Re: RAID5 ... Hardware problem

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From: Blondie (nobody_at_nowhere.org)
Date: 03/16/05 

Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 08:32:17 -0500

I still don't have this working properly, but am now convinced this is a
Hardware or Firmware problem.

Using the same SBS2003 Standard installation disks ...

RAID 5 Volumes using 4x Maxtor 300 GB SATA disks do work properly on an ASUS
NCCH (dual XEON) Motherboard system, using 2x Adaptec 1205 SATA (PCI)
controllers to connect the drives.

RAID 5 Voumes using the same 4x Maxtor 300 GB SATA disks do NOT work
properly on an ASUS PSCH/SR-SATA (P 4) Motherboard system, using the
embedded Adaptec 8110 HostRAID Controller (4 channel SATA).

About 36 to 48 hours after a failed attempt to install the RAID 5 Volume
started, a HardDisk scan with Powermax does detect a 'correctable error' on
one of the 4x 300GB disks. ??? Before the RAID 5 install was started all 4
of the 300 GB disks 'passed' the Powermax tests. This has happened twice
now.

RAID 5 Volumes using 4x WD 200 GB SATA disks work properly on both of the
above systems.

I will update all the Motherboard / controller firmware that is possible to
update, rescan all of the Hard Disks with Powermax and try this install
process again with the Maxtor 300 GB Harddisks ... if it doesn't work, I
will use the WD 200 GB disks instead.

"Blondie" <nobody@nowhere.org> wrote in message
news:%2372WcK%23JFHA.2212@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> I'm getting strange behaviour from a 4 disk RAID 5 configuration. If I
> build the array using 4 200 GB SATA Drives it works, but takes 10 to 12
> hours to 'Resynch' ... if I build the array using 4 300 GB drives, the
> system eventually freezes while attempting to 'Resynch' and the RAID array
> never completes the 'Resynch' process.
>
> Any hints about how to diagnose [and resolve] this problem would be
> welcome!
>
> This is a new install of SBS 2003 Standard (my own this time, not for a
> client) ... so, I have the time to experiment & ' get it right '
>
> I wanted to build a fairly large RAID5 volume to store copies of backup
> files from my customers systems. I used 4x Maxtor 300 GB SATA drives on
> an ASUS PSCH-SR [SATA] motherboard ... set the onboard Adaptec SATA
> controller to ' IDE ' mode [ did not use the built in RAID 0 or 1 ].
>
> I have two systems to 'swap parts' between to help me understand what is
> going wrong ... the drives being used for the RAID array are in HotSwap
> trays. I have a similar system that is running RedHat Enterpise V3 ...
> when I put the 300 GB hard drives in that system, they work [withn a RAID5
> array].
>
> When I take the 200 GB Hardrives from the RedHat system and set them up on
> the SBS2003 system they work ... the 200 GB set works in both systems.
> But the 300 GB set only works in the RedHat system ???
>
> Observations:
>
> Start with 'unallocated' disks ...
> Create 4 'dynamic disks'
> Create new volume [RAID5] using these 4 new disks
> Time clock starts here ... 12 hours later system becomes unresponsive
> Windows formats the volume, reports status = OK
> I can actually use the Volume at this time
> Computer Management / Disk Management display shows 'Resynching
> Resynch ... progress goes to >50% in just under 2 hours
> Sometime after 10 hours the 'task bar' disappears from the desktop
> Resnych progress reaches about 75 to 80% ... does not increment anymore
> Sometime after 12 hours the computer becomes 'sluggish' ... and cannot be
> shutdown
> Running Health Monitor ... no alerts, but some tasks cannot start
> Task Manager shows very low CPU activity, lots of RAM available
> Disk activity [RAID5 disks] completely stopped
> Disk activity [System disk] still works, but very little activity
> Sometime after 24 hours nothing works anymore ... need to do Hardware
> reset to re-boot
> After re-boot the Resynch process starts again at 0 % ... 12 hours later
> system is unusable again
>
> It looks to me as if some system resource is completely consumed, and this
> causes the lock up.
> But I do not know what to look for, maybe if I can find out what it is I
> can modify the configuration so it will work?
>
> So, until I figure this out ... it looks like I cannot use the 300 GB
> drives for a RAID5 array with Windows SBS 2003 ... but, I would like to.
>
> Is there something different that needs to be done when using large SATA
> drives for a RAID array?
>

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