???? Disk Utility, Apple Raid Xserve

anthlover · 01-31-2013, 07:38 PM

Disk Utility, Apple Raid Xserve 3,1 2009

We were cleaning up one of our server rooms and found a spare Xserve (2.26 Dual Quad Core Xeon.

It had Snow server in the box but We decided to upgrade to ML, so I booted of an ML USB Stick. The question resolves around the Raid hardware. The system had three 1TB drives. At least from Disk Utility I could only make RAID set mirrors, Stripes, and Concatenated. I wanted Raid 5 /2TB which would yield a 2TB Volume. I only seem to be able to create a mirror of 1TB or Stipe set of 3TB/Raid 0. Did not try Concatenated.

It seems silly to have to boot off another volume to run a full version of Apple's Raid Utility, is that what is required?

DeltaMac · 01-31-2013, 09:29 PM

Yes - you need to use the RAID Utility.
One of the interesting features of your Xserve is that you can add an SSD for a boot-drive. An SSD doesn't occupy a drive bay, and appears to take a 1.8-inch drive.
Maintain the RAID from the SSD. Should make a sweet storage system, eh?

anthlover · 01-31-2013, 09:34 PM

OK that was what i figured. Boot to a USB enclosure Run Apple Raid. Kind of silly on a server to have to though to work on the raid IMHO. TY for confirming.

Too bad they stopped making them. I enjoyed just watching the thing. The lights. The design. Even the Allen Key drive on access was amusing.

DeltaMac · 01-31-2013, 09:46 PM

I guess I neglected to mention (or you didn't notice

) that an SSD can be installed internally. What I don't know is if an xserve that doesn't have the SSD factory option includes the internal cable for that drive.

anthlover · 01-31-2013, 10:24 PM

TY I saw it. I just meant that you should not have to add an SSD or Boot from an external volume to do create the array. Its not a big deal to get around.

Did not have any spare SSD. Where is the Bay. I can google but figure you might know. The Front has the main 3 Bays and Fans. Assume you have to pop the top. I will just jack a drive in to do into USB2 or FW800.

Probably can just use my macbook pro to FW Target mode the Xserve for now.

DeltaMac · 02-01-2013, 07:03 AM

You can look at the user guide, which shows that the SSD is positioned above the HD slot 1.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/...etup_Guide.pdf
Look at page 22
So, yes, open your Xserve, and you'll easily see where it goes. Again, you might have to hunt down the internal cable to add an SSD anyway, as I don't know if that comes included with other Xserves without the SSD.
But, 'twould just make a neater installation, eh?
And, it's probably unlikely that you would have a spare SSD 1.8-inch - likely the same that was optional in the 2009 MacBook Air.

anthlover · 02-01-2013, 06:01 PM

Turns out the cable was not included

It also appears that neither was the RAID card according to Apples RAID Application. Add figured it would have been or included on the mother board. Silly me. Really should have run the Raid Utility before going through the trouble of creating and booting of another volume

Before I realized no raid card I thought about running the RAID app from terminal on the USB stick too

Do you know if I use the mirror option there is a way to have the the 3rd drive be the hot spare for the mirror?

Found the picture of the parts I was looking for too.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

DeltaMac · 02-01-2013, 06:36 PM

If you choose all three drives to set up the mirrored set, which would be RAID 1, then you would use all three drives, right? So, you would have a single 1TB drive, with 2 complete mirrors of that drive.
Is that what you are asking?

anthlover · 02-01-2013, 07:12 PM

Yup

Always thought of it as a two drive mirror aka raid 1 and a hot spare. This would be more like mirror, mirror

No rebuild needed if one drive dies. TY.

anthlover · 02-02-2013, 12:44 AM

This is an aside to thread so we could always go new thread...

The Chasis Lock on the Xserve, helps keep drives from being ejected by Accident? But can also prevent booting unless Start up disk is chosen from System Prefs?

Is this true for Mountain Lion, Non Server?

Is the following command relevant for enabling the keyboard too when chassis lock is engaged?
systemsetup -setdisablekeyboardwhenenclosurelockisengaged No

01-31-2013, 07:38 PM	#1
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	???? Disk Utility, Apple Raid Xserve Disk Utility, Apple Raid Xserve 3,1 2009 We were cleaning up one of our server rooms and found a spare Xserve (2.26 Dual Quad Core Xeon. It had Snow server in the box but We decided to upgrade to ML, so I booted of an ML USB Stick. The question resolves around the Raid hardware. The system had three 1TB drives. At least from Disk Utility I could only make RAID set mirrors, Stripes, and Concatenated. I wanted Raid 5 /2TB which would yield a 2TB Volume. I only seem to be able to create a mirror of 1TB or Stipe set of 3TB/Raid 0. Did not try Concatenated. It seems silly to have to boot off another volume to run a full version of Apple's Raid Utility, is that what is required? Last edited by anthlover; 01-31-2013 at 07:46 PM.

01-31-2013, 10:24 PM	#5
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	Ty TY I saw it. I just meant that you should not have to add an SSD or Boot from an external volume to do create the array. Its not a big deal to get around. Did not have any spare SSD. Where is the Bay. I can google but figure you might know. The Front has the main 3 Bays and Fans. Assume you have to pop the top. I will just jack a drive in to do into USB2 or FW800. Probably can just use my macbook pro to FW Target mode the Xserve for now.

02-01-2013, 06:01 PM	#7
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	Turns out the cable was not included It also appears that neither was the RAID card according to Apples RAID Application. Add figured it would have been or included on the mother board. Silly me. Really should have run the Raid Utility before going through the trouble of creating and booting of another volume Before I realized no raid card I thought about running the RAID app from terminal on the USB stick too Do you know if I use the mirror option there is a way to have the the 3rd drive be the hot spare for the mirror? Found the picture of the parts I was looking for too. https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0 Last edited by anthlover; 02-01-2013 at 06:03 PM.

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01-31-2013, 09:29 PM	#2
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,996	Yes - you need to use the RAID Utility. One of the interesting features of your Xserve is that you can add an SSD for a boot-drive. An SSD doesn't occupy a drive bay, and appears to take a 1.8-inch drive. Maintain the RAID from the SSD. Should make a sweet storage system, eh?

01-31-2013, 09:34 PM	#3
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	OK that was what i figured. Boot to a USB enclosure Run Apple Raid. Kind of silly on a server to have to though to work on the raid IMHO. TY for confirming. Too bad they stopped making them. I enjoyed just watching the thing. The lights. The design. Even the Allen Key drive on access was amusing.

01-31-2013, 09:46 PM	#4
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,996	I guess I neglected to mention (or you didn't notice ) that an SSD can be installed internally. What I don't know is if an xserve that doesn't have the SSD factory option includes the internal cable for that drive.

02-01-2013, 07:03 AM	#6
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,996	You can look at the user guide, which shows that the SSD is positioned above the HD slot 1. http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/...etup_Guide.pdf Look at page 22 So, yes, open your Xserve, and you'll easily see where it goes. Again, you might have to hunt down the internal cable to add an SSD anyway, as I don't know if that comes included with other Xserves without the SSD. But, 'twould just make a neater installation, eh? And, it's probably unlikely that you would have a spare SSD 1.8-inch - likely the same that was optional in the 2009 MacBook Air.

02-01-2013, 06:36 PM	#8
DeltaMac League Commissioner Join Date: Jan 2002 Posts: 7,996	If you choose all three drives to set up the mirrored set, which would be RAID 1, then you would use all three drives, right? So, you would have a single 1TB drive, with 2 complete mirrors of that drive. Is that what you are asking?

02-01-2013, 07:12 PM	#9
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	Yup Always thought of it as a two drive mirror aka raid 1 and a hot spare. This would be more like mirror, mirror No rebuild needed if one drive dies. TY.

02-02-2013, 12:44 AM	#10
anthlover Hall of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,703	This is an aside to thread so we could always go new thread... The Chasis Lock on the Xserve, helps keep drives from being ejected by Accident? But can also prevent booting unless Start up disk is chosen from System Prefs? Is this true for Mountain Lion, Non Server? Is the following command relevant for enabling the keyboard too when chassis lock is engaged? systemsetup -setdisablekeyboardwhenenclosurelockisengaged No