Promise Technology 66 Pro user manual Array Administration, Setting Up Email Notification

SuperTrak66™ User's Manual Chapter 4

Array Administration

Array administration is the ability to create, view, modify and delete arrays. The ability to view the status of an array through the utility allows identification of problems which may require user intervention to prevent the array from going down or to restore fault tolerance.

NOTE: Actual maintenance of the array (deleting, rebuilding, creating, etc…) may be performed only from the system housing the SuperTrak array for security reasons. SuperTrak greys out the maintenance functions for monitoring stations.

The I/O information (IOP or Controller) subpanes (see page 84) of SuperCheck allow you to see that all drives are functioning correctly. If any drive has failed, SuperCheck will indicate which drive(s) has failed. You also can see the array status to determine if it is functioning, or if it requires critical attention, or if it has begun an automatic rebuild, etc. The array page allows modification of the cache settings for fine-tuning your server’s performance. The enclosure pane allows you to verify that the drives are operating within temperature specification, and that the enclosure cooling fans are operational.

NOTE: Never delete an array unless you have backed up all data which is needed on the array. It may be possible to restore access to an array after the deletion by re-creating the array exactly as it was defined previously. Though the product allows for this procedure, Promise does not recommend it.

Changing the cache settings will directly affect performance of an array. One way of determining the cache settings which are appropriate for your SuperTrak66 is to use a benchmarking utility. Such a utility stresses the array in a manner consistent with expected typical workload for the array. Choose a configuration that yields the best performance results. It is difficult to make any solid recommendations for cache settings since the array workload will differ from system to system depending on its application.

Setting Up Email Notification

SuperCheck allows the administrator or user to check on array status at anytime. You can also set up e-mail notification so that SuperCheck will notify you of any problems via e-mail messaging services. The notification feature is recommended for any type of array which is to be accessible over a network.

NOTE: E-mail alert notification is Message Agent-based, not array-based. You will receive e-mail notification for problems related to all arrays connected under the Message Agent.

The e-mail alert notification may be adjusted for each Message Agent to only send messages for a particular list of events. The administrator can add or remove events from the e-mail alert notification as desired.

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