RM dualserv pro series User manual

Brand: RM

Model: dualserv pro series

Category: Servers

Type: User manual

RM DualServ Pro series: the server that combines high performance with reliability and versatility. Its Intel Xeon processor and Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controller deliver exceptional speed and data integrity for demanding applications. With support for both SAS and SATA hard drives, the DualServ Pro provides flexible storage options to meet your specific needs. The server also features two Intel Pro/1000 EB Gigabit Ethernet controllers for fast network connectivity, making it ideal for businesses that require high-speed data transfer and reliable storage.

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RM Server Guide

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DualServ Pro Range

This document is intended as a supplement to the manuals for the mainboard, RAID, Ethernet and

SCSI, or SAS, subsystems fitted to your server. These manuals can be found on the RM Server CD.

The latest information on all RM products can found using RM Support Online -

http://www.rm.com/support.

Was this Server Guide useful? Please send us your comments or suggestions on any of our server

hardware products to serve[email protected]om

Version 1.0

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DualServ Pro - Server Guide

INDEX

RM Server Maintenance Check List .................................................................................................... 3

1. Identify Your Hardware..................................................................................................................... 4

1.1 Mainboard...................................................................................................................................... 4

1.2 SCSI Controller.............................................................................................................................. 4

1.3 Additional SCSI Controllers........................................................................................................... 4

1.4 RAID Controller ............................................................................................................................. 4

1.5 Ethernet Controllers....................................................................................................................... 4

1.6 Optical Drive .................................................................................................................................. 4

1.7 Tape Drives ................................................................................................................................... 5

1.8 Sony Turbo Tape Drives ............................................................................................................... 5

1.9 External Autoloader ....................................................................................................................... 5

1.10 Tape Drive Cleaning and Maintenance....................................................................................... 5

1.11 BIOS Configuration...................................................................................................................... 6

1.12 The System Event Log ................................................................................................................ 6

2 Fault-Tolerant Options....................................................................................................................... 7

2.1 RAID Configuration........................................................................................................................ 7

2.2 MegaRAID Storage Manager ........................................................................................................ 7

2.3 Running a Consistency Check and Enabling Patrol Read ............................................................ 8

2.4 Hot-Swap Hard Disks .................................................................................................................... 8

2.5 Hotswap Hard Drive Status LED chart .......................................................................................... 9

2.6 Fault-Tolerant Power Supply....................................................................................................... 10

3 Chassis LED Indicator and Button Identification ......................................................................... 11

3.1 RM DualServ Pro Servers ........................................................................................................... 11

3.2

DualServ Pro I/O Panel layout................................................................................................ 12

4 Server Environment ......................................................................................................................... 13

5.1 RM Server CD ............................................................................................................................. 14

5.2 Driver Locations........................................................................................................................... 14

5.3 Operating System Installation ..................................................................................................... 15

Glossary ............................................................................................................................................... 16

Recommended Further Reading ....................................................................................................... 16

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RM Server Maintenance Check List

Use this checklist as a best use policy for maintaining your server hardware. Periodic checks of

server hardware can show up faults before they become problems and helps keep the servers in good

working order. This check list can be photocopied and kept displayed in the server room to monitor

when the server was last checked.

Check Period between

checks

Last date

checked

Server Fault LED

See Chapter 3 of the Server Guide

Once a day

Hot Swap Hard Drive

LED(s)

See Chapter 2.4 of the Server Guide

Once a day

Temperature of Server

room is between +5

and +30

See Chapter 4 of the Server Guide

Once a day (Summer)

Once a week (Winter)

Redundant PSU

indicator LED(s)

See Chapter 2.6 of the Server Guide

Once a month

Tape Drive Cleaning

(If Tape Backup is fitted)

See Chapter 1.10 of the Server

Guide and the Sony Tape Care

Guide (See the glossary)

Once a week

Consistency Check and

Patrol Read

See Chapter 2.2 and 2.3 of the

Server Guide

Size of array: _________________

Period between checks: ________

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1. Identify Your Hardware

In order to use this document correctly, you will need to know some details about the hardware in your

RM Server. The following section will help you to identify the key components which will be discussed

in greater detail in this document.

1.1 Mainboard

The Intel mainboard in your server can be identified by the BIOS identity string. This string is

displayed during POST towards the top of the screen. This document covers the following

mainboards:

S5000SVSA (DualServ Pro)

S5000VSA

This Intel Xeon board is used in RM Dualserv Pro server. It accepts only DDR2 ECC

Registered fully buffered DIMM Memory modules. It can be identified by the bios string:

BIOS Version XXXX.XX.XX.XXXX

Platform ID: S5000VSA

1.2 SCSI Controller

The Dualserv Pro server mainboards has no integrated SCSI.

1.3 Additional SCSI Controllers

Your RM server may include an LSI20160 SCSI controller. On the Dualserv Pro, The LSI20160 is an

Ultra 160 device and can be identified by the following message during POST:

LSI Logic Corp. MPT IME BIOS

MPTBIOS-IME-5.10.01

1.4 RAID Controller

The RM Dualserv Pro has the option a Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controller allowing for both SAS

and SATA hard drives to be connected.

The controllers may be identified by the following messages during POST:

LSI MegaRAID SAS-MFI BIOS Version MT30

HA – 0 (Bus 5, Dev 14) MegaRAID SAS 8308ELP

Please note that the zero channel RAID controllers must be located in the slot it was found in when

the system was built at the factory in order to work correctly. In addition, the zero channel RAID

controllers will only offer RAID functionality to devices connected through the SAS/SATA backplane.

This means backplanes added to any extra SCSI controllers cannot have RAID added using the zero

channel RAID controller.

1.5 Ethernet Controllers

Connections for the Ethernet ports on all the RM Server range are located at the rear of the case.

The DualServ Pro (S5000VSA mainboard) comes with two Intel Pro/1000 EB Gigabit Ethernet

controllers (82572PI).

1.6 Optical Drive

The optical drive in your server will be an IDE unit and will either be a DVD, DVD-CDRW Combo or a

DVD-RW (depending upon which drive you configured with the server system).

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1.7 Tape Drives

If the system was configured with a SCSI tape drive such as the AIT-3V, AIT-4 then it will be

connected to a SCSI connector inside the system. It will be connected to the LSI 20160 extra SCSI

controller. Microsoft Windows Drivers for tape drives are supplied on the RM Server CD supplied with

the RM server.

The AIT 2 Turbo drive is connected via a SAT connector to the board.

1.8 Sony Turbo Tape Drives

The Sony Turbo tape drives can be identified by the word “Turbo” printed on the dust flap of the drive.

These drives work in the same way as previous SCSI Sony AIT tape drives but are able to use both

normal AIT media and Turbo AIT Media. If you have older AIT Tape media, you can use your normal

backup software in order to restore data which is saved on it. Microsoft’s removable storage manager

classifies older Sony Tape Media as “8mm AIT1” and the newer Turbo Media as “8mm AIT”. It is

preferable to use the new Turbo media with an AIT Turbo drive as this will give faster backup speeds

and more data storage. The Turbo tape drives use the ATAPI interface and are usually set to a slave

device after any optical drives in the system.

For a better tape drive performance, please ensure that the tape drive is set to DMA mode.

1.9 External Autoloader

External auto loaders can be connected to the external SCSI connector provided by the LSI 20160

extra SCSI controller (if this was configured). Drivers and manuals will be supplied separately with

this device.

1.10 Tape Drive Cleaning and Maintenance

RM recognizes that the environment servers are used in can vary. To clean dust deposits inside the

Tape Drive, which have been sucked in from the external environment, a cleaning tape is supplied

with each Tape Drive. It is recommended that the cleaning tapes are used at least once a week and

whenever the cleaning LED indicator illuminates on the front of the drive (Sony). To use the cleaning

tape, make sure the server is powered on and no backup software is running. Insert the cleaning tape

into the drive. The cleaning process is automatic. Once it is complete the cleaning tape will be ejected.

In cases of severe dust contamination, the cleaning tape can be reinserted to clean the drive again.

Run a backup once the clean is complete and verify that the backup was successful by performing a

verify operation.

The Sony AIT (V-series) tape drives have a dust flap attached to the front of the unit. It is

recommended that this is left in the closed position at all times (other than when removing or replacing

a tape cartridge) to reduce dust ingestion. After analysis, RM found that around 36% of Tape Drives

returned to Sony as faulty could be fixed by using a cleaning tape.

Cleaning tapes have a finite life span. Once the tape inside has moved completely over to the right

hand reel, the tape has finished and should be replaced. When used once a week, a cleaning tape

has a life span of approximately one year. Replacement cleaning tapes can be purchased from RM.

Cleaning Cartridges can be used approximately 50 times. Labels are supplied with most cleaning

tapes to allow you to mark-off how many times the tape has been used.

The backup media tapes degrade over time with use. Since your backup data is very important, new

tapes should be purchased regularly. If a tape is over written with new data many times, it can

Sony AIT Tape Drive

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become damaged and the data on it lost. If the ‘Replace Media’ light is illuminated on the front of the

Sony tape drive..

If you are having problems backing up your data then using a cleaning tape, or replacing the

backup tape media can often solve the problem.

Further information on caring for your tape backup device can be found on the RM Server CD.

1.11 BIOS Configuration

In order to ensure reliable performance from your server, the following points should be observed

when configuring the BIOS. The mainboard BIOS setup utility is invoked by pressing <F2> during

POST. When your server leaves the factory, the BIOS settings will be those recommended for

reliable server operation. If a reset of BIOS settings is required, enter the BIOS setup utility and select

the “Setup Defaults” option <F9>.

1.12 The System Event Log

The RM DualServ Pro range has an onboard system event log. This stores hardware events to a

special memory chip located on the mainboard. Accessing these events can be very useful in fault

diagnosis, especially when the server’s operating system becomes unavailable.

The system event log has a limited amount of space and will become eventually fill up. A message at

the end of post will display indicating this. The message is “Error: System Event Log Full”. This is

only a notification message informing you that no further hardware events can be logged. You may

clear the system event log either by entering the BIOS setup (press F2 on POST) and select “Server

Management” – “Clear System Event log” then set “Enable”.

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2 Fault-Tolerant Options

2.1 RAID Configuration

If your RM server contains a RAID controller, the drives in the system will have been configured into a

RAID array in the factory.

You may wish to reconfigure the RAID array to suit your particular needs. A configuration tool may be

invoked at the RAID controller sign-on during POST. This can be done by pressing <Esc> during

POST (when the RM symbol is visible) then <Ctrl-G> when prompted to open the Web BIOS

configuration utility. You are referred to the LSI documentation for instructions on using these tools.

These can be found on the RM Server CD supplied with the server.

2.2 MegaRAID Storage Manager

With LSI RAID controllers, a comprehensive set of manuals (PDF format), drivers and software are

supplied on the RM Server CD. The MegaRAID package, containing the MegaRAID Storage

Manager application, is used to view and manage the logical drives controlled by LSI Logic RAID

cards. MegaRAID can be used to run regular consistency checks on a RAID array, which is essential

for maintaining data redundancy and protecting against possible data corruption, as well as warning of

a potential disk failure.

The MegaRAID can be used to activate patrol read on the raided hard drives. Patrol read runs

continuously in the background whilst the server is switched on. Should it encounter a serious error it

will instigate a full consistency check of the hard disks.

Factory-installed instances of MegaRAID already have the patrol read function initialised. Manual

installations of MegaRAID will require you to set this up yourself. In addition, you can manually run a

consistency check. In order to set up or modify the consistency checks, or manually run one, see the

procedure below.

Factory-installed instances of MegaRAID are already set up to carry out regular checks at the correct

intervals. Manual installations of MegaRAID will require you to set this up yourself. In addition, you can

manually run a consistency check. In order to set up or modify the consistency checks, or manually

run one, see the procedure below.

RM recommends the following regimes for carrying out consistency checks, which depend on the total

size of all the hard disks in a RAID array.

• <500GB - Once every 4 weeks.

• >500GB and <1000GB - Once every 6 weeks.

• >1000GB - Once every 12 weeks.

Note: The consistency check improves the fault tolerance of your system and its regular use is

highly recommended.

The results of a consistency check are posted on the application event log and it is good practice to

monitor the log at regular intervals for warnings about disk errors or failures. The source for any log

entries related to MegaRAID is given as MegaServ.Log.

The MegaRAID Storage Manager application can be used in two modes: Read-Only and Full Access.

The advanced features of MegaRAID Storage Manager can only be accessed in Full Access mode,

which is password protected.

Warning: Full Access mode allows for the reconfiguration of your RAID array, potentially

leading to the loss of some or all of your data. RM recommends using the Read-Only mode

under normal circumstances and cannot take responsibility for the loss of any data as a result

of using any of the advanced features in Full Access mode.

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2.3 Running a Consistency Check and Enabling Patrol Read

Enabling Patrol Read

Ensure that controller 0 is highlighted.

All servers that leave RM should have patrol read enabled, however, should the user need to enable

patrol read, please follow the instructions below:

1. From the start menu, select the MegaRAID storage manager program.

2. After logging in, select the ‘operations’ menu.

3. From this menu select start Patrol Read.

Disabling Patrol Read

As above but the option should be ‘stop’ patrol read.

Enabling a consistency check

1. From the start menu, select the MegaRAID storage manager program.

2. After logging in, select the ‘Group Operations’ menu.

3. Select consistency check

4. Select the virtual disk that you wish to run the check on.

Note: Disabling the consistency check is not recommended.

2.4 Hot-Swap Hard Disks

The hot-swap bays are designed to accept SAS or SATA hard-drives. The drives may be “hot-

swapped” meaning that they can be added to or removed from the bay when the DualServ is

powered-up.

Hard disk drives are fragile and sensitive to electrostatic discharge. Electrostatic discharge

precautions should always be observed when handling drives. The drives fitted in the hot-

swap bays require 30 seconds after power-down for the disks to stop spinning. Moving the

drives before the disks have stopped spinning may result in permanent damage and data loss.

When hot-swapping a drive, it is recommended that, at first, the drive is retracted from the bay

so that the SCA connector just disengages. This will cut off the power to the drive. The drive

should then be left for 30 seconds before the drive is fully removed.

In the DualServ Pro, the lower four hard disks (pedestal) or right most hard disks (rackmount) are on

the first backplane and have Ids which range from 0 to 3. The upper four hard disks (pedestal) or left

most hard disks (rackmount) are on the second backplane and have Ids which range from 4 to 7. The

The picture below shows the RM DualServ Pro in its pedestal orientation.

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Disk ID 7

Disk ID 4

Disk ID 3

Disk ID 0

DualServ Pro with Disk IDs labelled

If a drive fails the drive LED shows a constant red light. If a drive is rebuilding the LED shows a

flashing green light. A flashing Green light also indicates normal operation, when read or writing

,activity is being performed to the disks. This will also happen when an array is undergoing a

consistency check.

Drives require the correct slide mountings in order to be fitted into the drive bays.

It is recommended that hot-swapping of drives is not undertaken when the server is busy.

2.5 Hotswap Hard Drive Status LED chart

These lights are located on the front of the hard drive bay.

DualServ Pro

Hard Drive LED Colour

(Labelled with Light Bulb)

Hard Drive LED Colour

(Labelled with Hard

Disk)

Hard Drive Operational Status

Black (off) Black (off) There is no Hard Disk in this slot

Blue Black (off)/Solid Green No Hard Drive activity but hard disk is OK

Blue Flashing Green The Hard Disks is being accessed

Blue Flashing Green The Hard Disk is rebuilding

Blue/Black (off) Red The Hard Disk has failed and must be

replaced

SATA Hard Disk Drive

Blue indicated the drive is present. If a drive fails the drive LED is red. If a drive is rebuilding the LED

flashes green. A flashing Green colour indicates normal operation when read and writing activity is

being performed to the disks. This also occurs when an array is undergoing patrol read or a

consistency check. If the LEDs are not on then there is no hard drive activity.

SAS Hard Disk Drive

As same as the SATA drives, except that the HDD activity LED is permanently green if there is no

activity on the drive.

Drives require the correct slide mountings in order to be fitted into the drive bays.

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It is recommended that hot-swapping of drives is not undertaken when the server is busy.

2.6 Fault-Tolerant Power Supply

The fault-tolerant PSU has multiple mains supply leads. All of these must be removed to

isolate the SystemBase from the mains electricity supply.

(RM DualServPro)

The RM DualServ Pro has the option of two

redundant PSUs depending on what was

configured. Each redundant PSU requires a

separate mains cable to be powered up.

There is an indicator LED on each PSU

beneath the power socket. If this LED is

green then PSU is working normally. If it is

orange or black (off) then either the PSU does

not have power or it has failed.

Please note that there is no front panel

warning of redundant power supply failure on

the DualServ Pro.

It is not necessary to power down your server

to replace a failed redundant PSU, but if possible, it is recommended that it is done during a period of

low server usage. It is recommended that as part routine maintenance of the server that the power

supply indicators are checked once a month.

To avoid voltage spikes to the supply, the replacement unit should not be connected to the

mains when fitted.

It is not necessary to replace the failed unit immediately, but steps should be taken to ensure a

replacement arrives soon after a PSU failure. With only one PSU operating, the server is no longer

redundant so if this fails as well then the server will switch off immediately.

Replacement PSUs may be ordered from RM.

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3 Chassis LED Indicator and Button Identification

3.1 RM DualServ Pro Servers

The Temperature warning light is the first

indication of temperature problems. The

cooling fans within the system should increase

in speed in order to bring the temperature

down which will turn off the warning light. If

the temperature continues to rise to dangerous

levels, an audio alarm siren will sound. This

generally will mean that a fan inside the

system has failed. The system should be shut

down as soon as possible if the audio alarm

siren is heard. If the system is not shutdown

and the temperature rises still further, a

failsafe will switch the system off before

physical damage can occur.

If the temperature warning light remains on for

an extended period of time then be sure to

follow the instructions detailed in the Server

Environment section of this guide.

For further information regarding the use of the

switches, please refer to the Intel manuals

supplied on the RM Server CD.

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3.2 DualServ Pro I/O Panel layout

I/O layout of the rear of the DualServ Pro (please note that the LED’s are not fitted on the Dualserv Pro)

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4 Server Environment

It is important to position any server in an air conditioned room away from heat sources such as

radiator or exposed pipe work. Avoid using a room which has external walls and windows. If this

cannot be avoided, make sure windows are shaded and double glazed. Server robustness can be

compromised if the ambient temperature is exceeded or if temperatures vary above 5

C change per

hour. RM recommend that the ambient temperature where a server is position should range between

and +30

C. The humidity levels should also be maintained between 30 to 80% non-condensing

(maximum wet bulb temperature 29

C).

Servers should be positioned to allow good air flow around the chassis. Do not block any of the vents

at the front and rear of the server and the case sides should be left fitted when the server is

operational to maintain optimum air flow through it.

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5 Hardware Drivers

5.1 RM Server CD

The RM Server CD will have come in the box with your RM server. Please keep this CD safe as it

contains all the drivers for the hardware in your RM Server. The CD has a web-based menu system

which should run automatically once the CD is inserted whilst Windows is running. If this does not

happen then browse to the CD in Windows Explorer and double click the file “index.html” on the root

of the CD. The CD contains a wealth of information supplied by RM and the hardware manufacturers.

In particular, information on how to use and manage RAID in your server.

When clicking on links within the web browser, it is safe to run any program from its current location.

Do not save the file to somewhere on your hard disk first as it may not work correctly if it is not run

from the RM Server CD.

The Create Driver Disks submenu of each system will allow you to create a driver disk for the RAID

and SCSI subsystems. These are required for installing a vanilla version of Windows on your Server.

Further instructions about installing Windows are found in the section below.

The RM Server utility disk also contains a tools folder which allows installation of the LSI Power

Console for RAID management, Intel Server Management Software which monitors various aspects of

your servers health and the RM Server Utility Disk. More information on the server utility disk can be

found at the end of this manual. Information about the LSI Power Console can be found in the

MegaRAID Software Guide located with the LSI RAID documents on the RM Server CD.

To resolve problems which may arise on your Sony AIT backup devices, the Sony Diagnostics utility

and care guide are also available on the RM Server CD.

5.2 Driver Locations

The table below indicates where the recommended drivers for each hardware item in the RM server

range are to be found. Please substitute ServerRange in the path descriptions for your particular

setup.

Hardware Windows 2003 Drivers

S5000VSA chipset

RM Server CD : [ ServerRange\Drivers\Chipset\Windows ]

LSI 8308ELP RAID controller

RM Server CD : [ServerRange\Drivers\RAID\Windows]

Intel Onboard Network Port

RM Server CD :

[ ServerRange\ Drivers\Network\Intel_82546EB\Windows]

ATI Rage XL Graphics driver

RM Server CD : [ShareServ\Drivers\Video\Win2003]

LSI 20160

RM Server CD: [ServerRange\Drivers\SCSI\LSI 20160]

Intel Pro 1000 (RJ45)

Intel Pro 1000 (Fibre channel)

RM Server CD :

[ServerRange\ Drivers\Network\Intel_82546EB\Windows]

Sony AIT Tape Drive

Drivers supplied on the RM Server CD.

[Common\Drivers\Sony AIT Tape Drive]

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5.3 Operating System Installation

If your RM Server system was purchased without an Operating System and has a RAID card

configured then you will need to setup the RAID array. This must be done before any operating

system can be installed. Detailed instructions on how to do this are provided in the MegaRAID

Software Guide located on the RM Server CD. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

The SCSI and RAID drivers on all RM Servers will need to be loaded during Windows installation.

The Windows installer will require each driver to be supplied on separate floppy disks. Driver disks

can be created by following the links on the RM Server CD. When the Windows installer first begins

to load from the installation CD, you will have a few seconds to press F6 to let the installer know that

you wish to load your own drivers from floppy disk. There is no acknowledgement that you pressed

F6, however, you will be asked later in the process to press ‘S’ to specify new hardware and will be

prompted to insert the floppy disks you have created. For more detailed instructions on installing the

RAID drivers, please refer to the MegaRAID driver installation manual located on the RM Server

CD. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

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Glossary

POST

As soon as the computer is turned on it enters POST (Power On Self Test). This tests the

computer to ensure it meets the necessary system requirements before booting up. During

this time, a series of messages and codes will be displayed on the screen. This manual will

sometimes refer to these codes displayed during POST. Ordinarily, these messages are

hidden by an RM logo. This can be turned off by pressing the escape <ESC> key.

BIOS

Short for Basic Input/Output System, the BIOS is a chip located on all computer mainboards

that contains instructions and setup for how your system should boot and how it operates.

BIOS settings can be altered by entering the BIOS setup. This manual may refer to entering

the BIOS or entering BIOS setup to change values. This is achieved by pressing <F2> during

post.

SATA

Short for ‘Serial Advanced Technology Attachment’. The SATA connector is different to those

used by SCSI, so please do not try to use SCSI drives in a SATA system, or vice-versa.

SAS

Short for ‘Serial Attached SCSI’. SAS drives offer faster data read and write speeds than

SATA. The SAS connector is different to those used by SCSI, so please do not try to use

SCSI drives in a SAS system, or vice-versa.

RM dualserv pro series User manual

Brand: RM

Model: dualserv pro series

Category: Servers

Type: User manual

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RM dualserv pro series User manual

RM dualserv pro series User manual

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