How Do I Run two Raid Systems on a Dell 2450 Server

Mark2450Mark2450 Salt Lake City, Utawwwwwww
edited March 2008 in Hardware
Lets see how smart you lads are....

I have a Dell 2450 set up as a home server running Windows 2003... its running as a DHCP server just fine and dandy and I'd also like to access a Dell Powervault 200S that I just bought to be able to use its 1.4 terrabytes of reliable SCSI storage. This is all just for storing Digital Photo Files of course... The 2450's mommie board has an internal Perc 3SI raid system built into it but no scsi connector on back of the unit to hook up the 200S to as other servers do... I have two other Perc 3 RAID cards... one Perc 3DC(dual channel) and one PERC 3SC(single channel) so I could add either to the server. The problem is that when I add either of these cards they conflict with the built in Perc 3SI system ad the server won't boot up. I tried disabling the extra RAID card's bios but then that won't allow the RAID card to boot up either.... I also tried disabling the internal RAID systems bios in system set up and just using the Perc 3DC or SC but thats to no avail. either. Now I kow that others use external storage on theor 2450's because the 200S that I bought used to be connected to a 2450. So what do I do here to get it to work?

Thanks!

Mark

Comments

  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited March 2008
    The 2450 has an integrated Adaptec AIC-7899 Ultra3 SCSI host adapter that supports up to five 1-inch SCSI hard-disk drives via a SCSI backplane board and an optional 1-inch SCSI hard-disk drive installed in the peripheral bay.

    Which usually means you can't connect it to an external scsi storage unit for that you usually have to get an external scsi adapter.
  • Mark2450Mark2450 Salt Lake City, Utawwwwwww
    edited March 2008
    Exactly! I have another adaptor... somewhere you missed that one.....

    Mark
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited March 2008
    Are either of those adapters 64bit PCI as they won't work with the 2450.

    According to Dell for IT administrators who want to scale beyond 90GB of storage with external arrays, an Ultra2 Raid controller is available with an external connector.

    The only card I'm finding for sure that works and supports external SCSI for the 2450 is the Dell PowerEdge 2450 Perc2 PCI Raid Card 64mb 66JVW.
  • Mark2450Mark2450 Salt Lake City, Utawwwwwww
    edited March 2008
    I have a PERC 3SC card for the external which is more or less the same as a PERC 2 just a year or two newer. The problem is that when the external card is installed it blocks the internal PERC system from booting up irregardless of the settings on either PERC system....

    Mark
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    The problem might be that it's a PERC3 and not some 3rd party card (even though the perc3 is either LSI or Adaptec). You may have to get a different RAID card yet again to get this to work.

    Are you sure there's not an internal connector you can break out of the case with? You can just hang a ribbon off the onboard connector and they make backplates that just contain a scsi connector with an internal ribbon....
  • Mark2450Mark2450 Salt Lake City, Utawwwwwww
    edited March 2008
    You can just hang a ribbon off the onboard connector and they make backplates that just contain a scsi connector with an internal ribbon....<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

    There is nowhere to connect a 2nd RAID system on the 2450... but hat gives me an idea to try... There is both an external and an internal connector on the PERC 3SC card... what I may have to do is disable the built in PERC 3SI RAID system and just use the Perc 3 SC card to do both RAIDS which I am pretty sure it can do.

    Thanks!

    Mark
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited March 2008
    Mark2450 wrote:
    There is nowhere to connect a 2nd RAID system on the 2450... but hat gives me an idea to try... There is both an external and an internal connector on the PERC 3SC card... what I may have to do is disable the built in PERC 3SI RAID system and just use the Perc 3 SC card to do both RAIDS which I am pretty sure it can do.

    Thanks!

    Mark

    That's what you are supposed to do with that card. - I miss read your first post though and though you said you tried that with no luck.
  • Mark2450Mark2450 Salt Lake City, Utawwwwwww
    edited March 2008
    Ok I ordered two PERC 2 cards today... 9 bucks each is worth finding out if its a compatability issue or not. BTW, the 2450 does have a 64 bit buss. There are actually two different risers available... 32 bit for single processor machines and a 64 bit riser for dual processor machines... So anyway I'll try the PERC 2 and see what happens....

    Mark
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2008
    good luck :)
  • kryystkryyst Ontario, Canada
    edited March 2008
    Keep us posted I'm interested to see how you make out.
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