Troubleshooting a "missing" Hard Disk Drive (HDD) on Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 systems

Asset ID:	1-75-1005522.1
Update Date:	2011-03-28
Keywords:

Solution Type Troubleshooting Sure

Solution 1005522.1 : Troubleshooting a "missing" Hard Disk Drive (HDD) on Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 systems

Applies to:

Sun Netra 1280 Server
Sun Netra 1290 Server
Sun Fire V1280 Server
Sun Fire 3800 Server
Sun Fire 4800 Server
All Platforms

Purpose

Description

This document covers situations where a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) seems to have disappeared, is reported as unknown, failed, or is otherwise absent from the configuration for whatever reason.

Specifically, this document addresses how to troubleshoot a "missing" Hard Disk Drive (HDD) on Sun Fire [TM] 3800, 4800, 4810, E4900, 6800, E6900 and Sun Fire [TM] v1280, E2900, and Netra [TM] 1280, 1290 systems. This document does not address a situation where I/O devices (Disk drives, DVD-ROMs, or Tape Drives) are in error.
To troubleshoot I/O errors, see <Document:1004271.1> Troubleshooting errors on I/O devices (Disk drives, DVD, Tapes) in a Sun Fire [TM] Serengeti or LightWeight8 systems.

Symptoms:

One might describe the situation by saying "I have a bad disk drive" or "I'm missing my hard drive".
Format may report a disk as "Drive type unknown".
It could be described that "probe-scsi-all does not show the disk".
In some cases, the domain might be prevented from booting.
It's possible the problems could affect multiple controllers or device paths and there are multiple missing disks in the configuration.

Last Review Date

March 28, 2011

Instructions for the Reader

A Troubleshooting Guide is provided to assist in debugging a specific issue. When possible, diagnostic tools are included in the document to assist in troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Details

Steps to Follow

Please validate that each troubleshooting step below is true for your environment. The steps will provide instructions or a link to a document, for validating the step and taking corrective action as necessary. The steps are ordered in the most appropriate sequence to isolate the issue and identify the proper resolution. Please do not skip a step.

1. Verify that at a device is missing.

Refer to <Document:1013117.1> How to verify a missing device(s) on Sun SPARC(R) systems

2. Verify that re-seating the device or any cables/connectors associated with the device does not resolve the issue.

Visually inspect all drive cables/connectors in the system for possible contamination or damages and re-seat the cables if necessary.

The drive/backplane cable locations can be found in the Sun System Handbook or the Service Manuals included in the product documentation for the different servers or arrays.

You may need to check and reconnect the cables, or try a known good cable, issue a reset-all and retest.

3. If only a single missing device, verify that replacing the device does not resolve the issue.

Reference <Document:1004390.1> HDD part number identification

4. If there are multiple missing devices, verify that the devices missing are on the same controller.

Decode the device paths in error using <Document:1005907.1> Solaris{TM} Operating System: Matrix of Recognized Device Paths.

5. Verify that moving the Host Bus Adaptor (HBA) to a different slot (or a different bus) or replacing it doesn't resolve the problem with the missing device.

6. Verify that after I/O Board (IB) replacement, devices still cannot be seen.

7. Collect the following data and collaborate with the next level of support.

It is preferred that Explorer with the appropriate scextended or 1280extended option as detailed in <Document:1018748.1> How to Run Explorer and Forward the data to an Oracle Engineer.
If Explorer data can not be collected for whatever reason see <Document:1003529.1> Procedure to collect Sunfire Midrange failure data manually.

Internal Comments
At this point, if the customer has validated that each troubleshooting step above is true for their
environment, and the issue still exists, collaborate with the next level of technical support.

Previously Published As 91432

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