Supero LSI 1068 User manual

®
SUPER
LSI MegaRAID Software
Configuration Utility for the
LSI 1068 Controller
USER’S MANUAL
Revision 1.0

Manual Revision 1.0
Release Date: Dec. 1, 2008
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Preface
About This Manual
This manual is written for system integrators, PC technicians and
knowledgeable PC users. It explains how to configure and use the LSI Software
RAID Configuration Utility included with Supermicro motherboards.
Manual Organization
Chapter 1 Provides an overview on the LSI™ MegaRAID® Software Utility.
Chapter 2 provides an introduction to the LSI MegaRAID Software Utility settings.
It also details instructions on how to run the LSI MegaRAID Configuration Utility.
Conventions Used in the Manual
Special attention should be given to the following symbols for proper installation and
to prevent damage done to the components or injury to yourself.
Warning: Important information given to prevent erroneous RAID configu-
ration and to ensure proper system setup.
Note: Additional Information given to ensure correct RAID configuration
setup.
iii
Preface

LSI MegaRAID Configuration for the LSI 1068 Controller User's Manual
Contacting Supermicro
Headquarters
Address: Super Micro Computer, Inc.
980 Rock Ave.
San Jose, CA 95131 U.S.A.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected] (General Information)
[email protected] (Technical Support)
Web Site: www.supermicro.com
Europe
Address: Super Micro Computer B.V.
Het Sterrenbeeld 28, 5215 ML
's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected] (General Information)
[email protected] (Technical Support)
[email protected] (Customer Support)
Asia-Pacific
Address: Super Micro Computer, Inc.
4F, No. 232-1, Liancheng Rd.
Chung-Ho 235, Taipei County
Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Web Site: www.supermicro.com.tw
Technical Support:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: [phone], ext.132 or 139
iv

Preface
Notes

vi
Table of Contents
Preface
About This Manual ....................................................................................................... 3
Manual Organization ..................................................................................................... 3
Conventions Used in the Manual.................................................................................. 3
Contacting Supermicro.................................................................................................. 4
Chapter 1 Introduction
1-1 Introduction to the LSI MegaRAID Software Utility for the LSI 1068 Controller..
........................................................................................................................1-1
Features..........................................................................................................1-1
Functions......................................................................................................... 1-2
Drive Features................................................................................................. 1-2
1-2 RAID Modes Supported by the LSI 1068 Controller ...................................... 1-3
SR Mode (Software RAID Mode).................................................................... 1-3
IT Mode (Initiator and Target Mode)...............................................................1-3
To Activate RAID Modes................................................................................. 1-3
1-3 RAID Level Review.........................................................................................1-4
Chapter 2 Configuring the LSI MegaRAID Settings for the LSI 1068
Controller
2-1 Using the LSI MegaRAID Configuration Utility............................................... 2-1
2-2 The LSI MegaRAID Utility Main Menu............................................................ 2-2
2-3 Using Easy Configuration Settings to Configure Arrays and Virtual Drives .. 2-2
2-4 Using New Configuration Settings to Configure a Selected Disk Drive.........2-8
2-5 Using New Configuration Settings to Configure a Hotspare Drive............... 2-10
2-6 Selecting a Boot Drive.................................................................................. 2-12
2-7 Initializing a Disk Drive..................................................................................2-14
2-8 Using the Objects Menu to Configure Device Settings................................ 2-15
To View and Display Virtual Disk Drives in the System ............................... 2-15
Initializing a Virtual Disk Drive......................................................................2-16
Checking Data Consistency of a Selected Virtual Drive............................... 2-17
Viewing and Updating the Parameters (or the Properties) of a Selected Virtual
Disk Drive...................................................................................................... 2-18
Configuring Global Hotspare Drives by Using the Objects Menu ................ 2-21
To Force a Drive Online or Offline................................................................2-23
Viewing the Properties of a Physical Drive................................................... 2-24
Viewing and Updating the Properties of an Adapter .................................... 2-24
2-9 Rebuilding a Disk Drive by Using the Rebuild Menu ................................... 2-25
Rebuilding a Physical Drive ......................................................................... 2-25
LSI MegaRAID Software Configuration User's Manual

Rebuilding an Virtual Drive by Using the Rebuild Setting............................ 2-26
2-10 Checking Data Consistency of a Disk Drive................................................. 2-27
Checking Data Consistency ......................................................................... 2-27
2-11 Clearing a Storage Configuration..................................................................2-30
Table of Contents
vii

Notes
LSI MegaRAID Software Configuration User's Manual
viii

Chapter 1: Introduction to the LSI MegaRAID Software Utility
1-1
Chapter 1
Introduction
After you have installed hardware components, you must first configure the LSI
MegaRAID Software Utility before you install an operating system and other soft-
ware drivers.
Note: If you do not wish to configure LSI Software RAID settings, please
proceed with the OS installation. For OS installation instructions, refer to
related documents posted on our web site at www. supermicro.com.
1-1 Introduction to the LSI MegaRAID Software Utility
for the LSI 1068 Controller
The LSI Embedded MegaRAID Software Configuration Utility adds RAID functional-
ity to enhance system efficiency and data security by supporting RAID 0, RAID 1,
RAID 10 and RAID 5 (via I-Button). RAID 0 (striping) can greatly enhance hard disk
I/O performance by striping data across multiple drives. RAID 1 (mirroring) allows
data to be simultaneously written to multiple drives, thus increases data integrity.
RAID 10, combining RAID 0 and RAID1, provides superb system performance
and system security. When used with an I-Button, the LSI MegaRAID Utility also
supports RAID 5, which implements block-level striping with parity data distributed
across all disks, achieving greater data redundancy at a lower cost. By incorporat-
ing the LSI MegaRAID Software configuration into our product design, Supermicro
offers the user the benefits of software RAID configuration without the high costs
associated with hardware RAID applications.
The LSI Embedded MegaRAID Software Utility supports up to eight SAS or SATA
ports, providing an efficient solution for data transfer, storage reliability and secu-
rity.
Features
The LSI MegaRAID Software supports the following features:
Support for BIOS Boot Specification (BBS) (if available in the system BIOS)
•
Support for Interrupt 13 and Enhanced Disk Drive Specification•
Option ROM size of up to 64 Kb•
Support for Power-On Self Test (POST) and run-time BIOS support for device•
removal and insertion (Plug & Play)

LSI MegaRAID Configuration for the LSI 1068 Controller User's Manual
1-2
Support for Post Memory Management (PMM) Specification v. 1.01•
Support for Stop-On-Error during bootup•
48-bit LBA support for read, write, and flush cache functions•
Support for drive roaming•
Support for up to 2 Terabyte physical and logical drives•
Functions
The following functions are supported by the LSI MegaRAID Software Utility:
Support for BIOS Boot Specification (BBS) (if available in system BIOS)
•
Support for Interrupt 13 and Enhanced Disk Drive Specification•
Support for Enable/Disable BIOS Boot•
Support for Hot-plug and Hot Auto Rebuild (during a hot plug event and the•
physical drive is forced off-line)
Support for up to 2 Terabyte logical drives
•
Drive Features
The following Drive Features are supported by the LSI MegaRAID Software Util-
ity:
Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10 and RAID 5 (via I-Button)
•
Online mirror rebuilding•
Online consistency checks•
Array management software•
Error logging and notification•
Automatic resume of rebuilding on restart•
Support for manual rebuilding•
Auto-configuration support of newly-added physical drive•

Chapter 1: Introduction to the LSI MegaRAID Software Utility
1-3
Support for global hotspare•
Array initialization support•
Logical drive available immediately after creation•
Stripe size of 64 Kb supported•
1-2 RAID Modes Supported by the LSI 1068 Controller
SR Mode (Software RAID Mode)
This is the default mode. To use this mode, please do the following:
Install a Software RAID Mode Driver in the OS.
•
Create RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 via the WebBIOS Utility so that the OS•
can detect the hard disk drives installed in the system.
Buy an I-Button (AOC-IButton68) from Supermicro to enable RAID 5 support.
•
(Please refer to http://www.supermicro.com/products/accessories/ad-
don/AOC-IButton68.cfm for more information on the AOC-Button68.)
IT Mode (Initiator and Target Mode)
This is a Non-RAID mode. To use this mode, be sure to flash an IT mode firm-
ware to the EEPROM and to install an IT Mode driver to the system OS. (See
the note below.)
To Activate RAID Modes
You can activate a RAID mode by pressing any key in the BIOS setup.
Press <CTRL> + <C> to activate the IT mode.
•
Press <CTRL> + <M> to activate the SR mode.•
Note: Different RAID modes require different firmwares and drivers. Be
sure to download the correct RAID mode driver before installing it to the
OS. For firmware downloads and assistance, please contact Supermicro
Technical Support at www.supermicro.com or [email protected].
AOC-IButton68

LSI MegaRAID Configuration for the LSI 1068 Controller User's Manual
1-4
1-3 RAID Level Review
To create a RAID storage configuration, you will need to configure physical disk
drives into arrays first. An array is a group of one ~ eight physical disks that is seen
as one large disk drive (logical drive) by the host computer system. Only one RAID
level can be assigned to an array.
A RAID 0 array consists of one ~ eight physical drives.
•
A RAID 1 array consists of two physical drives•
A RAID 10 array consists of four, six or eight physical drives.•
Warning: Do not use both SAS and SATA drives in the same array to
avoid system malfunctioning or decreasing Mean Time Between Failures
(MTBF).
RAID 0 (Striping)
RAID 0 provides disk striping across all disk drives in an array. It does not provide
data redundancy, but it offers the best RAID performance.
RAID 0 Requires 1~8 Disk Drives
RAID 0 Example with 2 Disks
Disk Drive A Disk Drive B
Segment 1 Segment 2
Segment 3 Segment 4
Segment 5 Segment 6
Segment 7 Segment 8
RAID 1 (Mirroring)
RAID 1 creates a duplicate copy of data by copying all data from one drive to anoth-
er. It provides data redundancy, but it doubles data storage capacity requirement.
RAID 1 Requires a minimum of 2 Disk Drives
RAID 1 Example with 2 Disks
Disk Drive A Disk Drive B
Segment 1 Duplicate copy of Segment 1
Segment 2 Duplicate copy of Segment 2
Segment 3 Duplicate copy of Segment 3
Segment 4 Duplicate copy of Segment 4

Chapter 1: Introduction to the LSI MegaRAID Software Utility
1-5
RAID 10 (Striping + Mirroring)
RAID 10 combines RAID 0 and RAID 1 by first breaking down data into smaller
segments and stripping these segments to each RAID1 set. Each RAID 1 set,
then duplicates its data to its mirrored drive.
RAID 10 provides the best RAID performance and best data security.
RAID 10 Requires 2, 4 or 6 Disk Drives
RAID 10 Example with 4 Disk Drives
Striping: Data Striping Across Drive A & Drive B
Drive A Drive B
Segment 1 Segment 2
Segment 3 Segment 4
Segment 5 Segment 6
Segment 7 Segment 8
Mirroring: Coping Data
from Drive A to Drive C Mirroring: Copying Data from Drive B to Drive D
Drive A Drive C Drive B Drive D
Segment 1 Duplicate Copy of
Segment1 Segment 2 Duplicate Copy of Segment2
Segment 3 Duplicate Copy of
Segment3 Segment 4 Duplicate Copy of Segment4
Segment 5 Duplicate Copy of
Segment5 Segment 6 Duplicate Copy of Segment6
Segment 7 Duplicate Copy of
Segment7 Segment 8 Duplicate Copy of Segment8

LSI MegaRAID Configuration for the LSI 1068 Controller User's Manual
1-6
Notes

Configuring the LSI MegaRAID Settings
2-1
Chapter 2
Configuring the LSI MegaRAID Settings for the LSI
1068 Controller
This chapter provides configuration instructions for the LSI Embedded
MegaRAID Software Utility. If you do not wish to configure LSI Software
RAID settings, please skip this section and go directly to the OS Installa-
tion. For OS installation instructions, please refer to our web site at www.
supermicro.com.
For system stability, please do not use both SAS and SATA drives in the
same array.
2-1 Using the LSI MegaRAID Configuration Utility
Follow the steps indicated below to configure arrays and logical drives.
Power on the system.1.
When the screen as shown below displays, press <CTRL> and <M> to enter2. the LSI MegaRAID Configuration Utility.
Once you are in the LSI MegaRAID Software Configuration Utility, the LSI3. MegaRAID Main screen as shown on the next page will appear.

LSI MegaRAID Configuration for the LSI 1068 Controller User's Manual
2-2
2-2 The LSI MegaRAID Utility Main Menu
When entering the LSI MegaRAID Utility, the following LSI MegaRAID Main Screen
appears:
The LSI MegaRAID Main Menu includes the following five submenus: Configuration,
Initialization, Objects, Rebuild, and Check Consistency. These submenus allow the
user to configure arrays and logical drives as desired.
2-3 Using Easy Configuration Settings to Configure
Arrays and Virtual Drives
Easy Configuration Settings allow you to check the properties of or assign an array
to a disk drive of your choice. You can also use these settings to configure a disk
drive as a virtual drive or a hotspare.
When the LSI MegaRAID Main Menu as shown above displays, use the arrow1. keys to select Configure and press <Enter>.
Use the up/down arrow keys to select Easy Configuration and press <Enter>2. to view the physical drives in the system.

Configuring the LSI MegaRAID Settings
2-3
The physical drives that are ready for configuration will be displayed. Press3. <Spacebar> to select the drive you wish to configure the RAID settings.
When the physical drive you wish to assign an array to is selected, press4. <F10> to configure the array.

LSI MegaRAID Configuration for the LSI 1068 Controller User's Manual
2-4
When the screen as shown above displays, press <Spacebar> to select the5. array setting (number).
Once the right array number appears, press <F10> to configure it.6.
Use the Up/Down Arrow keys to highlight7. Select RAID.
In the pop-up dialogue box, using the Up/Down Arrow keys, select8. Accept and
press <Enter>.
When a message prompt appears, select Yes to configure the array.9.

Configuring the LSI MegaRAID Settings
2-5
To Configure a Virtual Drive
You can also configure a selected physical drive as a virtual drive by using4. the up/down arrow keys to select the drive and press <F3>.
Using Easy Configuration to Configure a Hotspare Drive
To configure the selected drive as a hotspare drive, press <F4>. The following5. screen appears:
To Display Drive Information
From the LSI MegaRAID main menu, select Configuration and press <Enter>.1.
Use the arrow keys to select Easy Configuration and press <Enter> to view2. the drives available in the system. Press <Spacebar> to select the disk drive
you wish to configure.
When the disk drive is selected, press <F2> to display the disk drive informa-3. tion as shown below.

LSI MegaRAID Configuration for the LSI 1068 Controller User's Manual
2-6
When prompted to confirm whether you want to configure Hotspare, select6. Yes and press <Enter>. The drive selected will be configured as Hotspare as
shown in the screen below.
Using Easy Configuration to Assign an Array
Select Configure from the LSI MegaRAID Main screen.1.
Select Easy Configuration from the Configuration menu and press <Enter>.2.
When the screen showing the available disk drives displays, use the up/down3. arrow keys to select the drive you want to assign an array to.
When the drive you wish to assign an array to is highlighted as shown above,4. press <F10> to configure the array. A screen as shown below will appear: