IBM Type 7977 Starting the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility program, Creating a RAID array

vThe optional ServeRAID-10is SAS controller that you can install in your server, supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, and 60.

vServers 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 supports the four remaining hard disk drives.

vThe integrated ServeRAID-8k controller is disabled when BIOS detects an optional ServeRAID-10is controller in the server.

vHard 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.

vTo help ensure signal quality, do not use drives with different speeds and data rates in the array.

vYou can set up a mirror after the operating system is installed on the primary drive. You must make sure that the primary drive has the lower ID (for example, 0).

vTo update the firmware and BIOS code for the ServeRAID-8k SAS Controller, you must use the IBM ServeRAID Support CD that comes with the server.

vIf you install a different type of RAID controller, see the documentation that comes with the controller for information about viewing and changing SAS settings for attached devices.

Starting the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility program

To start the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility program, complete the following steps:

1.Turn on the server.

2.When the prompt <<< Press <CTRL><A> for Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility! >>> is displayed, press Ctrl+A.

3.To select a choice from the menu, use the arrow keys to highlight it and press Enter.

Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility menu choices

The following choices are on the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility menu:

vArray Configuration Utility

Select this choice to create, manage, or delete arrays or to initialize drives.

vSerialSelect Utility

Select this choice to configure the controller interface definitions or to configure the physical transfer and SAS address of the selected drive.

vDisk Utilities

Select this choice to format a disk or verify the disk media. Select a device from the list and read the instructions on the screen carefully before you make a selection.

Creating a RAID array

To create a RAID array, complete the following steps:

1.Start the Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility program.

2.Select Array Configuration Utility.

3.From the Main menu, select Create Array.

58IBM System x3500 Type 7977: Installation Guide