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4GB partition limitation on Compaq 1850R 1
- Thread starter jvincenn
- Start date
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1
- #5
Hello
Well lets start off by saying that versions of SmartStart up to 5.5 are designed to work with Proliant systems which employ a System Configuration Utility (SCU)
SmartStart Versions 6.x and forward are designed to be used with Proliant systems employing POM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU) the extent of how large you design a RAID storage system is dependent on your Array Controller and Physical drive capacity (Not the version of SmartStart) Regardless Here is my two pennies worth. Compaq Proliant servers work best with Compaq Proliant parts. No I am not selling up Compaq however Compaq does incorporate "Smart" Technology firmware in most of the critical system units which are designed to optimize the performance of a Proliant server. The reason I am mentioning this is that the High Level procedure below may be academic if you do not have a Smart Raid Controller.
Now providing that you are doing a fresh install and not migrating the server and that you are using SmartStart 5.x (6.x uses much the same tools however the GUI is HTML based and quite different the it's 5.x predecessor)
(0) if you have any data worth saving insure that you have backed it up. It’s always a good idea to test your backup by restoring a few files. As well before you start create a “Profile Disk” by formatting a diskette and creating a “0” byte file named “SPD.INI” As well do not remove the CD until you are asked to do so. SmartStart will reboot the system multiple times during this procedure.
(1) Boot the 1850 with the SmartStart CD
(2) Choose the "System Erase Utility" option. CAUTION:!!! This will completely wipe your system and all data connected to the system Do Not use this option if you do not intend to do a fresh install. HOWEVER. If you are brining the system up "Fresh" it is highly recommended to wipe everything and start new.
(3)After the system has wiped everything and done what it needs to do. It will reboot back into SmartStart and ask you to select one of the following options, "Assisted Integration Path", Replicated Installation Path" or Manual Installation Path" Unless you have some reason to build your server to non standard specifications, it is Hp's best practice to use the Assisted Integration Path, Yes even if you are a seasoned server guy.
(4) Follow the prompts... it's that easy just insure that you have the appropriate version of the NOS you are installing on hand along with any required licensing.
(5) SmartStart will automatically launch the ACU (Array Configuration Utility) and once again, walk you through the various RAID options (If you don't have a basic understanding of RAID, I recommend that you do a little research before you start. However once again it's pretty simple)
(6) Once you have configured your RAID set(s) continue the process. I would as well recommend that you insure that you have any required service packs on hand. And install them immediately after everything is up.
As well you may want to validate the firmware in your Proliant to determine if it is current you can do this by executing the ROMPaq Utility, You can launch this utility via the SmartStart CD. CAUTION !!! Do not power off your server during a firmware upgrade. This can result in critical hardware failures which could require a new system board.
Obviously I have not walked you through this step by step but as I mentioned earlier this is a high level procedure. If you follow it you will get 72.8Gig with RAID 0, 36.4GIG with Raid 0+1, or 54.6Gig with RAID 5, Remember although RAID 0 will give you the best write/read performance it is not redundant and if one of the physical disks die, the rest of the array turns into vaporware. As well the calculations above have not allowed for an online spare. (Which is highly recommended?) If you decide to go with an online spare you should expect the same capacity for Raid 0, however Raid 0+1 will now be 18.2 Gig with one extra non fault tolerant 18.2 and of course the online spare, and RAID 5 will now have a capacity of 36.4 Gig and the online spare.
Hope this helped a little
Well lets start off by saying that versions of SmartStart up to 5.5 are designed to work with Proliant systems which employ a System Configuration Utility (SCU)
SmartStart Versions 6.x and forward are designed to be used with Proliant systems employing POM-Based Setup Utility (RBSU) the extent of how large you design a RAID storage system is dependent on your Array Controller and Physical drive capacity (Not the version of SmartStart) Regardless Here is my two pennies worth. Compaq Proliant servers work best with Compaq Proliant parts. No I am not selling up Compaq however Compaq does incorporate "Smart" Technology firmware in most of the critical system units which are designed to optimize the performance of a Proliant server. The reason I am mentioning this is that the High Level procedure below may be academic if you do not have a Smart Raid Controller.
Now providing that you are doing a fresh install and not migrating the server and that you are using SmartStart 5.x (6.x uses much the same tools however the GUI is HTML based and quite different the it's 5.x predecessor)
(0) if you have any data worth saving insure that you have backed it up. It’s always a good idea to test your backup by restoring a few files. As well before you start create a “Profile Disk” by formatting a diskette and creating a “0” byte file named “SPD.INI” As well do not remove the CD until you are asked to do so. SmartStart will reboot the system multiple times during this procedure.
(1) Boot the 1850 with the SmartStart CD
(2) Choose the "System Erase Utility" option. CAUTION:!!! This will completely wipe your system and all data connected to the system Do Not use this option if you do not intend to do a fresh install. HOWEVER. If you are brining the system up "Fresh" it is highly recommended to wipe everything and start new.
(3)After the system has wiped everything and done what it needs to do. It will reboot back into SmartStart and ask you to select one of the following options, "Assisted Integration Path", Replicated Installation Path" or Manual Installation Path" Unless you have some reason to build your server to non standard specifications, it is Hp's best practice to use the Assisted Integration Path, Yes even if you are a seasoned server guy.
(4) Follow the prompts... it's that easy just insure that you have the appropriate version of the NOS you are installing on hand along with any required licensing.
(5) SmartStart will automatically launch the ACU (Array Configuration Utility) and once again, walk you through the various RAID options (If you don't have a basic understanding of RAID, I recommend that you do a little research before you start. However once again it's pretty simple)
(6) Once you have configured your RAID set(s) continue the process. I would as well recommend that you insure that you have any required service packs on hand. And install them immediately after everything is up.
As well you may want to validate the firmware in your Proliant to determine if it is current you can do this by executing the ROMPaq Utility, You can launch this utility via the SmartStart CD. CAUTION !!! Do not power off your server during a firmware upgrade. This can result in critical hardware failures which could require a new system board.
Obviously I have not walked you through this step by step but as I mentioned earlier this is a high level procedure. If you follow it you will get 72.8Gig with RAID 0, 36.4GIG with Raid 0+1, or 54.6Gig with RAID 5, Remember although RAID 0 will give you the best write/read performance it is not redundant and if one of the physical disks die, the rest of the array turns into vaporware. As well the calculations above have not allowed for an online spare. (Which is highly recommended?) If you decide to go with an online spare you should expect the same capacity for Raid 0, however Raid 0+1 will now be 18.2 Gig with one extra non fault tolerant 18.2 and of course the online spare, and RAID 5 will now have a capacity of 36.4 Gig and the online spare.
Hope this helped a little
Hello,
I noticed this Known Issue with SmartStart V5.5 and 5.4 and thought it may be worth consideration.
The following is an excerpt from Hp's SmartStart Support FAQ's
When using the SmartStart 5.40 or SmartStart 5.50 CD to perform an Assisted Installation of Microsoft Windows 2000 on a ProLiant server configured with an 18 GB logical drive and attempting to create a boot partition size between 17300 MB and 17358 MB, the resulting boot partition created may only be 4 GB.
Have a Great Day
I noticed this Known Issue with SmartStart V5.5 and 5.4 and thought it may be worth consideration.
The following is an excerpt from Hp's SmartStart Support FAQ's
When using the SmartStart 5.40 or SmartStart 5.50 CD to perform an Assisted Installation of Microsoft Windows 2000 on a ProLiant server configured with an 18 GB logical drive and attempting to create a boot partition size between 17300 MB and 17358 MB, the resulting boot partition created may only be 4 GB.
Have a Great Day
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