The Dell^TMPERC 2 ^TM RAID Controller provides powerful disk array support in servers that have a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus. The PERC 2 has four SCSI Ultra 2 buses, and each bus has the equivalent functionality of a separate SCSI Ultra 2 bus.

This installation guide explains how to install the PERC 2, connect SCSI devices to it, install the PERC 2 device driver and install the controller management software, allowing you to manage the controller and its attached storage devices.

Installation Overview

The following steps are required to install the PERC 2 hardware and software:

1. Install the hardware:
   • Install the PERC 2 in the server.
   • Connect the SCSI devices to the PERC 2.

   For more information, see Installing the Hardware.

2. Optionally create and configure containers using the PERC 2 BIOS.

   For more information, see Using the BIOS Container Configuration Utility.

3. Install the PERC 2 device driver.

   For more information, see Installing the Device Driver.

4. Install the controller management software.

   For more information, see Installing the Controller Management Software.

   Note: Version 2.5 is incompatible with earlier versions. If you are adding a V2.5 controller to a system containing a controller at an earlier version, you must upgrade the firmware, drivers, and controller management software (as a complete set) for the controller at the earlier version. For information on how to perform the upgrade, see Performing an Upgrade Installation.

Controller Management Utilities

The PERC 2 supports the following management utilities:

• Dell OpenManage^TM Array Manager (Array Manager)—Array Manager software provides a comprehensive solution to storage management in an integrated graphical view. Through a common interface, Array Manager lets you configure and manage local and remote storage attached to a server while the server is online and continuing to process requests.

  Array Manager obtains data from storage devices and the logical volumes contained on those devices. Array Manager displays storage configuration in both a physical and a logical view. The physical view shows the physical connections between the storage devices. The logical view shows a logical representation of your storage as logical volumes.

  From the Array Manager console, you can do the following:

  • Create and manage software and hardware RAID solutions
  • Display all of your storage information in a graphical environment
  • Customize the Array Manager interface to suit your individual needs
• Flexible Array Storage Tool (FAST)— FAST software enables you to manage data, files, and storage devices in an easy-to-use graphical interface with wizard support. In addition, you can integrate the FAST software with higher-level management platforms to unify systems and network management. FAST can create a container consisting of partitions on different disks, where each partition is less than the entire disk's capacity. FAST can be used to locally manage a PERC 2 on systems running the Microsoft^® Windows NT^®/Windows 2000^® operating system. It can also be used to remotely manage — from Windows NT/Windows 2000 — many controllers from the PERC 2 and PERC 3 family that are installed on another system running Windows NT/Windows 2000 or NetWare. For more information on FAST, see the Flexible Array Storage Tool User's Guide.

  Note: Currently, the FAST and Array Manager utilities are not designed to coexist on the same system.

• Command Line Interface (CLI)— CLI lets you perform most of the tasks that you can perform with the FAST utility and, in addition, lets you perform some tasks not available in FAST. CLI allows you to use CLI commands in command scripts. For more information on CLI, see the Command Line Interface User's Guide and the Command Line Interface Reference Guide, available on Dell's Web site ( www.dell.com ).
• BIOS Utilities— The built-in PERC 2 BIOS includes the following utilities that allow you to configure and manage your controller and attached storage devices:
  • Container Configuration Utility (CCU)— Allows you to create and manage containers.
  • SCSISelect Utility (SSU)—Allows you to configure your SCSI bus and devices.
  • Disk Utilities (DU)—Allows you to format and verify your attached storage devices.

System Requirements

The following are the minimum system requirements for the PERC 2:

• A Dell PowerEdge 2400 PowerEdge server with the PERC 2 option. Refer to www.dell.com for PowerEdge server and PERC 2 compatibility information.
• A minimum of 32 MBytes of main memory.
• An available full length, either 32- or 64-bit 33 MHz, unobstructed 5-volt or 3.3-volt PCI slot that supports bus mastering and 5v power signalling.
• One 32, 64, or 128 MByte EDO DRAM DIMM (Dual-In Line Memory Module) with ECC for cache memory (included with controller).
• 32 MBytes of available hard disk space for the PERC 2 software.
• One of the following:
  • Windows NT 4.0 Server, Small Business Server Edition.
  • Windows NT 4.0 Server, Terminal Server Edition.
  • Windows NT 4.0 Server, Enterprise Server Edition.
  • Windows NT 4.0 Server, BackOffice Edition.
  • Windows NT 4.0 Workstation (for installing the controller's GUI).

    Note: All Windows NT systems require Service Pack 6A or higher.

  • Windows 2000.
  • NetWare 4.2 with Support Pack 9 or higher.
  • NetWare 5.0 with Support Pack 5 or higher.
  • NetWare 5.1 with Support Pack 1 or higher.
  • Red Hat Linux 7.0
• A 3.5-inch, 1.44-MByte floppy disk drive.
• CD-ROM drive.
• SCSI cables to connect the internal or external PERC 2 68-pin connectors to the SCSI devices. Depending on the configuration, from one to four cables may be required (internal cables are included with the controller).

Software Version

This book supports Version 2.5 or higher.

Conventions

This document uses the following typographic conventions:

Enter
Used for key names, screen elements, and for options you are told to select.

nwconfig
Used for file and program names and screen messages.

A:\w2ksetup.bat
Used for text that must be typed exactly as shown.

This document includes three kinds of advisories:

Note: Notes are reminders, tips, or suggestions that might simplify the procedures included in this document.

Caution: Cautions alert you to actions that might cause damage to your system or your data.

WARNING: Warnings alert you to actions that might cause injury to you or someone else.

To avoid injury to people or damage to equipment and data, be sure to follow the cautions and warnings in this document. Dell does not claim to have included in this document every condition or situation that might require a caution or warning notice. Be sure to consult the documentation for your computer and any connected equipment when you are installing the equipment or changing its configuration.

WARNING: Always use caution when handling electrical equipment!

User Guide
Back to Contents Page Introduction: Dell™ PowerEdge™ Expandable RAID Controller 2 Installation Guide	Installation Overview	Controller Management Utilities	System Requirements	Conventions