Force-online operation
Sometimes the logical drives might go to an Offline state even if all the hard drives
are working correctly. In such cases, if you know that the data on that logical array
is in a working state, you can force the array to an Online or Critical state
(depending upon the earlier state of the array). This feature helps recover the data
by forcing the logical drive from Offline to Online or Critical state. Use the
force-online option only as a last attempt to recover data. Do not use such an array
for production purposes.
You can force an Offline array to Online / Critical Revived by using the BIOS,
ServeRAID Manager (SRM) GUI, or the Adaptec RAID Controller Configuration
(ARCCONF) Force-Online operation option.
BIOS
To force an Offline array to Online / Critical Revived by using the BIOS, complete
the following steps:
1. Select Manage Containers in the Array configuration utility.
2. Use the Up and Down keys to navigate to an Offline array.
3. Press Ctrl+R to perform a force online operation on that logical array.
4. Press Y to continue the force online operation.
The Success in Force On-Line Process message is displayed after the array is
created.
The Failure in Force On-Line Process message is displayed if the array is not
created.
36 ServeRAID-8 Series: Best Practices and Maintenance Information