> >> Hitachi's drive testing tool seems to be windows only, so are there any > >> drive checking utilities that can check an individual drive when it's a > >> part of a RAID1? Or is it safe to assume that if the drive fails in the > >> RAID it is really dead. I'm trying to make sure I'm not seeing some > >> kind of problem with the enclosure or the megaraid card before I start > >> shipping drives back to Hitachi. > > > > Can you get the SMART data from the drives? Interpreting SMART data > > is another problem, but maybe you can find a clue there.
Whoops, I had SATA on the brain, sorry about that. > Last night after all the users left I rebooted the server to get into > the MegaRAID controller at boot. It couldn't see the brand new drive I > just put into the safte0 enclosure so I couldn't make it a hot spare. Seems unlikely that a brand new drive is bad as well as two existing drives. > I installed the now two drives that have failed into another server with > an identical setup (one minor variation--it has two separate LSI > MegaRAID cards instead of one card with two channels) and a completely > empty safte enclosure and again the card could not see the drives at > all. I'm thinking that means they really are dead. Possible, but it seems unlikely. > The fact that the LSI card couldn't see that new drive (identical in > size, but 15K instead of 10K) is disconcerting to say the least. It makes me think that your drives are probably not the problem. See Marco's response about how it may not work using an "old version of ami", and "ami controllers are very sensitive to noise on the cables (all U320 gear really is)". Are the cables routed near something electrically noisy? Could there be a problem with the termination? Has anything changed recently? > The server ran flawlessly for 2 years now, and I'll bet it's been a year > since I've even slid it forward enough in the rack to get the cover off. > Do cables go bad with use? A cable is unlikely to go bad just sitting there unless it is getting abused somehow. Cables that are outdoors can go bad due to rain, UV, critters chewing on them, etc. Cables running across the floor can go bad from being stepped on, carts run over them, etc. Cables next to something sharp and getting vibrated could go bad. Cables that get plugged/unplugged a lot can wear out the connector, or wires can break from being flexed too many times. Hard to believe, but some connectors are only rated for three, yes 3, connect/disconnect cycles. One would expect SCSI gear to be rated for a lot more than that. I would expect SCSI connectors to be gold plated, so corrosion shouldn't be a problem. I've seen connectors lose their springiness and fail to make good contact. (One case where it does go bad just sitting there.) I'm sure there are more possible failure modes, but you get the idea. > These are SuperMicro GEM enclosures that are rated for U320 and they > weren't cheap in my book but then that's a relative thing. SCSI is never inexpensive. Sometimes I spell it $C$I. I'm not familiar with SuperMicro GEM enclosures, perhaps someone who is could comment on the quality level.
