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Sun Ultra 27 Workstation Windows Operating System Installation Guide

Chapter 3 Preparing Disks for the Operating System

To prepare a disk to allow Windows to access it, you need to configure the disk controller you are using. Your workstation comes with an Intel AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) integrated disk controller or an optional LSI 3041E HBA. Tasks that need to be done are listed below. Follow the procedures that best meet your needs:

Removing a Preinstalled Partition Without Deleting the Diagnostic Partition

Diagnostics (system test) software is included on the Tools and Drivers DVD for your workstation. A diagnostic partition is required for the diagnostic test scripts to write their log files. Without a diagnostic partition, the only output is the display on the diagnostic screens. The diagnostic partition is preinstalled on the Sun Ultra 27 Workstation. You do not need to reinstall the diagnostic partition unless you remove it. Instructions for using the diagnostics software are provided in the Sun Ultra 27 Workstation Service Manual

If you remove the diagnostic partition, you can re-create it using the Create Diagnostic Partition option on the Tools and Drivers DVD. See the Sun Ultra 27 Workstation Service Manual for instructions.

To erase all partitions on the boot hard drive except the diagnostic partition, use the Erase Primary Boot Hard Disk option on the Tools and Drivers DVD main menu.

ProcedureTo Remove a Preinstalled Partition

The Erase Primary Boot Hard Disk option erases all partitions and all user data on the hard drive, except the diagnostic partition.

Caution – Caution –

Be sure to back up any data you want to save on the hard drive before performing this action.

  1. Insert the Tools and Drivers DVD into the system.

  2. When the main menu appears, select the Erase Primary Boot Hard Disk option from the Tools and Drivers DVD main menu.

    This option erases all partitions currently located on the primary hard drive, except for the diagnostic partition. The diagnostic partition, if it is present, remains untouched.

  3. When prompted, confirm that you wish to delete the partitions.

  4. When prompted, press any key to reboot the system.

Setting the System BIOS and Configuring Disks for Intel AHCI SATA or RAID

When using the workstation's Intel AHCI integrated disk controller, you must configure the SATA disks for AHCI or Intel RAID before installing Windows. For systems with SATA disks, performing this task is required for Windows to access the disks.

ProcedureTo Set the System BIOS and Configure Your Disks for Intel SATA or RAID

  1. Power on the system.

  2. Press the F2 key at the Sun logo screen to enter the BIOS Setup menu.

  3. In the BIOS Utility dialog, select Advanced -> IDE Configuration.

    The IDE Configuration menu is displayed.

  4. In the IDE Configuration menu, select Configure SATA as and press Enter.

    A menu is displayed listing the SATA options.

  5. In the SATA Options menu, select one of the following:

    • AHCI for a system using SATA disks (non-RAID).

    • RAID to create an Intel Matrix RAID.

  6. Press F10 to save your changes, exit the BIOS Utility, and reboot the server. Then, do one of the following:

  7. To make your boot disk part of a RAID, press Ctrl-I when prompted during the boot process to enter the Intel Matrix Storage Manager option ROM utility.

    The Intel Matrix Storage Manager main menu is displayed.

  8. At the main menu, select the 1. Create RAID Volume menu option.

    The Create RAID Volume menu is displayed.

  9. In the Create RAID Volume menu, do the following:

    1. Provide a name for the RAID volume and press Enter (or press Enter to accept the default).

    2. Select a RAID level (0, 1, 5, 10) and press Enter.

      Use the up and down arrow keys to scroll through the available RAID level values.

      Note –

      RAID 0 provides no fault tolerance.

    3. Select the disks for the array.

    4. If prompted, select the strip size and press Enter (or press Enter to accept the default (128KB)).

    5. Specify the volume capacity and press Enter (or press Enter to accept the default (total size of selected disks)).

    6. Select Create Volume and press Enter.

      The following warning message appears stating that all data could be lost:

      Are you sure you want to create this volume? Y or N.

    7. Press Y to confirm the volume creation.

      The new RAID volume is created. Information describing the RAID volume appears (for example, the RAID ID, Volume Name, Level, Status).

  10. Select EXIT and press Enter to exit the Intel Matrix Storage Manager utility.

    A confirmation message appears confirming that you want to exit the Intel Matrix Storage Manager utility.

  11. Press Y to confirm the exit.

  12. To create a partition on the RAID volume, insert the Tools and Drivers DVD into the workstation's CD/DVD drive.

  13. Reboot the system.

    The system boots to the Tools and Drivers DVD.

  14. At the main menu, select 4. Exit to DOS.

  15. At the DOS prompt, enter the following command:

    fdisk

  16. When prompted that the hard disk sector zero has no boot sector ID, press Y to initialize the disk.

  17. Do one of the following:

Configuring Your Disks for RAID Using the LSI 3041E Host Bus Adapter (HBA)

If you are using the LSI 3041E Host Bus Adapter and want to include your boot disk as part of a RAID, you need to set configuration information in the disk controller BIOS before installing Windows.

ProcedureTo Configure Your Disks for RAID

  1. Power on the system.

  2. During POST, press Ctrl-C when prompted to start the LSI Configuration utility.

  3. At the Adapter List screen, use the arrow keys to select your adapter and press Enter.

    The Adapters properties screen is displayed.

  4. Select RAID properties.

  5. Select a volume type, IM (Integrated Mirror (RAID 1)), or IMe (Integrated Mirror Enhanced—RAID 1E).

  6. Select the volumes you would like to include in the RAID.

    Note –

    Do not mix SAS and SATA volumes within a given RAID.

  7. When the array is set up, save changes and exit.

    Note –

    After you create IM and IME RAID arrays, the system performs an automatic reset to enable the write cache feature.

  8. Do one of the following:

Additional Information

For more information on using your disk controller, refer to the following documents on the Sun documentation web site: