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SSA RSM Tutorial - Configuration Examples

NB - Do not click any of the "action buttons" on this page as they do nothing! The forms are shown here to provide an example of how the pages look.

This section provides a simple step through of the processes involved in configuring :


Creating a System (PC) RAID 5 Resource

To create a RAID5 array, go to the Logical View and select the RAID5 Resource List. Then click "Create Array". You will be presented with a form as shown here :


RAID 5

SSA Create array

ATTRIBUTES

S8390080

Resource name Number of components INFO.

Block sizeINFO. bytes
Strip sizeINFO.
Stretch sizeINFO.
Hot-spare enabledINFO.
Hot-spare exact size INFO.
Rebuild priorityINFO. %
Network IDINFO.
Hot-spare PreferredINFO.


Enter the name you wish to give your new array ( Your R5 Name ), the number of components it will contain, and change any of the attributes as you require. Then click either "Cancel" to quit, "OK" to proceed and select which resources will become part of the array, or click "Auto" to automatically create the array. "Auto" asks the adapter to pick the first n (where n is the number of components) applicable components to create the array from. For this example we assume you selected "OK".

After clicking "OK" you are presented with the following form:

Cand
RAID 5

SSA Create array

CANDIDATES

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Resource name Your R5 Name
Number of components 3

Block size 512bytes
Strip size 128
Stretch size 4
Hot spare enabled on
Hot spare exact size off
Rebuild priority 50%
Network ID 254
Bad stripe 0
Bad parity stride 0
Bad component stride 0

Select components 3
  Serial number Status Size SIC
AC7AA20C Online 18.4Gb A
AC7AA8E1 Online 9.1Gb
AC7A9F87 Online 18.4Gb
AC7AB072 Online 4.5Gb
AC7AB08F Online 4.5Gb
 
AC7AA8F8 Online 9.1Gb B
AC7AA20D Online 18.4Gb


On this page you select which free resources you wish to use to create your array. This form shows the first three resources selected. Note that although two of these resources are 18Gb, the array will only use the first 9.1Gb of these resources as the second component is only 9.1Gb. Also remember that with IBM SerialRAID Adapter, components of an array must all reside on the same SSA loop, i.e. SIC A or SIC B.

Selecting "Create" will create this array and return you to the RAID 5 Resource List where you will see the new array (its "usage" will be shown as "free"). "Cancel" will return you to the RAID 5 Resource List without creating the array.

You should now see your new array in the Resource List as shown below, and it should start rebuilding the parity data (if it is a RAID 5 array).

RsrcsList
RAID 5

SSA Resource list

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Resource name Size Status Type
resource fffff 9.0Gb Online (non-degraded) Raid 5
resource Your R5 Name 18.2Gb Online (rebuilding) 0% Raid 5


You now want to make this resource available to your operating system. To do this, select the array name link, to access the Resource View page as shown here:

ArrayView
Your R5 Name

SSA Array view

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Status Online (rebuilding) 35% Number of members 3  
Size 18.2Gb Access private to this adapter
RAID Attributes
Block size 512bytes Strip size 128  
Stretch size 4 Hot spare enabled on
Hot spare exact size off Rebuild priority 50%  
Network ID 0 Bad stripe 0
Bad parity stride 89641 Bad component stride 0

Serial number Size Status
component AC7AA20C 18.4 Gb Present
component AC7AA8E1 9.1 Gb Present
component AC7A9F87 18.4 Gb Present


From this page you can perform various array maintenance and configuration tasks, such as modifying the attributes, or making the array a Fast Write resource. We wish to make it available to the operating system, so we select "Attach" and are presented with the following page:

AttachRsrc
Your R5 Name

SSA Attach

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Resource number h


This page is prompting you for a "Resource Number". This number defines where this resource will be placed in the list of resources presented to the operating system (01h, 02h, 03h, etc.). This is important if you are booting off of an SSA resource, or if you have drive letter constraints. See the documentation supplied with your adapter for more information.

Here we select 08h and click "Attach". We are then returned to the Resource List page, where you can see that your array "usage" has changed from free (blue) to system (PC) (green).

RsrcsList
RAID 5

SSA Resource list

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Resource name Size Status Type
resource fffff 9.0Gb Online (non-degraded) Raid 5
resource Your R5 Name 18.2Gb Online (non-degraded) Raid 5


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Making this array a Fast Write resource

From the Logical View, select the RAID 5 Resource List page, then select the RAID 5 array created above ("Your R5 Name" in this example).

You will be shown the Resource View page, as shown above.

Select "Create FW" and your RAID 5 array will be modified to be a Fast Write RAID 5 array.

N.B. : Fast Write is only supported in a 1-way loop, and on the IBM SerialRAID Adapter

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Creating a System (PC) Non-RAID Disk

To create a System (PC) Non-RAID resource, go to the Logical View and select the Free Non-RAID Disk Resource List. You will see a page similar to this:

RsrcsList
Free

SSA Resource list

Non-RAID Disks

c7070085

Serial number Size Status Type
resource AC7AA8F8 9.1Gb Online Disk
resource AC7AA20D 18.4Gb Online Disk
resource AC7AB08F 4.5Gb Online Disk


Click on the serial number of the resource you wish to make available to the operating system. This will display the Resource View for that resource :

DiskView
AC7AA8F8

SSA Disk view

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  Check Code Level  

Type
Status Online
Size 9.1Gb

Vital Product Data
Vendor ID IBM Product ID DGHC09B13091
Model number 09B ROS revision 00
RAM revision 46 Manufacture date 98066
Servo microcode 3453 SCSI serial number 13099587GA


Click "Attach" and you will be presented with the Attach page, where you must enter the resource number you wish to assign to this resource.

When you click "Attach" on the Attach page, you will be returned to the Free Non-RAID Disk Resource List. Click on the Back arrow in the navigation area to view the Logical View where you can confirm that the resource you attached is now a member of the System (PC) Resource List.

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Creating a Hot Spare Non-RAID Disk

To create a Hot Spare Non-RAID resource, go to the Logical View and select the Hot Spare Non-RAID Disk Resource List. You will see a page similar to this:

RsrcsList
Hot spare

SSA Resource list

Non-RAID Disks

c7070085

Serial number Size Status Type
resource AC7AB072 4.5Gb Online Disk


Selecting "Create Hot-spare" will display the Hot-spare attributes page, where you can select the Block size for this Hot-spare. Note that this must correspond to the Block size of the array for which this hot-spare is intended!

Click "OK" when you have entered the Block size.

RDVs
Hot spare

SSA Create Hot-spare

ATTRIBUTES

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Block size (256...1024 / 4) bytes


After selecting "OK", you will be given a list of Free resources. Select the resource you wish to make a Hot-spare, remembering that it must be in the same SSA loop as the array it is for. Note that arrays with a "usage" of Free are also candidates to be made Hot-spare, i.e. you can have an entire Hot-spare array :

Cand
Hot spare

SSA Create Hot-spare

CANDIDATES

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Block size 512bytes

Select resources 1 ... 4
  Serial number Status Size SIC
AC7AB08F Online 4.5Gb A
fffff Online 9.0Gb
 
AC7AA20D Online 18.4Gb B


Select the resource you wish to make a Hot-spare and click "Create". You will be returned to the Hot-spare Resource List where your new Hot-spare resource will be listed.

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