High Level Format Dell PERC RAID

[250LWB]

My apologies if this is not the appropriate forum - if not, if someone would please point me to the correct one . . .

I have a Dell 2300 server with a RAID 5 setup using the Dell internal PERC. A former employee, in their concern over passing along a copy of the OS to another department, did a low level format (initialization) of the drives in the array. In doing so, they blew away the PERC management software as well.

If I attempt to install Win2k server, even using the F6 option to load the PERC drivers, the Win2k setup program does not recognize the array, saying there is no fixed disk to install the OS to.

I am assuming this is because the array has not been high level formatted and partitioned. Since the PERC management software is no longer on the drive(s) I have no way of running it.

How can I high level format and partition the array so I can get my OS installed?

Thanks to all in advance,

Dan

 

[technome]

You need to enter the Perc bios setup and configure the array before installing an OS. You will see the key combo for entering the setup when the Perc bios screen appears.
At this point, get into the bios, create a raid 5 disk array with the defaults; if you have a battery on the array adapter, use write back caching. After the raid 5 is setup correctly, the controller will ask to initialize the disk. I would wait for it to finish, though the newer adapter will initialize in the background. After it initializes proceed with the OS install, with F6 to supply the driver. As a note I have the Lsilogic 320-2x, Percs are LSI adapters generally, and I needed to initially install the Wk2000 driver for the install, then upgrade the driver within WK 2003 to the 2003 driver.