Recovering from a Failed Server
-Important- The following procedure requires specific configuration settings for the ServeRAID II adapter.
If the server and adapter that are being replaced are functional, you can obtain these settings from the
adapter.
However, if the adapter or the server is not functional, you will need a record of these settings, such as one that was created when the adapter was previously configured.
If you are replacing your ServeRAID II adapter with your server, you must have correct configuration information
to complete this procedure.
Use the following procedure to recover from a failed server:
As you remove your hard disk drives, be sure to note the bay in which each drive was installed. If you are replacing your failed server with an identical server you can reinstall the drives in an identical configuration and get your server up and running quickly.
If you are replacing your failed server with an identical server, you can reinstall the ServeRAID II adapter in an identical configuration and get your server up and running quickly.
For information on how to install a hard disk drive, see the documentation that is included with your server. If you are replacing the failed server with an identical server, install each hard disk drive in the same bay as the one it was removed from in the failed server.
For instructions on how to install the ServeRAID II adapter, see the 'IBM ServeRAID II Installation and User's Guide'. If you are installing a ServeRAID II adapter that was previously installed in the failed server, install the adapter in the same PCI slot as it was installed in the failed server.
-Important- Do not reconnect the SCSI channel cables to the adapter at this time.
Note: If you have installed the adapter in a server that is identical to the failed server and have installed it in the same PCI slot where it was installed in the failed system, you might not need to configure the adapter.
You will need the following information to configure your new ServeRAID II adapter:
If the ServeRAID II adapter and server that you are replacing are functional, you can obtain this information by starting the server with the IBM ServeRAID Configuration Diskette and selecting the Display/Change Adapter Params item from the Advanced Functions menu.
If the ServeRAID II adapter or server is not functional , you will need to refer to the record of the settings that you made when the adapter was previously configured. If you do not have a record of the configuration information, the following hints might help you to assign the proper values.
To initialize the adapter:
The BIOS/Firmware level of the adapter is displayed after system POST when the adapter BIOS/Firmware loads.
The latest BIOS/Firmware levels are available from the IBM Web site at
When you have connected to this Internet address, search for RAID BIOS. Download and read the text file to determine the latest levels available. If your adapter BIOS/Firmware is downlevel, download and apply the BIOS/Firmware update.
To update the configuration parameters:
-Important- If the ServeRAID II adapter being replaced is not the adapter that attaches to the server startup
disk array or other nonshared disk arrays, you do not need to perform any of the following steps.
The system can now be restarted normally.
1) Select Merge Group Management from the Advanced Functions menu; then, press Enter.
2) Select Merge/Unmerge Logical Drive, and then press Enter.
3) Select Merge Own Nonshared Logical Drive.
4) Type in the Group ID field the Merge Group ID for the array 2xx
where xx is the shared SCSI Bus Initiator_ID, and then press Enter.
The Merge Group ID value is typically 206 or 207.
A message appears at the bottom of the screen saying
Merging own shared logical drive(s). Please wait...
5) When the process completes, a message appears saying
Merge/Unmerge operation completed successfully.
Press any key to continue.
6) Press Esc to return to the previous menu. Continue pressing Esc to return to the Main Menu.
If the adapter you are replacing is the boot adapter, the system should now be
able to start up the operating system properly.
Note: Usually all shared arrays will have failed over and will not need to be merged.
1) Select Merge Group Management from the Advanced Functions menu; then, press Enter.
A screen similar to the following appears.
4) Press Esc to return to the previous menu. Continue pressing Esc to return to the Main Menu.
Repeat this process for each shared array (Merge Group IDs in the range 1-8) that has
not failed over to the cluster partner system (for example, RAID level-5 arrays in
critical/degraded state) to restore the configuration of these shared arrays.
-Important- The IBM ServeRAID Configuration Diskette must not be used to perform failover and
failback to merge or unmerge drives belonging to the other server.
Failover and failback to merge or unmerge drives belonging to the other server is normally handled
by the operating system software and cluster support software.
When all array configurations have been restored, the server can be restarted normally.
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