10/18/13 Document 1013003.

How to Identify if a Linux Operating Environment is Installed on a Hardware RAID Controller

(Doc ID 1013003.1)
Modified: 19-Sep-2012 Type: HOWTO

APPLIES TO:

Sun 3rd Party Software Product - Version Not Applicable to Not Applicable [Release N/A]
All Platforms
***Checked for relevance on 19-Sep-2012***

GOAL

Summary: This document describes how to identify if a Linux operating environment is installed under the control of a
platforms hardware RAID management device.
Symptoms: Identify installation configuration.

FIX

NOTE:

Always perform disk management commands as a root or UID0 user.

LOCATE ROOT MOUNT POINT AND VOLUME NAME:

Issue the following command to identify the root volume name:

# /bin/mount | grep "on / "

This will produce similar to the following output:

/dev/sda2 on / type ext3 (rw)

The output above informs us that the root volume "/" is mounted on a device designated "/dev/sda2". Syntax
breakdown is as follows:

s = SCSI
d = disk
a = first device
2 = second partition

The designation may differ if using an older Linux revision.

Older revisions of Linux used legacy disk attachment drivers that did not emulate SCSI and therefore reported
themselves as follows:

h = hard
d = disk
a = first device
2 = second partition

We use the keyword SCSI because all storage devices in a modern Linux platform including IDE/PATA, FC-AL, SAS,
SATA, SCSI, and USB emulate SCSI to be represented as a storage device. Therefore, most storage devices, system
messages and document tutorials are referenced as SCSI, even when the underline storage may use a different
physical media interface.

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NOT UNDER THE CONTROL OF HARDWARE RAID MANAGEMENT:

Issue the following command to identify the attached disk properties:

# /bin/more /proc/scsi/scsi

This will produce similar to the following output depending on platform type and configuration:

Attached devices:
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
Vendor: SEAGATE Model: ST373207LC Rev: 0003
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 03
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 01 Lun: 00
Vendor: SEAGATE Model: ST373207LC Rev: 0003
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 03

This output identifies two SCSI disks attached to the internal controller. The internal controller is not shown in this
output.
Note that both disks are shown in the "Vendor:" field as the true manufacturer disk name "SEAGATE" and the field
"Model:" shows the true manufacturer disk model "ST373207LC".

UNDER THE CONTROL OF ONBOARD LSI HARDWARE RAID MANAGEMENT:

Issue the following command to identify the attached disk properties:

# /bin/more /proc/scsi/scsi

This will produce similar to the following output depending on platform type and configuration:

Attached devices:
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
Vendor: LSILOGIC Model: 1030 IM IM Rev: 1000
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02

This output identifies one SCSI disk attached to the internal controller. Note that the disk reported in the field "Vendor:"
is "LSILOGIC" and the field "Model:" shows "1030 IM".

Here we see that the true disk manufacturer is hidden from the operating system and replaced with a pseudo volume
name "LSILOGIC".

The true disk model is replaced with an identifier providing us with the RAID controller name and configuration "1030
IM".
The "1030" refers to the LSI 1020/1030 controller built in to this platform.
The "IM" refers to the configuration of RAID:

IS = Stripe / RAID 0
IM = Mirror / RAID 1

UNDER THE CONTROL OF LSI MEGARAID HARDWARE RAID MANAGEMENT:

Issue the following command to identify the attached disk properties:

# /bin/more /proc/scsi/scsi

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This will produce similar to the following output depending on platform type and configuration:

Attached devices:
Host: scsi1 Channel: 02 Id: 00 Lun: 00
Vendor: MegaRAID Model: LD 0 RAID5 278G Rev: 413Y
Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02

This output identifies one SCSI disk attached to the internal controller. More devices may show if you have an
intelligent disk backplane installed or additional disks not under hardware RAID control.
Note that the disk reported in the field "Vendor:" is "MEGARAID" and the field "Model:" shows "LD 0 RAID5".

Here we see that the true disk manufacturer is hidden from the operating system and replaced with a pseudo volume
name "MEGARAID".

The true disk model is replaced with an identifier providing us with the RAID controller ID and configuration "LD 0
RAID5".

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