The Planet Forums > How do I know if I had RAID 1 configured?

Simon

Mar 4 2007, 07:40 PM

Hello,

I´ve just received a new server with 2 250GB drives and one RAID card, but I don´t know if it´s configured correctly. How can I check it?

Thanks in advance, Simon.

Jeff

Mar 5 2007, 01:25 AM

Does the server include remote console? If so (e.g. with a server with DRAC) you can watch the raid card bios on boot, or enter it and look at the array config, etc.

Is it a windows or linux server, and what is the make of the RAID card? With 3ware for example you can us the 3DM client to interact with the card from the OS. Adaptec has a windows client, I'm not sure about a linux client. Etc.

Simon

Mar 5 2007, 01:39 AM

QUOTE (Jeff @ Mar 5 2007, 08:25 AM)

Does the server include remote console? If so (e.g. with a server with DRAC) you can watch the raid card bios on boot, or enter it and look at the array config, etc.

Is it a windows or linux server, and what is the make of the RAID card? With 3ware for example you can us the 3DM client to interact with the card from the OS. Adaptec has a windows client, I'm not sure about a linux client. Etc.

Thanks for the info. I run a RH4 box.

Support assures me that RAID1 is configured and running, but when I look at the system HD, I get 2 different drives with 2 different partitions systems.

CODE

[root@example var]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30394 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1          13      104391   83  Linux
/dev/sda2              14         267     2040255   82  Linux swap
/dev/sda3             268       30394   241995127+  83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30394 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1          13      104391   83  Linux
/dev/sdb2              14         268     2048287+  82  Linux swap
/dev/sdb3             269         399     1052257+  83  Linux
/dev/sdb4             400       30394   240934837+   5  Extended
/dev/sdb5             400       30394   240934806   83  Linux

If RAID1 was well configured, shouldn´t I get only 1 drive?

Regards, Simon.

James Jhurani

Mar 5 2007, 10:41 AM

QUOTE (Simon @ Mar 5 2007, 01:39 AM)

Thanks for the info. I run a RH4 box.

Support assures me that RAID1 is configured and running, but when I look at the system HD, I get 2 different drives with 2 different partitions systems.

CODE

[root@example var]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30394 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1          13      104391   83  Linux
/dev/sda2              14         267     2040255   82  Linux swap
/dev/sda3             268       30394   241995127+  83  Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 250.0 GB, 250000000000 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30394 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1   *           1          13      104391   83  Linux
/dev/sdb2              14         268     2048287+  82  Linux swap
/dev/sdb3             269         399     1052257+  83  Linux
/dev/sdb4             400       30394   240934837+   5  Extended
/dev/sdb5             400       30394   240934806   83  Linux

If RAID1 was well configured, shouldn´t I get only 1 drive?

Regards, Simon.

Actually you should get 3 if i remember correctly. You will see the other 2 drives but DO NOT WRITE TO THEM. This current setup does not look like a raid1.

There should be something like /dev/md0. When you write to it, it will write to both drives.

Simon

Mar 5 2007, 02:14 PM

At the end RAID was not configured on the system, so support had to do a OS Reload to configure it.

At the moment, the server is back online, and I get this info after doing fdisk -l.

CODE

Disk /dev/sda: 248.9 GB, 248999051264 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30272 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1   *           1          13      104391   83  Linux
/dev/sda2              14         267     2040255   82  Linux swap
/dev/sda3             268       30272   241015162+  83  Linux

Ok, only 1 drive, but is there any form to know if the system is using RAID correctly?

Thanks in advance, Simon.

Jeff

Mar 5 2007, 02:53 PM

QUOTE (faze @ Mar 5 2007, 11:41 AM)

Actually you should get 3 if i remember correctly. You will see the other 2 drives but DO NOT WRITE TO THEM. This current setup does not look like a raid1.

There should be something like /dev/md0. When you write to it, it will write to both drives.

Forgive my ignorance, but isn't that for software raid not hardware raid? With hardware raid isn't the raid transparent to the os?

QUOTE

Ok, only 1 drive, but is there any form to know if the system is using RAID correctly?

What make and model is the raid card?

Simon

Mar 5 2007, 03:08 PM

QUOTE (Jeff @ Mar 5 2007, 09:53 PM)

What make and model is the raid card?

I don´t know how to get that info. Is the default SAS/SATA RAID card installed in the perfomance servers.

Regards, Simon.

rabbit994

Mar 5 2007, 03:55 PM

Hardware RAID will "mask" RAID and OS will only see one drive. It won't know what happening in the backend. You could try "dmesg" and see if it will tell you otherwise open a another ticket with Orbit. HOwever, I haven't seen many linux RAID clients so might just have to take their word for it.

gbock

Mar 6 2007, 10:12 PM

You can usually find out what the raid card is by looking at pci info or loaded drivers. Most companies release software for monitoring and administrating the card via command line. For instance 3ware releases tw_cli for most operating systems.

http://3ware.com/support/download.asp

Simon

Mar 7 2007, 07:27 AM

QUOTE (gbock @ Mar 7 2007, 05:12 AM)

You can usually find out what the raid card is by looking at pci info or loaded drivers. Most companies release software for monitoring and administrating the card via command line. For instance 3ware releases tw_cli for most operating systems.

http://3ware.com/support/download.asp

Thanks for your answer. I´ve found about the raid card on orbit.

Dell \ 9G Drive Controller - SAS/SATA RAID \ PERC 5/i

Anyone knows how to handle it? Regards, Simon.

kumiko

Mar 7 2007, 03:25 PM

You can use LSI's MegaCLI with your perc5 card to check the configuration: http://www.lsil.com/storage_home/products_...te=1&locale

But it looks like they sorted it out.

QUOTE (faze @ Mar 5 2007, 10:41 AM)

Actually you should get 3 if i remember correctly. You will see the other 2 drives but DO NOT WRITE TO THEM. This current setup does not look like a raid1.

There should be something like /dev/md0. When you write to it, it will write to both drives.

As others have mentioned this is not the case, The Planet doesn't support software raid whatsoever as far as I know.