The E200 is an entry-level controller. There are some limitations in its base configuration, so you should be mindful of those.
The quickspecs for the controller are listed here:
http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12460_na/12460_na.html
Does your unit have a Battery-Backed Write Cache (BBWC) module? That is an necessary component if you wish to use some of the expanded features. Also, how large are the disks you're trying to work with? There is a 2TB limit on individual logical drives...
And finally, firmware level is key here. Here's a link to the drivers and firmware updates for that controller model. Often times, the firmware updates include new or improved functionality. It's worth a try.
You are missing a step here. When you remove the old logical drives and the physical disk in slot 4, you have to do the following:
- possibly remove Array B
- insert a new disk
- create a new Array B on the unassigned disk
- create logical drives of the requisite size on the new Array B
This can all be done hot in Windows (and usually Linux). The new logical drives will appear upon refresh (F5) of the Disk Manager utility.
Now, you can do this via the hpacucli utility, but it makes much more sense to use the web-based GUI tool, cpqacuxe. You'll understand the steps a bit better there.
Also, I think the continued use of a single-drive RAID 0 array is a bad idea. You do have some interesting options like adding the 72GB disk to Array A and carving out more logical drives. That would help performance and resilience...
Edit: What you're looking to do is not possible without a reboot.
You essentially want to move an array from one server to another. This is possible, but there are rules governing the process. From the HP Smart Array Controllers User Guide:
- *The server is powered down*.
- The array does not have failed or missing drives.
- No spare drive in the array is acting as a replacement for a failed drive.
- The controller is not performing capacity expansion, capacity extension, or RAID or stripe size
migration.
- The controller is using the latest firmware version.
And the steps to actually perform a move are:
- Back up all data before removing any drives or changing configuration. This step is required if you are
moving data-containing drives from a controller that does not have a cache module.
- Power down the system.
- Move the drives.
- Power up the system.
- Observe the POST messages:
- If a 1785 POST message appears, the drive array did not configure properly. Continue with step 6.
- If a 1724 or 1727 POST message appears, drive positions were changed successfully and the
configuration was updated. Continue with step 7.
- If the array did not configure properly, power down the system immediately to prevent data loss. Return the drives to their original locations. Restore the data from backup, if necessary.
- Verify the new drive configuration by running ORCA or ACU.
So a poweroff/reboot is an essential step in this process. You can't avoid it for what you're trying to do.
Best Answer
That was the wrong action to take. RAID5 and two failed disks is a dangerous combination. RAID5 can only sustain a single disk failure.
Your external enclosure is likely an HP StorageWorks MSA60, rather than the D2600 unit you linked. The main point is the same, though. You should have corrected the disk failures rather than reboot the enclosure/system. Having a logical drive in failed status means that the array has failed and the data is possibly gone.
My recommendation to you is to power the server down and also physically remove power to the MSA60 enclosure (remove the cables, don't just press the power button). Leave the systems off for 5-10 minutes.
Power the enclosure back on. Give it 60-90 seconds to spin up the disks. Follow by powering on the server.
Pay close attention to the POST messages, specifically the initialization of the Smart Array P800 controller. You MAY be prompted to enable a previously failed logical drive.
If prompted with this, you will want to press
F2to re-enable the logical drive.See what happens once the system has completed booting. If this is successful, you'll want to make sure the disks are healthy, then possibly update firmware on the server, controllers, disks and MSA units, since there have been bugs that trigger false drive failures and other undesirable behavior on this equipment.