Monitoring SATA RAID Config?

English Hardware
1

Hello everyone,

I’ve got a server running with a basic SATA RAID 1 setup. I’m running SuSE 10.2 with no GUI. phpSysInfo (phpSysInfo) tells me a bit about my config (which I set up over a year ago)

/boot is on /dev/mapper/sil_ahadbicfdjcf_part1
/ is on /dev/mapper/sil_ahadbicfdjcf_part3

And my RAID controller is:
RAID bus controller: Silicon Image, Inc. SiI 3512 [SATALink/SATARaid] Serial ATA Controller

(The server is about 2 hours from me right now, so I can’t look at the card for any more info.)

Are there scripts or anything I can access/write to look at the status of the RAID array? I would like to incorporate this into my web admin console, and even maybe have it send me an email if the array goes down.

Also, If one drive goes down, I understand that the system should continue to run on the one remaining drive. Then I replace the failed drive, and then what? Do I go into the BIOS of the RAID card to restore the array? (Re-mirror the data from the good old drive to the new empty one?)

Thank you!
I’ve just been reading stuff on drive failure rates, and got super-paranoid, so I wan’t to have all this stuff down, before my array goes kaput.

Jonathon

2

First and for all: it is very wise to have your plans in place before things go wrong. ‘Ein Hoch!’ for this attitude.

I can not help you in this particular case (brand of RAID controler). You are certainly right about your understanding that the RAID goes on when a disk iin a mirror fails. That is where you have the RAID for :stuck_out_tongue: . The RAID should tell you, the system manager that it lost a disk. Then you the technician should come and replace the disk. Then the RAID should be told to resync the existing half of the mirror with the new disk. This will take some time (maby hours) during which a somewhat lower performance of the RAID and thus of the system can be expected.

Now for all this management on the RAID (removing disks logicaly, resyncing, configuring, etc.) there should be software. Did not your RAID come with some? Or did they not tell you which software is adequate for this RAID to manage? Mostly this comes in CLI as well ad GUI form, though the CLI is essential of course. This software normaly has reporting statements and possibly even can mail you when something is wrong. So it is in your interest that you identify if such software came with the RAID.