Configuring RAID

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If you want to configure the server storage drives in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) configuration, configure the RAID volume before you install the OS. For instructions for configuring RAID, refer to Configuring Storage Drives for Operating System Installation in Oracle Servers X7-2 and X7-2L Installation Guide.

HBA and RAID Support

The servers provide hardware RAID support through on-board SAS3 RAID HBAs. Each controller enables you to create up to two logical disk volumes consisting of two or more redundant disk drives. The following table identifies the hardware RAID controllers built into each server.

Server	Controller Description	Supported RAID Levels
X7-2	One on-board SAS3 HBA	0, 1, 1e, 10
X7-2L	Two on-board SAS3 HBAs	0, 1, 1e, 10

Note - RAID 1e and RAID 10 are functionally equivalent. RAID 1e requires an odd number of drives (minimum of three). RAID 10 requires an even number of drives (minimum of four).

There are three sets of RAID management utilities you can use with the on-board SAS3 HBAs provided in these servers.

Intel Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise (RSTe)
Avago BIOS Configuration Utility
Host Operating System MegaRAID Utility (storCLI Ultility)

RAID Configuration Requirements

Your server is equipped with an Oracle Storage 12 Gb SAS PCIe RAID HBA, internal: 16 port and 2 GB memory (for factory installation) card. This HBA requires a RAID volume to install and boot an operating system (OS).

To install an OS, ensure that the drive where you install the OS is visible to the system. To make a drive visible, a RAID volume must be created on the drive. If you do not want to use a RAID array, configure the drive as a RAID 0 volume. All RAID levels are installed with BIOS.

RAID Level	Number of Disks Required
0	1
1	2
5	3
6	3
10	4
50	6
60	6

Post-Installation RAID Volume Creation

Before installing an operating system, complete the RAID configuration. However, after installing an operating system, it is possible to create a RAID volume on nonboot disks.

Use these tools to create and manage the RAID resources in your server:

Oracle Hardware Management Pack 2.4 – Use the raidconfig commands contained in the Oracle Server CLI Tools component to create and manage RAID volumes on your server. Refer to the Oracle Hardware Management Pack 2.4 documentation at http://www.oracle.com/goto/ohmp/docs.
(Oracle Storage 12 Gb SAS PCIe RAID HBA) Avago MegaCLI or MegaRAID Storage Manager – Use the Avago MegaCLI command-line tool or the MegaRAID Storage Manager graphical interface to configure and manage RAID volumes for Oracle Storage 12 Gb SAS PCIe RAID HBA.