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    For Dedicated Servers and Server Power Deals

    This article explains how to monitor a hardware RAID, detect a defective RAID and rebuild the RAID if necessary. 

    The IONOS root servers  use hardware controllers from 3ware, Areca,  Adaptec,  Broadcom  or Dell. 

    Identify Hardware Controller

    You can use the lspcicommand to check which hardware controller is installed on your server. This command lists all devices on the PCI bus.

    If you are using a minimal system, you have to install this program manually. To do this, enter the following command:
     

    CentOS 7

    yum install pciutils

    Ubuntu 16.04 and Ubuntu 18.04

    sudo apt-get  pciutils

    To check which hardware controller is installed on your server, enter the following command:

    lspci|grep RAID

    Examples:

    [root@localhost ~]# lspci|grep RAID
    01:00.0 RAID bus controller: Adaptec Series 6 - 6G SAS/PCIe 2 (rev 01)

     

    [root@localhost ~]# lspci|grep RAID
    02:00.0 RAID bus controller: Broadcom / LSI MegaRAID Tri-Mode SAS3408 (rev 01)

     

    [root@localhost ~]# lspci|grep RAID
    01:09.0 RAID bus controller: 3ware Inc 7xxx/8xxx-series PATA/SATA-RAID (rev 01)

     

    [root@localhost ~]# lspci|grep RAID
    02:0e.0 RAID bus controller: Areca Technology Corp. ARC-1110 4-Port PCI-X to SATA RAID Controller

     

    RAID Controller Management Programs

    The software required to manage each RAID controller is installed by default. If necessary, you can download the software for the respective controller here:


    Adaptec RAID controller:

    https://storage.microsemi.com/en-us/downloads/
     

    Broadcom RAID controller:

    https://www.broadcom.com/support/download-search


    Dell RAID Controller:

    https://www.dell.com/support/home/de-de?app=products


    3ware RAID controller:

    https://www.broadcom.com/support/knowledgebase/1211161499498/operating-systems-supported-for-the-lsi-3ware-and-megaraid-contr


    Areca RAID controller:

    https://www.areca.com.tw/support/downloads.html

    Get Details about the Hardware RAID Controller

    Adaptec RAID Controller

    The  Adaptec RAID controller  is  managed  with the  arcconf  command line tool . Use the following commands to view detailed information about the Adaptec RAID controller  and configuration: 

    COMMAND EXPLANATION
    arcconf GETCONFIG 1 This command displays information about the RAID controller, configuration, RAID arrays, available disks and their current state.
    arcconf getconfig 1 PD Use this command to display information about the existing hard disks.
    arcconf getlogscontroller-number device ¦ dead ¦ event [clear ¦ tabular] Use this command to display the log entries. You can use the following parameters to specify the type of log entries displayed:
    Example: arcconf getlogs 1 device tabular DEVICE: Shows all log entries with errors the controller could detect on all connected devices.
      DEAD: Shows all log entries where device and disk failures were recorded.
      EVENT: Shows all log entries with information about special events (e.g. rebuilds, LDMs, etc.)
      You can also specify the following parameters:
      tabular: Displays the log in table format.
      clear: Deletes the specified controller protocol.
    arcconf getlogs controller-number device ¦ dead ¦ event [clear ¦ tabular] > DATEINAME.log This command writes the log entries to a file.
    Example: arcconf getlogs 1 device tabular > device.log  

    You can find more information here:

    User's Guide ARCCONF Command Line Utility

    Broadcom RAID Controller

    The  Broadcom RAID controller is managed and controlled with the StorCLI  command line tool . Use the following commands to display detailed information about the Broadcom RAID  controller and configuration:

    COMMAND EXPLANATION
    storcli64 /c0 show all This command displays information about the RAID controller and configuration.
    storcli64 /c0/eall/sall show Use this command to display information about the existing hard disks.
    storcli64 /c0/eALL/sALL show all This command displays information about the available disks and their current status (serial number, temperature, etc.).
    storcli /cx show eventloginfo Use this command to display the log entries.

    You can find further information here:

    12Gb/s MegaRAID Tri-ModeStorCLI User Guide

    Dell RAID Controller

    The Dell RAID controller is  managed using the PowerEdge RAID Controller Command Interface(PERCCLI). Use the following commands to view detailed information about the Dell RAID controller and configuration: 

    COMMAND EXPLANATION
    perccli64 /c0 /e32/s0 show all Use this command to display information about disk 0.
    perccli64 /c0/e32/s1 show all Use this command to display information about disk 1.
    perccli64 /c0 show Use this command to display information about the existing hard disks.
    perccli /c0 show eventloginfo This command displays the log entries for controller 0.
    3ware RAID Controller

    To get details about the 3ware RAID controller, type the following command:

    # dmesg|grep 3ware
    3ware Storage Controller device driver for Linux v1.26.02.002.
    scsi0 : 3ware Storage Controller
    3w-xxxx: scsi0: Found a 3ware Storage Controller at 0xd800, IRQ: 18.
    scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access 3ware Logical Disk 0 1.2 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0
    3ware 9000 Storage Controller device driver for Linux v2.26.02.010.
    bash

    tw_cli

    The 3ware RAID controller is managed with the 3ware Storage Controller Management Command Line Interface. To open the command line interface, enter the command tw_cli. Use the help command to display all available commands. To leave the console, type exit

    # tw_cli
    //XXX> help
    
    Copyright(c) 2004-2006 Applied Micro Circuits Corporation(AMCC). All rights reserved.
    
    AMCC/3ware CLI (version 2.00.06.007)
    
    
    Commands Description
    -------------------------------------------------------------------
    focus Changes from one object to another. For Interactive Mode Only!
    show Displays information about controller(s), unit(s) and port(s).
    flush Flush write cache data to units in the system.
    rescan Rescan all empty ports for new unit(s) and disk(s).
    update Update controller firmware from an image file.
    commit Commit dirty DCB to storage on controller(s). (Windows only)
    /cx Controller specific commands.
    /cx/ux Unit specific commands.
    /cx/px Port specific commands.
    /cx/bbu BBU specific commands. (9000 only)
    /ex Enclosure specific commands. (9KSX/SE only)
    /ex/slotx Enclosure Slot specific commands.
    /ex/fanx Enclosure Fan specific commands.
    /ex/tempx Enclosure Temperature Sensor specific commands.
    
    Certain commands are qualified with constraints of controller type/model support.
    Please consult the twi_cli documentation for explanation of the controller-qualifiers.
    
    The controller-qualifiers of the Enclosure commands (/ex) also apply to Enclosure
    Element specific commands (e.g., /ex/elementx).
    
    Type help <command> to get more details about a particular command.
    For more detail information see twi_cli's documentation.
    
    //XXX>
    bash

    To view information about the status of the RAID system, type the following command:

    //XXXX> info
    
    Ctl Model Ports Drives Units NotOpt RRate VRate BBU
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    c0 8006-2LP 2 2 1 0 2 - -
    
    //XXXX> info c0
    
    Unit UnitType Status %RCmpl %V/I/M Stripe Size(GB) Cache AVrfy
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    u0 RAID-1 OK - - - 232.885 ON -
    
    Port Status Unit Size Blocks Serial
    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    p0 OK u0 232.88 GB 488397168 4ND0XYFE
    p1 OK u0 232.88 GB 488397168 4ND0YH77
    bash

    To display hardware RAID controller alerts, type the following command:

    //XXXX> show alarms
    
    Ctl Date Severity Alarm Message
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    c0 - INFO (0x0F:0x0007): Initialization complete: Unit #0
    c0 - INFO (0x0F:0x000C): Initialization started: Unit #0
    bash

    An alarm message is displayed in the following format:

    //XXXX> show alarms
    
    Ctl Date Severity Alarm Message
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    c0 - INFO (0x0F:0x000B): Rebuild started: Unit #0
    c0 - ERROR (0x0F:0x0002): Unit degraded: Unit #0
    bash

    To remove a defective disk from the RAID on the second port, enter the following command:

    //XXXX> maint remove c0 p1
    Removing port /c0/p1 ... Done.
    bash

    After replacing the defective hard disk, the new hard disk has to be recognized. To do this, enter the following command:

    //XXXX> maint rescan
    Rescanning controller /c0 for units and drives ...Done.
    Found the following unit(s): [none].
    Found the following drive(s): [/c0/p1].
    bash

    To mount and rebuild a disk on the second port, enter the following command:

    //XXXX> maint rebuild c0 u0 p1
    Sending rebuild start request to /c0/u0 on 1 disk(s) [1] ... Done.
    bash

    To view information about rebuilding the RAID, type the following command:

    //XXXX> info c0
    
    Unit UnitType Status %RCmpl %V/I/M Stripe Size(GB) Cache AVrfy
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    u0 RAID-1 REBUILDING 0 - - 232.885 ON -
    
    Port Status Unit Size Blocks Serial
    ---------------------------------------------------------------
    p0 OK u0 232.88 GB 488397168 4ND0XYFE
    p1 DEGRADED u0 232.88 GB 488397168 4ND0YH77
    bash
    Monitor 3ware RAID controllers with the software 3ware Disk Manager 2

    3ware offers the software 3ware Disk Manager 2 (3dm2). With this software you can manage and monitor the 3ware RAID controller. 

    You can download 3ware Disk Manager 2 here: 

    https://www.broadcom.com/support/knowledgebase/1211161499498/operating-systems-supported-for-the-lsi-3ware-and-megaraid-contr

    3ware documentation

    For more information on installation, configuration and use, please refer to the 3ware documentation. You can find it here:

    https://www.broadcom.com/support/knowledgebase/1211161499541/lsi-3ware-user-documentation-downloads

    Areca RAID Controller

    To get details about the Areca RAID controller, type the following command:

    # dmesg|grep -i areca
    ARECA RAID ADAPTER0: FIRMWARE VERSION V1.43 2007-4-17
    scsi0 : Areca SATA Host Adapter RAID Controller
    scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access Areca ARC-1110-VOL#00 R001 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
    scsi 0:0:16:0: Processor Areca RAID controller R001 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0
    bash

    Below are listed some sample commands. You can access the controller in the Rescue System: 

    arcmsr_cli64
    bash
    Copyright (c) 2004 Areca, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Areca CLI, Version: 1.71.240( Linux )
    
    
    Controllers List
    ----------------------------------------
    Controller#01(PCI): ARC-1110
    Current Controller: Controller#01
    ----------------------------------------
    
    CMD Description
    ==========================================================
    main Show Command Categories.
    set General Settings.
    rsf RaidSet Functions.
    vsf VolumeSet Functions.
    disk Physical Drive Functions.
    sys System Functions.
    net Ethernet Functions.
    event Event Functions.
    hw Hardware Monitor Information.
    exit Exit CLI.
    ==========================================================
    Command Format: <CMD> [Sub-Command] [Parameters].
    Note: Use <CMD> -h or -help to get details.
    CLI>
    bash

    With the command < cmd>  info  you can request system information. For example, after entering the hw info command,  the hardware monitor information is displayed: 

    CLI> hw info
    The Hardware Monitor Information
    ===========================================
    Fan#1 Speed (RPM) : 2673
    HDD #1 Temp. : 48
    HDD #2 Temp. : 47
    HDD #3 Temp. : 51
    HDD #4 Temp. : 0
    ===========================================
    GuiErrMsg<0x00>: Success.
    
    CLI>
    bash

    To display information about the disks, type the following command:

    CLI> disk info
    # ModelName Serial# FirmRev Capacity State
    ===============================================================================
    1 ST3750640AS 5QD5G7Z1 3.AAK 750.2GB RaidSet Member(1)
    2 ST3750640AS 5QD5G6JR 3.AAK 750.2GB RaidSet Member(1)
    3 ST3750640AS 5QD5G7XQ 3.AAK 750.2GB RaidSet Member(1)
    ===============================================================================
    GuiErrMsg<0x00>: Success.
    
    CLI>
    bash

    Use the following command to display system information about the Areca RAID controller.

    CLI> sys info
    The System Information
    ===========================================
    Main Processor : 500MHz
    CPU ICache Size : 32KB
    CPU DCache Size : 32KB
    System Memory : 256MB/333MHz
    Firmware Version : V1.43 2007-4-17
    BOOT ROM Version : V1.43 2007-4-17
    Serial Number : Y813CAAAAR101890
    Controller Name : ARC-1110
    ===========================================
    GuiErrMsg<0x00>: Success.
    
    CLI>
    bash

    To display current events, type the following command:

    CLI> event info
    Date-Time Device Event Type
    ===============================================================================
    2009-07-09 07:23:14 H/W MONITOR Raid Powered On
    2008-09-29 08:06:24 H/W MONITOR Raid Powered On
    2008-09-29 07:51:37 H/W MONITOR Raid Powered On
    ...
    bash

    Use the following command to get information about the current RAID set:

    CLI> rsf info
    # Name Disks TotalCap FreeCap DiskChannels State
    ===============================================================================
    1 Raid Set # 00 3 2250.5GB 0.0GB 123 Normal
    ===============================================================================
    GuiErrMsg<0x00>: Success.
    
    CLI>
    bash

    In this example the RAID set consists of 3 x 750 GB.

    To  display information about the logical RAID volumes, type the following command: 

    CLI> vsf info
    # Name Raid# Level Capacity Ch/Id/Lun State
    ===============================================================================
    1 ARC-1110-VOL#00 1 Raid5 1500.3GB 00/00/00 Normal
    ===============================================================================
    GuiErrMsg<0x00>: Success.
    
    CLI>
    bash

    If you  want to make changes to a hardware RAID with the Areca RAID controller, a password is required. The default password is "0000". Example:

    <CLI> set password=0000. 
    bash
    Areca documentation

    For more information on installation, configuration and application, please refer to the Areca documentation. You can find it here:

    http://areca.starline.de/RaidCards/Documents/Manual_Spec/Software

    Required steps after replacing a hard disk

    If a defective hard disk is replaced, the  rebuild of the RAID system usually starts  automatically. To ensure the functionality of the RAID system, we recommend to  monitor the rebuild  of the RAID system.