HP P212 hangs on Initializing

Question

I'm in trouble...

Server: HP Microserver N36L Storage: HP P212/256 with BBWC Drives: 4 WD 2 Tb

While expanding the RAID 5 array from 3 to 4 drives, the server rebooted itself. Expansion was at 76%.

Now at boot the P212 seems to hang on initializing. After some time screen resets and the server boots, but in the os (Windows Server 2008R2) the P212 has errors (error code 10) and it's not seen by the HP ACU.

Whats' going on? It's trying to complete the expansion? It's trying to make all over the expansion? It's simply stuck?

What should I do? I NEED the data on the array!

PS In the server BIOS, on the hd boot priority, the server still reports the array logical drive... maybe it's a good sign...

PPS I'm not at the server physical location, so I cannot tell if the drives in the array are being accessed (that would be the case if the controller it's redoing/completing the expansion process) or not right now.

Bye

Dario

Solution 1

The P212 only supports HP branded disks, you're not using them are you, yet you wonder why the whole setup's suddenly broke - use supported parts and you'll be fine, don't and you're on you own. Did you not read our FAQ? this site is for professional sysadmins, who don't just throw things together in the vague hope that it might work. Not sure this site is for you at all.

Solution 2

I'd suspect that a hard power cycle (several minutes off) will get you past the initialization step. Try it if you haven't.

If you don't have any out-of-band power options, see if you can disable the controller in the BIOS. then reenable it.

Comments

[Deb]

I have to add a "me to" on this one. The 4 WD 2 Tb part says to me "WD-branded disks" not "HP-branded". HP SmartArray controllers really really do not like non-HP drive firmware. You can get away with it sometimes, but not in this case it seems.

[Lucas Kauffman]

@user927586 page 12 to 15 of the P212's state all the supported hard drives. Do you expect another page with unsupported hard drives?

[Chopper3]

@user927586 - this site is for professionals - who tend to care about supported systems - if you don't then I'm sure you can do without us and vice versa.

[S K]

Supported by HP. Or do you expect to see a list of other brand's disk in their docs? Anyway, it was a faulty cache module. And HP supported me in the diags. They never cared about non hp disks and just shipped the replacement part tonight. Just to say...

[ewwhite]

And is this fixed?