LSI SAS Ctrl+C Utility: RAID0, RAID1, RAID1E, Spares and Maintenance
This archived guide mainly shows SAS1068 with LSI Logic Config Utility v6.06.07.00 and firmware 0.09.02.00-IR. Its POST and final activation screenshots come from different versions; the final one is SAS2008 v7.25.00.00. Match the actual controller and firmware. Creating, deleting, synchronizing and formatting are distinct operations; protect required data and verify the intended drives before applying changes.
1. RAID configuration and management
1.1 View RAID status
After the server logo, the SAS POST screen offers Ctrl+C. Use that prompt to enter the utility; the adapter list identifies the controller and firmware:
Select the intended adapter and press Enter. Open RAID Properties, then View Existing Array. The source says that the absence of View Existing Array indicates no configured array; also verify that the intended controller is selected and its devices are detected:
Use Alt+N to switch arrays when more than one is present. Type IS means RAID0, IM means RAID1, and IME means RAID1E; newer interfaces can display the RAID number directly. Size is the logical-array capacity. Optimal is the normal state; Syncd with a percentage indicates synchronization in progress, while Degraded can indicate a missing/failed member. The pictured IM volume is 69618MB and only 1% Syncd, with a Primary and a Not Syncd member:
1.2 Delete an array
Open RAID Properties → View Existing Array, select the verified target with Alt+N if needed, then Manage Array. The first view repeats the same synchronizing IM example:
Choose Delete Array and press Enter. Its confirmation offers Y to delete and return to Adapter Properties, or N to abandon deletion. Use Y only for an authorized deletion whose data requirements have been resolved:
1.3 Create RAID0: an IS volume
From RAID Properties, choose Create IS Volume; some versions call it Create RAID0. The source supports 2–8 members for this workflow. Set RAID Disk to Yes with Space for each intended available drive, then press C. Its example selects slots 4, 5 and 6 and reports 208854MB:
Choose Save changes then exit this menu. Wait for the creation operation to finish. The generic processing screen says it may take up to one minute; this is not a guarantee for all configurations. RAID0 does not supply member-failure redundancy:
1.4 Create RAID1: an IM volume
From RAID Properties, choose Create IM Volume or Create RAID1. Exactly two members are used in this procedure. Initially their RAID Disk fields are No; select the intended first drive and change its field with Space:
The next prompt offers two different data treatments:
- M: keep the intended primary disk’s existing data and migrate it into an IM array. Synchronization copies it to the second member; that second disk’s prior data is overwritten.
- D: overwrite existing data and create a new IM array. The prompt warns that all data on all array disks will be deleted and no migration synchronization is performed.
The source commonly chooses D for a new empty array; that is not a default recovery action for an existing volume. With M, the first selected disk is Primary and the second is Secondary, so the selection order matters. Back up required data before either path. The next captures show the first member as Primary, then two selected members and a 69618MB logical size. A third drive is marked Max Dsks for this IM configuration:
Press C, choose Save changes then exit this menu, and wait for the creation operation. The source says a new D-created array can show Optimal without a migration copy; that state is not proof that old data was preserved or that a data-validation test passed:
1.5 Create RAID1E: an IME volume
From RAID Properties, choose Create IME Volume or Create RAID1E. The source describes 3–8 members. Set the intended members’ RAID Disk fields to Yes and press C. Its three-member example uses slots 4, 5, 6 and shows 104427MB:
Choose Save changes then exit this menu, and wait for completion. The actual controller’s drive-count limits also apply to spares; do not assume an extra spare can be added beyond the supported total:
1.6 Configure a hot spare
In this source workflow, RAID1 and RAID1E support spare-assisted rebuilding; RAID0 does not. For the existing IM example, open RAID Properties → View Existing Array and choose the intended array with Alt+N. Open Manage Array:
Choose Manage Hot Spare. An eligible unconfigured drive must be available. At the intended drive, set Hot Spr to Yes using Space, then press C to commit. The source first shows slot 6 with No:
The source repeats its save/processing captures, then shows slot 6 with Hot Spr Yes and Drive Status Hot Spare. The array is still 7% Syncd; spare assignment does not mean synchronization has finished:
2. Common maintenance cases
2.1 A drive goes offline
RAID1/RAID1E can rebuild redundant data after a supported single-member fault/replacement; RAID0 cannot recover a lost member this way. The source says rebuilding normally starts automatically. Its IME example is 104427MB, Degraded, with one Missing member. The next view shows the returned/replaced member Not Syncd and 0% Syncd overall; this is the beginning of synchronization, not a healthy-completed state. Use the platform’s actual replacement and power procedure rather than assuming every drive is hot-swappable:
If the supported procedure requires manual synchronization, open Manage Array → Synchronize Array and review the Y/N confirmation. The source’s menu example switches back to an IM volume and warns that synchronization may take several hours. Confirm the real array and valid source data before choosing Y; synchronization can propagate the wrong data if the wrong members are used:
2.2 Verify or format a physical drive
Open SAS Topology, expand Direct Attach Devices and inspect the list of recognized bays, models and interfaces. Select the intended drive and use Alt+D to open its device properties:
Format and Verify are separate actions. For Format, press Enter to view the warning. This screen says formatting changes the sector size to 512 bytes, permanently erases all data, may take hours and cannot be stopped. Press F only when that destructive format is intended; another key exits:
For Verify, choose Verify and press Enter. The next screen says all sectors will be verified; Enter starts it and another key cancels. The 0% and 00:00:00 shown are an initial state, not a completed media-verification result:
2.3 An array is inactive
The source describes an array becoming Inactive after an abrupt outage or controller replacement, possibly leaving no boot device available. From RAID Properties → View Existing Array, select the intended array and open Manage Array:
Choose Activate Array; some versions call it Activate Volume. The source says Active Array/Active Volume, but its pictured English label is Activate Volume. The final capture is a separate SAS2008 RAID1 example, 3725GB, already showing Optimal and 0% Initialized. Its box identifies the activation command; it does not demonstrate an actual Inactive-to-active transition or a successful OS boot. Follow the matching controller’s prompts and verify the resulting array and data access:
