter card (such as the # 2498). The 3-Drop SCSI cable (# 4259) must be ordered as well as the SCSI RAID adapter to backplane cable (# 4258), and additional cables depending on your media bay configuration.

The following points should be considered when selecting an internal RAID configuration.

Use of the RAID configuration with DVD-RAM or SCSI tape devices requires a dedicated SCSI adapter in order not to impact boot device performance if present.

A dedicated boot device must be accessible to the system. The media bays may be used for this purpose.

Mirrored boot disks should be considered to provide high-reliability to the AIX operating system.

The RAID controller’s configuration should be backed up and stored in a safe place to prevent accidental loss of data during a RAID adapter replacement procedure.

2.5.3Boot options and limitations

Information about boot options is included in the subsequent sections.

Boot support and limitations of storage adapters

At the time of writing, the following adapters support external boot for the Models 6C1 and 6E1:

PCI Dual Channel Ultra3 SCSI Adapter (# 6203)

PCI Universal Differential Ultra SCSI Adapter (# 6204)

PCI Single-Ended Ultra SCSI Adapter (# 6206)

Advanced SerialRAID Plus Adapter (# 6230)

The PCI 4-Channel Ultra3 SCSI RAID Adapter (# 2498) does not support boot from external or internal devices.

The PCI Single-Ended Ultra SCSI Adapter (# 6206) is only supported when used for externally attached storage.

Chapter 2. Architecture and technical overview