Configuring a RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i storage controller

	NOTE: The BIOS screens might vary by the BIOS version. The screenshots in this chapter are for illustration only.

 

About the RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i storage controller

The RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i standard storage controller can be installed onto a riser card to provide limited RAID support for the system, which improves read/write performance and data security.

This section introduces the RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i storage controller in a rack server.

Features

RAID levels

Table 1 shows the number of drives required by each RAID level and the maximum number of failed drives supported by each RAID level. In the table, Just a Bunch of Disk (JBOD) mode provides similar features as RAID 0 and requires only 1 drive. JBOD does not support redundancy. For more information about RAID levels, see "Appendix B  RAID arrays and fault tolerance."

Table 1 RAID levels and the numbers of drives for each RAID level

RAID level	Min. drives required	Max. failed drives
JBOD	1	0
RAID 0	2	0
RAID 1	2	1

 

Restrictions and guidelines for RAID configuration

·     As a best practice, install drives that do not contain RAID information.

·     You must use the storage controller together with a RAID level because physical drives cannot be identified in the OS.

·     The RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i storage controller supports only NVMe M.2 SSDs.

·     For efficient use of storage, use drives that have the same capacity to build a RAID. If the drives have different capacities, the lowest capacity is used across all drives in the RAID.

Configuring RAID arrays in UEFI mode

RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i storage controller cannot be configured in legacy mode. This section describes how to configure RAID arrays through a RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i storage controller in UEFI mode. For more information about how to access the BIOS setup utility and set the boot mode to UEFI, see the BIOS user guide for the server.

Controller configuration tasks at a glance

To configure controller settings in UEFI mode, perform the following tasks:

·     Accessing the storage controller configuration screen

·     Configuring a RAID array

·     Deleting a RAID array

·     Rebuilding a RAID array

·     Viewing physical drive information

·     Viewing logical drive information

·     Configuring logical drive media patrol

·     Viewing namespace information

·     Viewing storage controller information

Accessing the storage controller configuration screen

1.     After the server is powered on or restarts, access the BIOS. Press Delete, Esc, or F2 as prompted during server POST to open the BIOS setup screen as shown in Figure 1.

For how to navigate screens and modify settings, see the operation instructions at the lower right corner.

Figure 1 BIOS setup screen

 

2.     Enter the controller management screen.

a.     On the top navigation bar, click Advanced.

b.     Click Dynamic Device Configuration or UEFI HII Configuration, or proceed to the next step, depending on the BIOS version.

3.     Select the target storage controller and then press Enter. In this example, the storage controller model is Marvell NVMe Configuration Utility.

Figure 2 Advanced screen

 

The storage controller configuration screen opens. Tasks can be performed from this screen are shown in Table 2.

Figure 3 Storage controller configuration screen

 

Table 2 Storage controller configuration tasks

Task type	Option	Description
Information query	Physical Device Information	Display installed physical drives and details.
	Virtual Device Information	Display created logical drives and details. For logical drives in RAID 1, media patrol is supported.
	Namespace Information	Display information about namespace*.
	Controller Information	Display storage controller basic information.
RAID configuration	Create RAID Configuration	Create RAIDs.
	Delete RAID Configuration	Delete RAIDs.
	Rebuild RAID Configuration	Rebuild RAIDs.
Namespace*: Memory space of an NVMe M.2 SSD that is logically divided. Namespaces are independent of each other and can be formatted or encrypted independently. The RAID-MARVELL-SANTACRUZ-LP-2i storage controller does not support namespaces.

 

Configuring a RAID array

1.     Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Create RAID Configuration, and press Enter.

Figure 4 Storage controller configuration screen

 

2.     Set the state of the two member drives to Enabled, select Goto RAID Config, and press Enter.

Figure 5 Selecting member drives

 

3.     Configure parameters as needed, set the Would you like to create this virtual disk? field to YES, select Accept, and press Enter.

The parameter description is in Table 3.

Figure 6 Configuring RAID information

 

Table 3 Parameter description

Parameter	Description
RAID Level	RAID level. Options include: ·     JBOD. ·     RAID 0. ·     RAID 1.
Stripe Size	Stripe size. Options include: ·     128K. ·     256K. ·     512K.
Initialization	Initialization methods. Options include: ·     Quick—Default. ·     Back Ground—This option is supported only in RAID 1. ·     None.
Name	Name of a logical drive.

 

Deleting a RAID array

This feature deletes damaged RAID arrays or RAID arrays that cannot meet requirements.

To delete a RAID array:

1.     Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Delete RAID Configuration, and press Enter.

Figure 7 Storage controller configuration screen

 

2.     Perform the following tasks:

a.     Select a target logical drive and set its state to Enabled.

b.     Set the Are you sure you want to delete the selected virtual Disk? field to Yes.

c.     Select Accept and press Enter.

Figure 8 Deleting a RAID array

 

Rebuilding a RAID array

This feature rebuilds the RAID array for drive replacement when a member drive in RAID 1 failed.

To rebuild a RAID array:

1.     Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Rebuild RAID Configuration, and press Enter.

Figure 9 Storage controller configuration screen

 

2.     Perform tasks based on the following guidelines:

¡     If the screen does not display any logical drives for selection, no logical drive is available or no logical drive can be rebuilt.

¡     If the screen displays logical drives for selection, set the target logical drive state to Enabled, select Goto PD Select, and press Enter.

3.     Perform tasks based on the following guidelines:

¡     If the screen does not display any physical drives, no physical drive is available.

¡     If the screen displays physical drives for selection, select a target physical drive and press Enter.

Figure 10 Selecting a physical drive

 

Viewing physical drive information

1.     Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Physical Device Information, and press Enter.

Figure 11 Storage controller configuration screen

 

2.     Select a target physical drive and press Enter.

Figure 12 Selecting a physical drive

 

The physical drive detail screen opens. Parameters are as described in Table 4.

Figure 13 Physical drive detail screen

 

Table 4 Parameter description

Parameter	Description
ID	Physical drive slot information. Options include: ·     0—Slot for physical drive marked Bay 1. ·     1—Slot for physical drive marked Bay 2.
Status	Physical drive status. Options include: ·     Unconfigured—Not used by any RAID array and unidentifiable in the OS. ·     Assigned—Used by a RAID array and identifiable in the OS.
Model Name	Physical drive model.
Serial Number	Physical drive serial number.
FW Version	Physical drive firmware version.
Size	Physical drive capacity.

 

Viewing logical drive information

1.     Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Virtual Device Information, and press Enter.

Figure 14 Storage controller configuration screen

 

2.     Select a target logical drive and press Enter.

Figure 15 Selecting a logical drive

 

The logical drive detail screen opens. Parameters are as described in Table 5.

Figure 16 Logical drive detail screen

 

Table 5 Parameter description

Parameter	Description
ID	Logical drive number. Options include 0 and 1.
Name	Logical drive name.
Status	Logical drive status. Options include: ·     Functional. ·     Degrade. ·     Offline.
BGA Type	Background task type. Options include: ·     Initialization—RAID initialization in progress. ·     Rebuild—RAID rebuilding in progress. ·     MediaPatrol—Media patrol for logical drives in progress. ·     None.
BGA Status	Background task status. Options include: ·     None. ·     RUNNING—Task progress in percentage.
Member Count	Number of member drives.
Member ID	Member drive ID.
Stripe Block	Stripe size.
Size	Logical drive capacity.

 

Configuring logical drive media patrol

This feature is available only when RAID 1 is configured.

To configure logical drive media patrol:

1.     Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Virtual Device Information, and press Enter.

Figure 17 Storage controller configuration screen

 

2.     Select a target logical drive, and press Enter.

Figure 18 Selecting s logical drive

 

The logical drive detail screen opens.

3.     Select START and press Enter.

Figure 19 Logical drive detail screen

 

4.     Select a target logical drive for media patrol, and press Enter.

Figure 20 Selecting a drive for media patrol

 

As shown in Figure 21, the media patrol is in progress. To terminate the patrol, select ABORT, and press Enter.

Figure 21 Media patrol in progress

 

Viewing namespace information

1.     Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Namespace Information, and press Enter.

Figure 22 Storage controller configuration screen

 

2.     Select a logical drive to query its namespace and press Enter.

Figure 23 Selecting a logical drive for viewing its namespace

 

The namespace information screen opens. Parameters are as described in Table 6.

Figure 24 Logical drive namespace information

 

Table 6 Parameter description

Parameter	Description
NameSpace State	Namespace states. Options include: ·     Active. ·     Inactive.
NameSpace Capacity	Namespace available capacity. Value in this field usually equals that of the NameSpace Size field.
NameSpace Utilization	Namesapce capacity that has been used. Value in this field must be no more than that of the Namespace Capacity field.
Formatted LBA Size	Formatted logical block size.
Data Protection Type Settings	Enabling status of the data protection feature. Options include: ·     0—Disabled. ·     1—Enabled.
Multi-path I/O and Sharing Capabilities	Enabling status of multi-path I/O and sharing namespace: ·     0—Disabled. ·     1—Enabled.

 

Viewing storage controller information

Access the storage controller configuration screen, select Controller Information, and press Enter.

Figure 25 Storage controller configuration screen

 

The storage controller information screen opens.

Figure 26 Storage controller information

 

Configuring RAID in OS

Viewing information

Viewing information about the host bus adapter

Syntax

./mnv_cli info -o hba

Examples

 

Viewing server component information

Syntax

lspci -nvs bus:device:function

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value
bus:device:function	Specifies a component in a system by its bus, device, and function IDs.	N/A

 

Examples

 

Viewing physical drive informatoin

Syntax

./mnv_cli info -o pd

Examples

 

Viewing the smart information of a drive

Syntax

./mnv_cli smart -i pd_id

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Valne
pd id	Drive ID.	0 or 1

 

Examples

 

Viewing namespace information

Syntax

./mnv_cli ns --list

Examples

 

Retrieving the primary controller ID

Syntax

./mnv_cli ns -p ctrl

Examples

 

Configuring RAID

Creating RAID

Syntax

./mnv_cli vd –a create –r raid_level -d pd_id [ -b stripe size ]

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
raid level	RAID level	0, 1, and JBOD
pd id	Drive ID	0 and 1
stripe size	Stripe size	128, 256, and 512

 

Examples

 

Creating JBOD

Syntax

./mnv_cli vd -a create -r JBOD -d pd id

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
pd id	Drive ID	0 and 1

 

Examples

 

Initializing a logical drive

Syntax

./mnv_cli init -a < start | stop > -i vd id

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
start | stop	·     Start: Starts logical drive initialization. ·     Stop: Stops logical drive initialization.	N/A
vd id	Logical drive ID.	0 to N

 

Examples

 

Starting media patrol on a logical drive

Syntax

./mnv_cli mp -a < start | stop > -i vd_id

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
start | stop	·     Start: Starts media patrol on a logical drive. ·     Stop: Stops media patrol on a logical drive	N/A
vd id	Logical drive id	0 to N

 

Examples

 

Rebuilding RAID automatically

Syntax

./mnv_cli set -o hba -a < on | off >

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Values
on | off	on: Enables auto RAID rebuilding. off: Disables auto RAID rebuilding.	N/A

 

Examples

 

Importing a logical drive

Syntax

./mnv_cli import -l vd id

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
vd id	Logical drive ID	0 to N

 

Examples

 

Locating the LED

Syntax

./mnv_cli led -o rc -i pd id -a sb

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
pd id	Drive ID.	0 and 1

 

Examples

 

Viewing logs

Enabling or disabling logging

Syntax

./mnv_cli log -a < on | off >

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
on | off	on: Enables logging. off: Disables logging.	N/A

 

Examples

 

Viewing and saving logs

Syntax

./mnv_cli log -a show --outputfile=log.txt

Examples

 

Displaying all storage controller events

Syntax

./mnv_cli event -c n

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
n	Specifies the Nth storage controller. This command displays logs about all storage controllers when N is 0.	0 to N

 

Upgrading firmware

Displaying the firmware version

Syntax

./mnv.cli info -o hba

Examples

 

Upgrading firmware

Syntax

./mnv_cli flash -o hba -t raw -f raw.bin

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Value range
raw.bin	Specifies the firmware file for the Marvell storage controller.	N/A

 

Examples

 

Troubleshooting

For detailed information about collecting storage controller fault information, diagnosing and locating faults, and troubleshooting servers, see H3C Servers Troubleshooting Guide.

Compatibility

For information about storage controller and server compatibility, access http://www.h3c.com/en/home/qr/default.htm?id=66.