Title

Import or Clear Foreign Configurations Using LSA (LSI Storage Authority)

Description 

A foreign configuration is a RAID configuration that already exists on a replacement set of drives that you install in a computer system.

Product 

• MegaRAID 93xx Series RAID Controller
• LSI Storage Authority

Importing or Clearing the Foreign Configurations

A foreign configuration is a RAID configuration that already exists on a replacement set of drives that you install in a computer system. You can use the LSI Storage Authority software to import the foreign configuration to the controller or clear the foreign configuration so that you can create a new configuration using these drives.  Perform the following steps to import or clear foreign configurations.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard.
2. Click Configure and then click Foreign Configuration.
   • The Foreign Configuration window appears, which lists all of the foreign configurations.
3. Click one of the following options:
   • • Import All: Import the foreign configurations from all the foreign drives.
   • • Clear All: Remove the configurations from all the foreign drives.
4. Click Re-Scan to refresh the window.

Description 

All physical drives connected to the MegaRAID controller can be managed using LSI Storage Authority.

Product 

• MegaRAID 93xx Series RAID Controller
• LSI Storage Authority

Start and Stop Locating a Drive

If the physical drives are in a disk enclosure, you can identify them by making their LEDs blink.Perform the following steps to identify the physical drives.

1. Navigate to the physical drive on the Controller dashboard, and select the drive you want to identify, such as Unconfigured Good drive, online physical drive, configured drive, and so on.
2. Select Element(s) Actions > Start Locate, the corresponding LED on the physical drive starts blinking.
3. Select Element(s) Actions > Stop Locate to stop the LED from blinking.

Making a Drive Offline

Perform the following steps to place a drive offline.
ATTENTION: After you perform this procedure, all of the data on the drive will be lost.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click a drive group name (for example, DG_1).
   • Click the + icon that corresponds to a drive group to display its contents.
   • The virtual drives and physical drives associated with the selected drive group appear.
2. Click the Physical Drive tab, and select a drive that you want to place offline.
3. Select Element(s) Actions > Make Offline.  The drive status changes to Offline.

Making a Drive Online

You can change the state of a physical drive to online. In an online state, the physical drive works normally and is a part of a configured virtual drive.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click a drive group name (for example, DG_1).

• Click the + icon that corresponds to a drive group to display its contents.
• The virtual drives and physical drives associated with the selected drive group appear.
• Click the Physical Drive tab, and select the offline drive that you want to make online.
• Select Element(s) Actions > Make Drive Online.
  • The drive status changes to Online.

Replacing a Drive

You might want to replace a drive if the drive shows signs of failing. Before you start this operation, be sure that an available unconfigured good replacement drive is available. The replacement drive must have at least as much capacity as the drive you are replacing. Perform the following steps to replace a drive.
ATTENTION: Make sure to back up the data on the drive before you replace it.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click a drive group name (for example, DG_1).
   • Click the + icon that corresponds to a drive group to display its contents.
   • The virtual drives and physical drives associated with the selected drive group appear.
2. Click the Physical Drive tab, and select a drive which you want to replace.
3. Select Element(s) Actions > Start Replace Drive.
   • The Replace Drive dialog appears
4. Select a replacement drive, and click Replace Physical Drive.
   • A confirmation message appears.
5. Select Confirm and click Yes, Replace Drive to proceed with the replace operation.
   • The drive is replaced and the data is copied to the selected component.

Assigning Global Hot Spares

A global hot spare replaces a failed physical drive in any redundant array, as long as the capacity of the global hot spare is equal to or larger than the coerced capacity of the failed physical drive. Perform the following steps to assign global hot spares.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click the Drives tab.
   • All of the associated drives appear.
2. Expand Unconfigured Drives, and select an unconfigured good drive.
3. Select Element(s) Actions > Assign Global Hot Spare.
   • The unconfigured good drive is changed to a global hot spare. The status of the unconfigured good drive appears as a global hot spare in the Hot Spares section.

Removing Global Hot Spares

Perform the following steps to remove a hot spare.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click the Drives tab.
   • All of the associated drives appear.
2. Expand Hot Spares, and select a hot spare that you want to remove.
3. Select Element(s) Actions > Remove Global Hot Spare.
   • The hot spare drive is removed and is listed in the Unconfigured Drives section as an unconfigured good drive

Converting an Unconfigured Bad Drive to an Unconfigured Good Drive

Perform the following steps to convert an unconfigured bad drive to an unconfigured good drive.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click the Drives tab.
   • All of the associated drives appear.
2. Expand Unconfigured Drives, and select an unconfigured bad drive.
3. Select Element(s) Actions > Make Unconfigured.
   • A confirmation message appears.
4. Select Confirm and click Yes, Make Unconfigured to proceed with the operation.
   • A confirmation message appears.
5. Select Confirm and click Yes, Make Good to proceed with the operation.
   • The unconfigured bad drive is changed to unconfigured good drive. The status of the unconfigured bad drive appears as unconfigured good in the Unconfigured Drives section.

Erasing a Drive

You can erase data on non-SEDs (normal HDDs) by using the Drive Erase option. For non-SEDs, the erase operation  consists of a series of write operations to a drive that overwrites every user-accessible sector of the drive with specified patterns. It can be repeated in multiple passes using different data patterns for enhanced security. The erase operation is performed as a background task. Perform the following steps to erase a drive.

1. Navigate to the Controller dashboard, and click the Drives tab.
   1. All of the associated drives appear.
2. Expand Unconfigured Drives and select an unconfigured good drive.
3. Select Element(s) Actions > More Actions > Drive Erase.
   1. The Physical Drive Erase dialog appears.
   2. The dialog shows the following modes:
      1. • Simple
      2. • Normal
      3. • Thorough
4. Select a mode, and click Erase Physical Drive.
   1. A warning message appears asking for your confirmation.
5. Click Yes, Erase Drive.
   1. After the drive erase operation has started, the Stop Erase option is enabled in the Element(s) Actions menu. You can monitor the progress of the erase operation.

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