Adaptec ASR-6805Q User Manual

Also see for ASR-6405: Information sheet

Contents

Adaptec ASR-6805Q User Manual Manual pdf 82 page image

C Using the Adaptec RAID Configuration UtilityThe Adaptec RAID Configuration (ARC) utility is a BIOS-based utility that you can use to create arraysand manage controllers, disk drives and other devices.Introduction to the ARC UtilityThe ARC utility comprises these tools:• Logical Device Configuration—For creating and managing arrays, and initializing and rescanning diskdrives (see Using the ARC Utility to Create and Manage Arrays on page 83).• Controller Settings—For modifying your controller and disk drive settings (see Using the ARC Utilityto Modify Controller Settings on page 87).• Disk Utilities—For formatting or verifying disk drives (see Formatting and Verifying Disk Drives onpage 89).Ctrl-A or uEFI/HII?Your Adaptec RAID controller supports two interfaces to the BIOS-level RAID configuration options ofthe ARC utility: Ctrl-A and uEFI/HII. On servers that support the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface,or uEFI (version 2.10 or higher), the BIOS-level RAID configuration options are presented with a HIIinterface, or Human Interaction Infrastructure, rather than the Adaptec Ctrl-A interface described inthis chapter. uEFI/HII provides an architecture-independent mechanism for initializing add-in cards, likethe Adaptec RAID controller, and rendering contents to the screen in a uniform way.In the HII interface, access to the RAID configuration options is provided through the server's standardBIOS. How you access the BIOS varies, depending on the manufacturer, but typically it's started by simplypressing DEL. Once you enter setup, navigate to the "PMC maxView Storage Manager" option, typicallyon the BIOS' "Advanced" menu, then scan for and select a controller.From that point on, the HII menus and the Ctrl-A menus for configuring your RAID controller are almostidentical. For example, the top-most menu contains the same three choices: Logical Device Configuration,Controller Settings, Disk Utilities (described above). Options in the lower-level menus are also similar.In both interfaces, all the tools are menu-based and instructions for completing tasks appear on-screen.Menus can be navigated using the arrows, Enter, Esc, and other keys on your keyboard.This chapter provides instructions for navigating and completing tasks with the Ctrl-A interface. Tocomplete tasks with the HII interface:• Refer to the on-screen instructions for keyboard navigation and selection options.• Refer to the option descriptions in this chapter for details about individual RAID configuration settingsand tasks.Running the ARC UtilityIf your Adaptec controller is connected to a RAID enclosure, power on your enclosure (or enclosures)before you power on your computer.Start or restart your computer. When prompted, press Ctrl+A.During boot up, if your system has insufficient memory this message displays:“Adaptec RAID Configuration Utility will load after, system initialization. Please wait... Or press Key toattempt loading the utility forcibly [Generally, not recommended]”Note: The first time you power on your computer after you install a new controller,the BIOS may display a configuration that doesn’t match your system’s configuration.This is normal.82Proprietary and Confidential to PMC-Sierra, Inc.Document No.: CDP-00277-02-A Rev. A, Issue:Serial Attached SCSI RAID Controllers Installation and User's Guide