Created by: Ed Villarreal
Date: 4-15-2014
DS4800 – How to Recover from an Incomplete Array
SUMMARY:
This paper will describe how to recover from an error message on the DS4800 ‘Failed –
incomplete array’. If by power outage or accidently pulling out the wrong disk in an array, it is
possible to recover the array. Follow these simple steps as a guide.
STEP 1:
Before you begin any work, export the ‘support data’. Should you ever have to contact IBM
support directly, they are going to want this information. Got to Advanced > Troubleshooting >
Support Data > Collect.
STEP 2:
Next you will want to take note of the effected arrays and the ‘enclosure ID and drive ID’. This
information will become vital in restoring the array back to normal.
STEP 3: Next you will want to ‘unmanage’ any ‘hot spares’ in your system that could potentially
take over one of these ‘failed’ disks. This is because as you try to recover, the hot spare could
potentially kick in and we don’t want this. So if you are working with 450GB disks, all the spares
in the system that are 450GB, you will want to ‘unmanage’. Simple go to one of your
controllers that has a ‘hot spare’, right click and select ‘Hot Spare Coverage’.
Next, select ‘view/change current hot spare coverage’, then click ‘OK’.
Finally, any disk that is the same size as the one in your array that you are trying to fix, highlight
them and ‘unassign’ them (in this example it’s all the 450GB disks). ** IMPORTANT ** Take a
screen shot of the assigned hot spares in the system BEFORE you make any changes. When
this exercise is complete you will need to go back and re-assign them as hot spares.
STEP 4:
Once you have gathered this information for all of your arrays ( I would suggest taking
screenshots) you can proceed to ‘revive’ the drive. Go to your first enclosure in the array, find
and click on the disk. In this example we would go to ‘Enclosure 5, Slot 5’. Once you have done
this, go to the top and click on Advanced > Recovery > Revive > Drive.
Say ‘yes’ to the warning screen about ‘improper use of this option’ etc. etc.
It could take up to 20 seconds for the drive to be ‘revived’. Once complete, go to the next drive
in your array and repeat this step. You will do this step for every drive in your ‘failed – array’.
Once every drive has been ‘revived’, check on your array. It should now be back to normal.
Refresh any LUNs on servers (or reboot the server).
STEP 5:
Once you have ‘revived’ all the ‘failed – incomplete arrays’, go back and re-assign your ‘hot
spares’. Highlight a blank drive, right click and select ‘Manually assign individual drives’.