Dell PowerEdge 2400 - Noisy Disk, but which one?

[gavm99]

Hi all,

I have a Dell PowerEdge 2400 Server with 6 SCSI disks installed running a RAID5 via a PERC controller. One of the disks sounds like a jet engine engine. There are no reported failures on the disks or in the event viewer.

I want to know which disk it is though so I can replace it.

I did remove 1 disk and then start up and now the RAID is rebuilding and I suspect this will take many hours. Obviously to do this with the remaining 5 will take even longer.

Is there an easier way for me to find out which is the noisy disk without affecting the actual RAID? I am thinking something like halting the BIOS screen before it initializes the RAID but I don't know if this is possible?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

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"Nobody cares how it works, as long as it works

 

[LawnBoy]

I use the "screwdriver stethoscope" technique I learned from an auto mechanic. Place the blunt end of a screwdriver on the bone just in front of your ear. Then place the business end of that screwdriver on each disk's case. You should be able to tell which is the noisy one pretty quickly.

This works well for noisy fans too.


"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." - Sherlock Holmes

 

[smah]

Are you sure it's a disk drive? Or could it be the front fan just behind the drives? Those make an awful racket while they are failing.

----
Steve
Small Business Support in the Connecticut River Valley of VT and NH
faq219-2884
MS Knowledgebase version: How to Ask

 

[NeoGreen]

Just like smah said it may just be a fan. Another thing is that you may want to run a disk utility/hardware diagnostic to check to see if they drives are failing. This can also repair any issues.

 

[gavm99]

The diags showed all disks working ok. If is definatly a disk causing the noise because it only starts after the RAID controller has been initialised. The customer is now replacing the server anyway because of its age so no longer a problem.

Thanks.

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"Nobody cares how it works, as long as it works