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Advanced Disk and Volume Management

Dell™ PowerVault™ 715N NAS Appliance System Administrator's Guide

  Using the Array Manager to Manage Your Disks and Volumes

  Managing Hard Drives

  Reinstalling the PowerVault 715N Operating System

Advanced disk and volume management provides information about using the Dell OpenManage™ Array Manager to manage your disks and volume and your physical hard drives.

Using the Array Manager to Manage Your Disks and Volumes

Although the Dell OpenManage Array Manager provides a comprehensive solution to storage management, you should use it for advanced features that cannot be performed from the Disks tab in the NAS Manager. You can access the Array Manager through the Terminal Services Advanced Client in the NAS Manager.

Array Manager allows you to configure your storage devices and the logical volumes contained in your system. Array Manager displays storage configuration in both a physical and a logical view. The physical view shows the physical connections between the storage devices. The logical view shows a logical representation of your storage as logical volumes.

Array Manager provides a single console for the disk and volume configuration from which you can display and manage all of your storage information in a graphical environment.

NOTE: You cannot hot swap hard drives on the Dell™ Powervault™ 715N NAS Appliance.

Launching Array Manager From the NAS Manager

NOTE: To use the NAS Manager, you must be logged in as administrator. The NAS Manager default administrator user name is administrator and the default password is powervault.

To launch the Array Manager from the NAS Manager, perform the following steps:

1. On the NAS Manager primary menu, click Maintenance.
   
   
2. Click Terminal Services.
   
   
3. Log into the Terminal Services session.
   
   
4. From the PowerVault Advanced Administration Menu, click Disk Management under System Management.
   
   

Array Manager Console

The Array Manager console display uses a tree view to display storage objects in the left pane of the window and tabbed views in the right pane to display additional information about storage objects. The following sections provide more information about the left and right panes.

Left Pane

The left pane shows objects the Array Manager software detects. The major storage objects are the local system object, arrays, disks, and volumes. By clicking the plus sign (+) in front of a storage object, you can see the subordinate storage objects under that object.

• Disks represent the disks recognized by the Microsoft® Windows® Powered operating system.
  
  
• Volumes include dynamic RAID volumes created in Array Manager, primary and extended partitions, and logical drives associated with extended partitions.
  
  
• My Network Places, History, and Favorites provide remote connection functionality not supported by the PowerVault 715N system and should be ignored.
  
  

Right Pane

The right pane identifies the various objects and their status, and displays any error conditions that might exist. The four tabbed views in the system's right-pane console view include the following tabs:

• The General tab displays parameters based on the objects you select in the console's tree view.
  
  

The parameters for Disks are as follows:

• Name is the name of the object.
  
  
• Status can vary, depending on the object. Common status conditions are Online, Healthy, and Resynching.
  
  
• Type identifies the object, such as Dynamic Disk.
  
  
• Disk Group shows an entry for disks in a basic or dynamic group.
  
  
• Capacity is the maximum size of the disk.
  
  
• Unallocated Space is the amount of free hard drive space still available.
  
  
• Graphical Layout is a graphical representation of how much of the disk is being used.
  
  
• Progress shows the current progress (percentage of completion) for tasks.
  
  
• Device is the type of disk: small computer system interface (SCSI), integrated drive electronics (IDE), and so on.
  
  
• Port identifies the controller card. A SCSI port has zero or more target IDs, and a target ID has one or more logical unit numbers (LUNs).
  
  
• LUN is the logical unit number.
  
  
• Target is the SCSI ID that uniquely identifies the disk on the controller card.
  
  
• Vendor identifies the vendor on hardware objects.
  
  

The parameters for Volumes are as follows:

• Name is the name of the object.
  
  
• Status can vary, depending on the object. Common status conditions are Online, Healthy, and Resynching.
  
  
• Layout identifies the object, such as Dynamic Mirrored Volume and Dynamic Striped Volume.
  
  
• Disk Group shows an entry for disks in a basic or dynamic group.
  
  
• Capacity is the maximum size of the disk.
  
  
• Free Space is the amount of free hard drive space still available.
  
  
• Progress shows the current progress (percentage of completion) for tasks.
  
  
• File System shows the type of file system.
  
  
• Graphical Layout is a graphical representation of how much of the disk is being used.
  
  

• The Events tab displays event log messages associated with storage objects.
  
  
• The Disk View tab displays a graphical layout of the disks on your system, including CD or other removable media.
  
  
• The DM View tab is grayed-out on the Array Manager console.
  
  

Disk Management

This section describes conceptual and procedural information about how Array Manager implements basic and dynamic disks.

The following topics are discussed:

• Upgrading a basic disk to a dynamic disk
  
  
• Reactivating dynamic disks
  
  
• Merging foreign disks
  
  

Upgrading a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk

Basic and Dynamic Disks

Disks are any storage unit presented to Windows 2000 as a single contiguous block of storage. When using the Array Manager, you can use two types of disks—basic or dynamic.

Basic disks employ the traditional disk partitioning used by MS-DOS® and Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT® 4.0 operating systems. A basic disk can have up to four primary partitions or three primary partitions plus an extended partition. The extended partition can be subdivided into a number of logical drives.

Dynamic disks contain volume management databases comprising information about all other dynamic disks and volumes on a system. This information allows dynamic disks to support dynamic volumes, which are defined in the following subsection. Storage on a dynamic disk is divided into volumes instead of partitions.

Basic and Dynamic Volumes

A volume is made up of portions of one or more physical disks. You can format a volume with a file system and access it by a drive letter. Like disks, volumes can be basic or dynamic.

Basic volumes refer to volumes created on basic disks. They include primary and extended partitions and logical drives on extended partitions.

Dynamic volumes are volumes created on dynamic disks. There are five types of dynamic volumes—simple, spanned, mirrored, striped, and RAID-5. However, you can expand only simple and spanned volumes using Dell OpenManage Array Manager. These are the only types of volumes that this document addresses. See the Dell OpenManage Array Manager online help for more information about mirrored, striped, and RAID-5 dynamic volumes.

Simple and Spanned Dynamic Volumes

Simple dynamic volumes are dynamic volumes that contain disk space from only one dynamic disk. You can expand them to contain more space on the same disk or to include disk space from additional dynamic disks. If a simple volume is expanded to include multiple disks, it becomes a spanned volume. You can then expand the volume to include more disks, if necessary.

Because only dynamic disks can be used for online volume extension, Dell recommends that you use Array Manager to upgrade all data disks on your system to dynamic. The upgrade includes new disks, which are added to the system as basic disks.

To upgrade a basic disk to a dynamic disk, perform the following steps:

1. Right-click the disk you want to upgrade and click Upgrade Dynamic Disk.
   
   

The Upgrade Disk Wizard provides information about upgrading.

2. Click Next to continue.
   
   

The system asks you to select the disks to upgrade.

3. Add the basic disks you want to upgrade to the list of dynamic disks and click Next.
   
   
4. Click Finish.
   
   

NOTE: After a disk is upgraded to dynamic, it cannot be reverted back to basic unless all volumes on that disk are removed. Dell recommends that you do not revert a disk back to basic after data volumes are present.

Reactivating Dynamic Disks

A dynamic disk might appear as a missing disk when it is corrupted, powered down, or disconnected. You can reactivate a dynamic disk to bring it back online by performing the following steps:

1. Right-click the disk labeled Missing or Offline dynamic disk.
   
   
2. Click Reactivate Disk on the menu.
   
   

Labeled the disk "Online" after the disk is reactivated.

Merging Foreign Disks

Dynamic disks with a foreign status are disks that have been moved from another system. You cannot reactivate a foreign disk; you must merge the disk to the system. To change the status of a foreign disk and enable it to be seen as a part of the current system, use the Merge Foreign Disk command.

To merge foreign disks, perform the following steps:

1. From the PowerVault NAS Manager, log on to the Terminal Services Advanced Client.
   
   
2. Launch the Dell OpenManage Array Manager by clicking the System Management in the Advanced Administration Menu, and then clicking Computer Management.
   
   

Foreign disks appear in the disk list and graphical views as Foreign.

3. Right-click a foreign disk and click Merge Foreign Disks.
   
   

The Merge Foreign Disk Wizard displays.

4. Select the foreign disks that you want to merge to the system.
   
   

By default, the system selects all foreign disks to be merged.

5. Click Next.
   
   
6. Click Next again to validate the volume status of each foreign disk.
   
   
7. Click Finish.
   
   

Volume Management

This section describes conceptual and procedural information about how Array Manager implements basic and dynamic volumes.

The following topics are discussed:

• Volume overview
  
  
• Checking partition or volume properties
  
  
• Formatting a partition or volume
  
  
• Deleting a partition or volume
  
  

Volume Overview

A volume is a logical entity that is made up of portions of one or more physical disks. A volume can be formatted with a file system and can be accessed by a drive letter.

Like disks, volumes can be basic or dynamic. In Array Manager, basic volumes refer to all volumes that are not on dynamic disks. Dynamic volumes are logical volumes created from dynamic disks with Array Manager.

In your system, create all data volumes and dynamic volumes on dynamic disks. Only the operating system drive should remain basic because of system recovery limitations.

Checking Partition or Volume Properties

1. Right-click the partition or volume to be checked.
   
   
2. Select Properties from the context menu.
   
   

The Properties window displays.

3. Check the properties for your volume.
   
   

Formatting a Partition or Volume

1. Right-click the volume or partition you want to format, and then click Format.
   
   
2. Select NTFS as the file system type.
   
   

NOTE: The PowerVault 715N supports only NTFS partitions. Formatting all partitions as NTFS allows for advanced features only available under that file system.

3. Enter a label for the volume.
   
   

The label appears on the Array Manager console. If a name has been selected, this name appears in the Name field. You can change the name by typing a different name.

4. Enter an allocation size or use the default, which is automatically selected.
   
   
5. Select file system type and formatting options:
   
   
   • Quick format — Formats the volume or partition without scanning for bad sectors in the volume or partition. Check this box to use this format method.
     
     
   • Enable file and folder compression — Used only if you selected NTFS format. Check this box to use this format method.
     
     
6. Click OK to begin formatting.
   
   

A progress bar displays in the list view.

Delete a Partition or Volume

NOTICE: You must delete all shares and persistent images from your volume before deleting it. If a volume is removed before all shares of that volume have been removed, the NAS Manager might not display shares correctly.

1. Right-click the designated volume, and then click Delete Volume.
   
   
2. Click Yes to delete or No to cancel.
   
   

The system deletes the volume immediately if you click Yes.

Working With Dynamic Volumes

Dynamic volumes are volumes created on dynamic disks with Array Manager. This section discusses how to create and extend dynamic volumes.

Creating a Dynamic Volume

NOTE: To take advantage of all the system features such as defrag and encryption, Dell recommends that you use the default value of 64 KB for the allocation unit size when creating a virtual disk.

1. From the toolbar, click the Create Volume icon.
   
   

The Create Volume Wizard appears.

2. Click Next.
   
   

You must select whether to create a partition or a volume. Make sure that the Dynamic Volume button is highlighted.

The dynamic group to which the volume belongs is automatically created and appears selected.

3. Click Next.
   
   

You are prompted for the volume layout and size of the volume to create.

4. Select the concatenated dynamic volume types.
   
   
5. Provide a size in megabytes or gigabytes.
   
   
6. Click Next.
   
   

When you create the volume, a Query Max Size button displays. Query Max Size works differently, depending on whether you have one disk or multiple disks selected.

• If you do not select a disk and click Query Max Size, the size shown in the Total volume size entry field is the maximum for all available disks.
  
  
• If you select a disk or disks and click Query Max Size, the size indicated is the maximum size for the selected disk(s). However, if you click Query Max Size a second time, the size is the maximum for all available disks.
  
  

7. After all selections are made, verify your settings and click Next.
   
   

You can select a different disk for the volume you are creating.

8. Click Modify to display the Modify Disks dialog box.
   
   
9. Click the disk you want to change, and then click the arrow to select a disk from the drop-down menu.
   
   
10. Select a drive letter.
    
    
11. Click Next.
    
    
12. Format the volume using NTFS as the volume type.
    
    
13. Select an allocation unit size, if you chose to use a size other than the default.
    
    
14. Select the file system type and, if needed, a formatting option.
    
    

NOTE: Selecting the Quick format option formats the disk without checking for bad sectors.

15. Click Next, and then click Finish.
    
    

Extending a Dynamic Simple or Spanned Volume

You can extend a volume only if the following statements are true:

• The volume is formatted as NTFS.
  
  
• The volume was originally created on a dynamic disk.
  
  
• Unallocated space exists on a dynamic disk onto which a volume can be extended.
  
  

You cannot extend a volume if any of the following statements are true:

• The volume is formatted as FAT or FAT32.
  
  
• The volume is using software RAID (striped, mirrored, or RAID 5 volume).
  
  
• Unallocated space is unavailable on a dynamic disk.
  
  

After a volume is extended, it cannot be mirrored or striped using software RAID. You cannot delete any portion of a spanned volume without deleting the entire spanned volume.

1. Right-click the simple or spanned volume you want to extend, and then click Extend Volume.
   
   

The selected volume appears in the dialog box along with its current size.

2. Enter the amount to extend the volume and click OK.
   
   

Ignore any system messages that you might see while the volume extends. You do not have to run any special utilities.

3. Click OK.
   
   

The volume now shows the size of the extended volume.

Working With Mirrors

Array Manager allows you to create mirrors of your volumes. This section discusses how to add, remove, or break a mirror.

Adding a Mirror

To add a mirror, perform the following steps:

1. From the PowerVault NAS Manager, log on to the Terminal Services Advanced Client.
   
   
2. Launch the Dell OpenManage Array Manager by clicking the System Management in the Advanced Administration Menu, and then clicking Computer Management.
   
   
3. In the Dell OpenManage Array Manager window, click the Volumes folder to expand it.
   
   
4. In the left pane, right-click a volume name, and then click Add Mirror ....
   
   

The Add Mirror Wizard displays.

5. Click Next.
   
   
6. Select Custom Mode, and then click Next.
   
   
7. Verify that the correct disk that is to mirror the volume is selected. If the correct disk is not selected, click Modify, and then go to step 8. If the correct disk is selected, go to step 10.
   
   
8. From the Modify Disk Selection window, click the disk you want to change.
   
   

A drop-down list box arrow appears.

9. Click the arrow, select a different disk from the drop-down list box, and then click OK.
   
   
10. Click Next, and then click Finish to create the mirror.
    
    

Removing a Mirror

1. From the PowerVault NAS Manager, log on to the Terminal Services Advanced Client.
   
   
2. Launch the Dell OpenManage Array Manager by clicking the System Management in the Advanced Administration Menu, and then clicking Computer Management.
   
   
3. In the Dell OpenManage Array Manager window, click the Volumes folder to expand it.
   
   
4. In the left pane, right-click a volume name, and then click Remove Mirror ....
   
   

The Remove Mirror window displays.

5. Select the mirror you want to remove, and then click OK.
   
   

Breaking a Mirror

1. From the PowerVault NAS Manager, log on to the Terminal Services Advanced Client.
   
   
2. Launch the Dell OpenManage Array Manager by clicking the System Management in the Advanced Administration Menu, and then clicking Computer Management.
   
   
3. In the Dell OpenManage Array Manager window, click the Volumes folder to expand it.
   
   
4. In the left pane, right-click a volume name, and then click Break Mirror ....
   
   

The confirmation message, Are you sure you want to break the mirror? displays.

NOTICE: If you break the mirror, your data might not be fault tolerant.

5. If you are sure you want to break the mirror, click OK.
   
   

Managing Hard Drives

This section provides the procedures for replacing hard drive 0, hard drives 1, 2, or 3, re-establishing the recovery operating system partitions, and booting from the recovery operating system mirror hard drives.

Replacing Hard Drive 0

1. Shut down and turn off the PowerVault 715N NAS appliance.
   
   
2. Remove the front bezel from the NAS appliance.
   
   
3. Remove the failed hard drive 0 from the NAS appliance.
   
   
4. Remove the good hard drive 1, and then insert it in the hard drive 0 location.
   
   
5. Insert a new hard drive in the hard drive 1 location.
   
   
6. Replace the front bezel on the NAS appliance.
   
   
7. Boot the NAS appliance.
   
   
8. Connect a client management system to the NAS appliance using the network Ethernet connection or the COM port.
   
   
9. Depending on the method of connection, log on to the NAS appliance using an Internet browser or a HyperTerminal session.
   
   

If you are using the COM port for console redirection, see "Using Console Redirection" in the "Advanced Features" section.

10. From the PowerVault NAS Manager, log on to the Terminal Services Advanced Client.
    
    
11. Launch the Dell OpenManage Array Manager by clicking the System Management in the Advanced Administration Menu, and then clicking Computer Management.
    
    

NOTICE: If the system displays a disk named Missing Disk in the disk section of Array Manager, do not delete this disk using Array Manager.

12. In the Array Manager window, find the new hard drive l, which displays as a basic disk instead of a dynamic disk.
    
    
13. Right-click Disk 1, and then click Upgrade to Dynamic.
    
    
14. Right-click Disk 0, and then click Add Mirror.
    
    

The main operating system mirror is synchronized.

15. Right-click your RAID 5 data volume (shown as dynamic striped volume), and click Repair.
    
    
16. From the window, select the new hard drive (the only hard drive displayed in the options).
    
    

The RAID 5 data volume is synchronized. The synchronization might take several hours, depending on your system configuration.

Replacing Hard Drive 1, 2 or 3

1. Shut down and turn off your NAS appliance.
   
   
2. Remove the front bezel from the NAS appliance.
   
   
3. Take the failed hard drive out of the unit.
   
   
4. Insert a new hard drive in the same location.
   
   
5. Replace the front bezel on the NAS appliance.
   
   
6. Boot your system.
   
   
7. Connect a client management system to the NAS appliance using the network Ethernet connection or the COM port.
   
   
8. Depending on the method of connection, log on to the NAS appliance using an Internet browser or a HyperTerminal session.
   
   

If you are using the COM port for console redirection, see "Using Console Redirection" in the "Advanced Features" section.

9. From the PowerVault NAS Manager, log on to the Terminal Services Advanced Client.
   
   
10. Launch the Dell OpenManage Array Manager by clicking System Management in the Advanced Administration Menu, and then clicking Computer Management.
    
    

NOTICE: If the system displays a disk named Missing Disk in the disk section of Array Manager, do not delete this disk using Array Manager.

11. In the Array Manager window, find the new hard drive, which displays as a basic disk instead of a dynamic disk.
    
    
12. Right-click Disk x, where disk x is the hard drive you replaced, and then click Upgrade to Dynamic.
    
    
13. Depending which hard drive your are replacing, perform one of the following procedures:
    
    
    • If the new hard drive is disk 1, right-click Disk 0, and then click Add Mirror.
      
      

The main operating system mirror is synchronized.

• If the new hard drive is disk 2, right-click Disk 3, and then click Add Mirror.
  
  

The recovery operating system mirror is synchronized.

• If the new hard drive is disk 3, right-click Disk 2, and then click Add Mirror.
  
  

The recovery operating system mirror is synchronized.

14. Right-click your RAID 5 data volume (shown as dynamic striped volume), and click Repair.
    
    
15. From the window, select the new hard drive (the only hard drive displayed in the options).
    
    

The RAID 5 data volume is synchronized. The synchronization might take several hours, depending on your system configuration.

Re-establishing the Recovery Partition

This procedure re-establishes the recovery operating system mirror. The recovery operating system mirror is used to recover the NAS appliance if the main operating system partition fails or is corrupted.

1. In the Dell OpenManage Array Manager window, right-click Disk 2, and then click Remove Mirror to remove the existing recovery mirror between Disk 2 and Disk 3.
   
   
2. Right-click Disk 0, and then click Break Mirror to break the main mirror between Disk 0 and Disk 1.
   
   

For more information about breaking a mirror, see "Breaking a Mirror" in this section.

3. Right-click Disk 0, and then click Add Mirror to create a mirror between Disk 0 and Disk 2.
   
   

For more information about adding a mirror, see "Adding a Mirror" in this section

This mirror is used as the template for re-establishing the recovery operating system partitions.

4. After the mirror creation is complete, break the mirror between Disk 0 and Disk 2 created in step 3.
   
   
5. Right-click Disk 0, and then click Add Mirror to create a mirror between Disk 0 and Disk 1.
   
   
6. When the mirror creation is complete, reboot your NAS appliance.
   
   
7. When the NAS appliance is running, right-click Disk 2, and then click Add Mirror to create a mirror between Disk 2 and Disk 3, which re-establishes your recovery operating system mirror.
   
   

Booting From the Recovery Operating System Mirror Hard Drives

You might need the NAS appliance to boot from the recovery operating system mirror so you can perform the following steps:

1. Perform a file restore on the main operating system mirror.
   
   
2. Access the data on the data partition and back it up to tape.
   
   

Two different procedures allow the NAS appliance to boot from the recovery operating system mirror. One procedure requires the administrator to physically swap the hard drives in the NAS appliance.The other procedure requires that the system administrator connect a system with HyperTerminal through a null-modem cable directly to the NAS appliance, and then change the BIOS boot sequence.

Swapping the Physical Hard Drives

1. Turn off the NAS appliance.
   
   
2. Remove the front bezel from the NAS appliance.
   
   
3. Swap hard drives 0 and 2 with each other.
   
   
4. Swap hard drives 1 and 3 with each other.
   
   
5. Turn on the NAS appliance.
   
   

The NAS appliance boots from the hard drive operating system on hard drive 0 and 1.

NOTE: Because the system boots using the recovery image operating system with the Dell default settings, it identifies itself on the network by its Dell service tag number. Therefore, when using your browser, you must access the system by its Dell service tag number. You can find the service tag number in the Hardware Monitor screen of the BIOS Setup utility. See your User's Guide for information about using the BIOS Setup utility. If your network does not have DHCP, you must reconfigure the system with the Dell OpenManage Kick-Start utility.

Using a Directly Connected System With HyperTerminal and a Null-Modem Cable

1. Turn off the NAS appliance.
   
   
2. Connect the null-modem cable between the COM port of the NAS appliance and the client system that you are using to manage the NAS appliance.
   
   
3. On the client system, start the HyperTerminal application (or VT100 equivalent), and then set the parameters to the following:
   
   
   • Bits per second to 115,200
     
     
   • Data bits to 8
     
     
   • Stop bits to 1
     
     
   • Parity to N
     
     
   • Flow control to Xon/Xoff
     
     
4. Turn on the NAS appliance.
   
   
5. In the HyperTerminal window, press <F2> immediately after you see the following message:
   
   

Press <F2> to enter the Function Select menu.

NOTE: If you use a version of Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><2>.

6. Select 2, and then type y to confirm the selection.
   
   

The system boots to the recovery operating system mirror on hard drives 2 and 3.

Reinstalling the PowerVault 715N Operating System

NOTICE: Use this procedure only when the operating systems on all of the hard drives have failed and you have replaced all of the hard drives with new hard drives. The procedures in this section resets your configuration to the Dell default settings.

To reinstall your main operating system with Dell default settings on hard disk 0, use one of the following reinstallation methods:

• Using an existing Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) server
  
  
• Using a dedicated Windows 2000 system
  
  
• Using a Windows 2000 system that is on the same LAN
  
  
• With a DHCP server
  
  
• Without a DHCP server
  
  

NOTICE: If you have your data drives configured as RAID 0, performing the steps deletes your data.

Using an Existing PXE Server

Requirements

• Null-modem cable included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• Windows 2000 (Professional or Server Family) client system on the same subnet as the NAS appliance
  
  
• Resource CD included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• Reinstallation CD included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• An existing PXE server on the same network
  
  

Procedure

To reinstall the main operating system with Dell default settings on hard disk 0 from an existing PXE server, perform the following steps:

1. Create a reinstallation diskette image from the Resource CD.
   
   

The Reinstallation Diskette utility is located in the Resources section of the Resource CD.

2. Insert the Reinstallation CD in to the CD drive on the PXE server.
   
   
3. Right-click the CD drive, click Sharing, and then on the Sharing tab, select Share this folder to make the CD drive a share.
   
   
4. Right-click the go.bat file name on the Reinstallation diskette, and then select Edit to edit the file to the following variable values for your environment:
   
   
   1. SHARE, where SHARE is the share resource for the Reinstallation CD in the form \\server_name\\share_name.
      
      
   2. USER, where USER is the Windows user who is to access the share resource.
      
      
   3. PASSWD, where PASSWD is the password for the user who is to access the share resource.
      
      
5. Install the customized reinstallation diskette image, which you just created, in your PXE server.
   
   

For more information, see your PXE Server documentation.

6. Connect the null-modem cable between the COM port on the NAS appliance and the Windows 2000 client system.
   
   
7. Open the Windows 2000 HyperTerminal application, and then configure it with the correct settings:
   
   
   • Set to the correct local COM port
     
     
   • Bits per second to 115,200
     
     
   • Flow control to Xon/Xoff
     
     
8. Turn on your NAS appliance.
   
   
9. In the HyperTerminal window, press <F2> immediately after you see the following message:
   
   

Press <F2> to enter the Function Select menu.

NOTE: If you use a version of Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><2>.

10. From the menu, select option 3 (Reinstallation), and then type y to confirm the selection.
    
    

The NAS appliance automatically reboots. This stage of the process takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. After this stage, the NAS appliance becomes visible on the network and the PowerVault NAS Manager is accessible.

If the NAS appliance detects new drives, it automatically starts rebuilding the recovery operating system partition and the data volume.

11. Use the NAS Manager Disk and Volume tabs to monitor the status of the rebuild.
    
    

By default, the data volume is configured as a RAID 5 volume. If you prefer RAID 0, use the NAS Manager to reconfigure the volume to RAID 0. If you perform this operation, all data on your RAID 5 volume is lost.

NOTE: Rebuilding the RAID 5 volume can take several hours, depending on your system configuration. While the rebuilding of the data volume (RAID 5) occurs, the volume is available to the user.

NOTICE: Do not change the name of the system until the volume rebuild process is complete because changing the name requires a reboot that destroys your data. Do not establish a Terminal Services Advanced Client session until the RAID 5 rebuild is completed.

12. Use the Kick-Start utility to reconfigure the NAS appliance after the RAID 5 volume has finished rebuilding and the NAS appliance is displayed in the Discovered Dell Systems List in the Kick-Start window.
    
    

Using a Windows 2000 Client System on the Same Network

With a Windows 2000 client system that is in the same network as the NAS appliance, you can install the NAS appliance operating system whether the network has a dynamic host control protocol (DHCP) server.

Network Does Not Have a DHCP Server

Requirements

• Null-modem cable included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• Windows 2000 (Professional or Server Family) client system on the same subnet as the NAS appliance
  
  
• Resource CD included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• Reinstallation CD included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• A range of available IP addresses
  
  

Procedure

To reinstall the main operating system with Dell default settings on hard disk 0, perform the following steps:

1. On a Windows 2000 client system that is on the same network as the NAS appliance, log on as administrator.
   
   
2. Determine the name of the networked Windows 2000 client system, and then make a note of it for later use.
   
   
3. Create a new user with the name pv715 and the password set to password.
   
   
4. Create a reinstallation diskette from the Resource CD.
   
   

The Reinstallation Diskette utility is located in the Resources section of the Resource CD.

5. Right-click the go.bat file name on the Reinstallation diskette, and then select Edit to edit the file to the following variable value for your environment:
   
   
   1. SHARE, where SHARE is the share resource for the Reinstallation CD in the form \\server_name\\share_name.
      
      
6. Install the Dell Reinstallation Console from the Resource CD by performing the following steps.
   
   

The Dell Reinstallation Console is located in the Resources section of the Resource CD.

1. Insert the Reinstallation diskette that you created in step 4 in the diskette drive of the networked Windows 2000 client system.
   
   
2. After finishing the installation, click the Start button and point to Programs—> Dell Reinstallation Console—> Update boot image.
   
   
3. Remove the diskette from the diskette drive, and then reboot your system.
   
   

7. Insert the Reinstallation CD in the CD drive.
   
   
8. From Windows Explorer or My Computer, right-click the CD drive, select Share, type CD for the name of the share, and then click OK to confirm the share settings.
   
   
9. Connect the null-modem cable between the COM ports in the NAS appliance and the Windows 2000 client system.
   
   
10. Start the Dell OpenManage Kick-Start utility and perform the following steps:
    
    
    1. When prompted to Load, click Yes to confirm.
       
       
    2. Select Setup and configure the range of available IP addresses.
       
       

You must have a minimum of three IP addresses available in the range of addresses.

3. Click the Enable checkbox.
   
   

11. Start the Intel® PXE Server by performing the following steps:
    
    
    1. Right-click the server name in the GUI, and then select Start/Stop Services....
       
       
    2. Verify the Services are installed correctly by selecting Stop and Start.
       
       

The indicator displays Started.

12. Open the Windows 2000 client system HyperTerminal application, and then perform the following steps:
    
    
    1. Set the system to use the correct local COM port.
       
       
    2. Set Bits per Second to 115,200 and Flow Control to Xon/Xoff.
       
       
    3. Select Connect.
       
       
13. Turn on your NAS appliance.
    
    
14. In the HyperTerminal window, press <F2> immediately after you see the following message:
    
    

Press <F2> to enter the Function Select menu.

NOTE: If you use a version of Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><2>.

15. From the menu, select option 3 (Reinstallation), and then type y to confirm the selection.
    
    

The NAS appliance automatically reboots. This stage of the process takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. After this stage, the NAS appliance becomes visible on the network and the PowerVault NAS Manager is accessible.

If the NAS appliance detects new drives, it automatically starts rebuilding the recovery operating system partition and the data volume.

16. Use the NAS Manager Disk and Volume tabs to monitor the status of the rebuild.
    
    

By default, the data volume is configured as a RAID 5 volume. If you prefer RAID 0, use the NAS Manager to reconfigure the volume to RAID 0. If you perform this operation, all data on your RAID 5 volume is lost.

NOTE: Rebuilding the RAID 5 volume can take several hours, depending on your system configuration. While the rebuilding of the data volume (RAID 5) occurs, the volume is available to the user.

NOTICE: Do not change the name of the system until the volume rebuild process is complete because changing the name requires a reboot that destroys your data. Do not establish a Terminal Services Advanced Client session until the RAID 5 rebuild is completed.

17. Use the Kick-Start utility to reconfigure the NAS appliance after the RAID 5 volume has finished rebuilding and the NAS appliance is displayed in the Discovered Dell Systems List in the Kick-Start Utility window.
    
    

Network Has a DHCP Server

NOTE: The system being used for the installation is not the DHCP server.

Requirements

• Null-modem cable included with your NAS appliance.
  
  
• Windows 2000 (Professional or Server Family) client system on the same subnet as the NAS appliance.
  
  
• Resource CD included with your NAS appliance.
  
  
• Reinstallation CD included with your NAS appliance.
  
  
• Existing DHCP service in the LAN.
  
  

Procedure

To reinstall the main operating system with Dell default settings on hard disk 0, perform the following steps:

1. On a Windows 2000 client system that is on the same network as the NAS appliance, log on as administrator.
   
   
2. Determine the name of the networked Windows 2000 client system, and then make a note of it for later use.
   
   
3. Create a new user with the name pv715 and the password set to password.
   
   
4. Create a reinstallation diskette from the Resource CD.
   
   

The Reinstallation Diskette utility is located in the Resources section of the Resource CD.

5. Right-click the go.bat file name on the Reinstallation diskette, and then select Edit to edit the file to the following variable value for your environment:
   
   
   1. SHARE, where SHARE is the share resource for the Reinstallation CD in the form \\server_name\\share_name.
      
      
6. Install the Dell Reinstallation Console from the Resource CD by performing the following steps.
   
   

The Dell Reinstallation Console is located in the Resources section of the Resource CD.

1. Insert the Reinstallation diskette that you created in step 4 in the diskette drive of the networked Windows 2000 client system.
   
   
2. After finishing the installation, click the Start button and point to Programs—> Dell Reinstallation Console—> Update boot image.
   
   
3. Reboot your system.
   
   

7. Insert the Reinstallation CD in the CD drive.
   
   
8. From Windows Explorer or My Computer, right-click the CD drive, select Share, type CD for the name of the share, and then click OK to confirm the share settings.
   
   
9. Connect the null-modem cable between the COM ports in the NAS appliance and the networked Windows 2000 client system.
   
   
10. Start the Dell OpenManage Kick-Start utility and perform the following steps:
    
    
    1. When prompted to Load, click Yes to confirm.
       
       
    2. Do not click the Enable checkbox. If the Enable checkbox is selected, click it to deselect it.
       
       
11. Start the Intel PXE Server by performing the following steps:
    
    
    1. Right-click the server name in the GUI, and then select Start/Stop Services....
       
       
    2. Verify the Services are installed correctly by selecting Stop and Start.
       
       

The indicator displays Started.

12. On the Intel PXE Server software, configure the system to listen to the DHCP port by performing the following steps:
    
    
    1. Right-click the <proxyDHCP Server> Name, and select Configure proxyDHCP Server.
       
       
    2. In the new window under the tab proxyDHCP, click the Use DHCP Port for Listening checkbox.
       
       
    3. Restart the PXE server.
       
       
13. Open the Windows 2000 client system HyperTerminal application, and then perform the following steps:
    
    
    1. Set the system to use the correct local COM port.
       
       
    2. Set Bits per Second to 115,200 baud and Flow Control to Xon/Xoff.
       
       
    3. Select Connect.
       
       
14. Turn on your NAS appliance.
    
    
15. In the HyperTerminal window, press <F2> immediately after you see the following message:
    
    

Press <F2> to enter the Function Select menu.

NOTE: If you use a version of Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><2>.

16. From the menu, select option 3 (Reinstallation), and then type y to confirm the selection.
    
    

The NAS appliance automatically reboots. This stage of the process takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. After this stage, the NAS appliance becomes visible on the network and the PowerVault NAS Manager is accessible.

If the NAS appliance detects new drives, it automatically starts rebuilding the recovery operating system partition and the data volume.

17. Use the NAS Manager Disk and Volume tabs to monitor the status of the rebuild.
    
    

By default, the data volume is configured as a RAID 5 volume. If you prefer RAID 0, use the NAS Manager to reconfigure the volume to RAID 0. If you perform this operation, all data on your RAID 5 volume is lost.

NOTE: Rebuilding the RAID 5 volume can take several hours, depending on your system configuration. While the rebuilding of the data volume (RAID 5) occurs, the volume is available to the user.

NOTICE: Do not change the name of the system until the volume rebuild process is complete because changing the name requires a reboot that destroys your data. Do not establish a Terminal Services Advanced Client session until the RAID 5 rebuild is completed.

18. Use the Kick-Start utility to reconfigure the NAS appliance after the RAID 5 volume has finished rebuilding and the NAS appliance is displayed in the Discovered Dell Systems List in the Kick-Start window.
    
    

Using a Dedicated Windows 2000 System

Requirements

• Crossover cable included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• Null-modem cable included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• Windows 2000 (Professional or Server Family) client system (dedicated for the duration of the installation process)
  
  
• Resource CD included with your NAS appliance
  
  
• Reinstallation CD included with your NAS appliance
  
  

Procedure

To reinstall the main operating system with Dell default settings on hard disk 0, perform the following steps:

1. On a Windows 2000 client system that is dedicated to the NAS appliance during the reinstallation, log on as administrator.
   
   
2. Create a new user with the name pv715 and the password set to password.
   
   
3. Change the name of the Windows 2000 client system to pv715rec.
   
   
4. Change the IP address to 10.40.10.1 and Net mask to 255.255.255.0.
   
   
5. Install the Dell Reinstallation Console from the Resource CD.
   
   

The Dell Reinstallation Console is located in the Resources section of the Resource CD.

6. Reboot the client system.
   
   
7. Insert the Reinstallation CD in the CD drive of the client system.
   
   
8. From Windows Explorer or My Computer, right-click the CD drive, select Share, type CD for the name of the share, and then click OK to confirm the share settings.
   
   
9. Connect the crossover cable between the network interface controllers (NICs) in the NAS appliance and the Windows 2000 client system.
   
   
10. Connect the null-modem cable between the COM ports in the NAS appliance and the Windows 2000 client system.
    
    
11. Start the Dell OpenManage Kick-Start utility, and then perform the following steps:
    
    
    1. When prompted to Load, click Yes to confirm.
       
       
    2. Click the Enable checkbox.
       
       
12. Start the Intel PXE Server by performing the following steps:
    
    
    1. Right-click the server name, pv715rec, in the GUI, and then select Start/Stop Services....
       
       
    2. Verify the Services are installed correctly by selecting Stop and Start.
       
       

The indicator displays Started.

13. Open the Windows 2000 client system HyperTerminal application, and then perform the following steps:
    
    
    1. Set the system to use the correct local COM port.
       
       
    2. Set Bits per Second to 115,200 baud and Flow Control to Xon/Xoff.
       
       
    3. Select Connect.
       
       
14. Turn on your NAS appliance.
    
    
15. In the HyperTerminal window, press <F2> immediately after you see the following message:
    
    

Press <F2> to enter the Function Select menu.

NOTE: If you use a version of Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system earlier than Service Pack 2, the function keys do not work. You must press <Esc><2>.

16. From the menu, select option 3 (Reinstallation), and then type y to confirm the selection.
    
    

The NAS appliance automatically reboots. This stage of the process takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. After this stage, the NAS appliance becomes visible on the network and the PowerVault NAS Manager is accessible.

If the NAS appliance detects new drives, it automatically starts rebuilding the recovery operating system partition and the data volume.

17. Use the NAS Manager Disk and Volume tabs to monitor the status of the rebuild.
    
    

By default, the data volume is configured as a RAID 5 volume. If you prefer RAID 0, use the NAS Manager to reconfigure the volume to RAID 0. If you perform this operation, all data on your RAID 5 volume will be lost.

NOTE: Rebuilding the RAID 5 volume can take several hours, depending on your system configuration. While the rebuilding of the data volume (RAID 5) occurs, the volume is available to the user.

NOTICE: Do not change the name of the system until the volume rebuild process is complete because changing the name requires a reboot that destroys your data. Do not establish a Terminal Services Advanced Client session until the RAID 5 rebuild is completed.

18. Use the Kick-Start utility to reconfigure the NAS appliance after the RAID 5 volume has finished rebuilding and the NAS appliance is displayed in the Discovered Dell Systems List in the Kick-Start window.
    
    

Recovering RAID 5 Data After Reinstalling the Operating System

Use this process if you have reinstalled the operating system and have an existing data volume in a RAID 5 configuration.

1. From the PowerVault NAS Manager, log on to the Terminal Services Advanced Client.
   
   
2. Launch the Dell OpenManage Array Manager by clicking System Management in the Advanced Administration Menu, and then clicking Computer Management.
   
   
3. Right-click the Mirror for the D: drive containing the recovery operating system on Disk 2 and Disk 3, and then select Delete.
   
   
4. Right-click the C: drive, select Add Mirror, and then select Disk 2 when asked to specify a disk.
   
   

NOTE: At this point, the C: drive (Disk 0) is Dynamic. If the Array Manager reports it as Basic, upgrade it to Dynamic before continuing.

5. After the process finishes, right-click the C: drive, select Break Mirror, and then select Disk 2.
   
   

The system displays a Volume D: in Disk 2.

6. Right-click Volume C: (Disk 0), select Add Mirror, and then select Disk 1 when asked for a disk.
   
   
7. Right-click Volume D: (Disk 2), select Add Mirror, and then select Disk 3 when asked for a disk.
   
   
8. Right-click the Data Volume, select REPAIR, and then select Disk 0 when you are prompted to specify a disk.
   
   

This step re-establishes the RAID 5 data volume.

When this process completes, the system is back to the original Dell default configuration and can recover from hardware and software errors.

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