Assess the Hardware Status › Assess and Recover RAID Degradation

Assess and Recover RAID Degradation

Applies to CA6000 and CA6300 appliances

Problem: When the appliance starts, a RAID controller BIOS scan indicates the array is degraded with a message similar to the following:

Following Arrays have Missing or Rebuilding or Failed Members and are degraded:

Resolution: Recover a degraded array to avoid data loss. If the status of an array is Degraded, the BIOS prompts you to change the configuration to logically remove the failed or corrupted drive and rebuild the array.

For the CA6000, the System and Data RAID controllers perform BIOS scans when the appliance starts. The terminal display provides diagnostic information after the BIOS scan completes.

For the CA6300, the single RAID controller performs BIOS scans when the appliance starts. The terminal display provides diagnostic information after the BIOS scan completes.

The RAID array status is Degraded when a single disk drive, or segment, has a status of:

• Unavailable
• Missing
• Failed
• Rebuilding

The CA Multi-Port Monitor can continue to operate with a degraded RAID array. However, a degraded array should be repaired as soon as possible:

• For the CA6000, the System and Data arrays are RAID 5 arrays which are configured for performance, not redundancy. If a Degraded array loses a second segment, the array fails and data loss is total.
• For the CA6300, the System array is RAID 1. The Data array is RAID 6 which is configured for performance, not redundancy. If a degraded array loses a second segment, the array fails and data loss is total.

  If the array status is Failed, contact CA Support for assistance with reinstalling the operating system and the CA Multi-Port Monitor software.

Array performance can be significantly impacted while an array is in a Degraded state. Keep in mind that while the array rebuilds:

• The CA Multi-Port Monitor continues to monitor traffic
• It can take up to 12 hours for the rebuild to complete

Important: If rebuilding the array does not restore a physical drive to operational condition, replace the drive as soon as possible. Contact CA Support for more information.

More information:

Shut Down or Restart the Appliance

Assess and Recover SCSI Disk Corruption

Rebuild an Array