MSI manual B-22, MS-9246 1U Rackmount Server, Initializing Disk Drives, MSI Reminds You

MS-9246 1U Rackmount Server

Initializing Disk Drives

If an installed disk does not appear in the disk selection list for creating a new array or if it appears grayed out, you may have to initialize it before you can use it as part of an array. Drives attached to the controller must be initialized before they can be used in an array.

MSI Reminds You...

Initializing a disk overwrites the partition table on the disk and makes any data on the disk inaccessible. If the drive is used in an array, you may not be able to use the array again. Do not initialize a disk that is part of a boot array. To determine which disks are associated with a particular array, see Viewing Array Properties.

To initialize drives:

1.Turn on your computer and press Ctrl+A when prompted to access the ARC utility.

2.From the ARC menu, select Array Configuration Utility (ACU).

3.Select Initialize Drives.

4.Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight the disk you wish to initialize and press Insert.

5.Repeat Step 4 so that both drives to be initialized are selected.

6.Press Enter.

7.Read the warning message and ensure that you have selected the correct disk drives to initialize. Type Y to continue.

2.Using the Disk Utilities

The Disk Utilities enable you to format or verify the media of your Serial ATA hard disks.

To access the disk utilities:

1.Turn on your computer and press Ctrl+A when prompted to access the ARC utility.

2.From the ARC menu, select Disk Utilities.

3.Select the desired disk and press Enter. You are offered the following options:

Format Disk—Simulates a low-level format of the hard drive by writing zeros to the entire disk. Serial ATA drives are low-level formatted at the factory and do not need to be low-level formatted again.

MSI Reminds You...

Formatting destroys all data on the drive. Be sure to back up your data before performing this operation.

Verify Disk Media—Scans the media of a disk drive for defects.

B-22