This section describes how to use the BIOS Configuration Utility to create a logical drive on an x86 system. You can then define the logical drive as bootable, and install an operating system onto that logical drive. Follow the procedures in this section if you have set your system BIOS to Legacy Boot Mode. If you have set your system BIOS to UEFI Boot Mode, do not perform the procedures in this section. Instead, go to Using the LSI MegaRAID Configuration Utility Menu to Create a Bootable Logical Drive (x86).
Before performing the steps in this section, verify the firmware level on the HBA and perform any firmware updates, as necessary. For information about updating firmware, see HBA Software Installation.
Perform the following procedures, in the order listed, to create a logical drive on an x86 system:
To Verify the Drives Available for Logical Drive Creation (x86)
To Define the Newly Created Logical Drive as the Boot Device (x86)
This procedure helps you identify drives to be used in a logical drive configuration.
During the boot process, the BIOS initialization banner lists information about the discovered SAS adapters and devices that are attached to the discovered HBAs in the system.
Note in the following example, there are two unconfigured drives, drives 02 and 03, that can be used to create a virtual drive.
After you have verified which drives are available for logical drive configuration, as described in To Verify the Drives Available for Logical Drive Creation (x86), you can use those drives to create a logical drive. In the following procedure, drives 2 and 3 (02, 03) are being used to create a RAID 1 volume.
Only drives that are available to be configured in a logical drive are displayed in the Drives box.
This selects the drive to be included in the logical drive configuration.
The logical drive is now created.
In this example, Drive Group 2, RAID 1 is created.
If you want to install an operating system (OS) onto the newly created logical drive and boot from that drive, perform the steps in this section to define the new logical drive as the boot device for your system.
A boot device popup window is displayed.
The creation of a bootable logical drive is complete. To validate the label of the logical drive, see To Verify That the Label of a Logical Drive Is Valid.