Users Guide

Foreign configuration found error message
Error Message:
Foreign configuration(s) found on adapter. Press any key to continue,
or ’C’ to load the configuration utility or ’F’ to import foreign
configuration(s) and continue.
Probable Cause: When a controller firmware detects a physical disk with existing foreign metadata, it flags the physical
disk as foreign and generates an alert indicating that a foreign disk was detected.
Corrective
Action:
Press <F> at this prompt to import the configuration (if all member disks of the virtual disk are present)
without loading the HII Configuration Utility. Or press <C> to enter the HII Configuration Utility and
either import or clear the foreign configuration.
Foreign configuration not found in HII error message
Error Message:
The foreign configuration message is present during POST but no foreign
configurations are present in the foreign view page in HII configuration
utility. All virtual disks are in an optimal state.
Corrective
Action:
Ensure all your PDs are present and all VDs are in optimal state. Clear the foreign configuration using HII
configuration utility or Dell OpenManage Server Administrator Storage Management.
CAUTION: The physical disk goes to Ready state when you clear the foreign configuration.
If you insert a physical disk that was previously a member of a virtual disk in the system, and that disk’s
previous location has been taken by a replacement disk through a rebuild, you must manually remove the
foreign configuration flag of the newly inserted disk.
Degraded state of virtual disks
A redundant virtual disk is in a degraded state when one or more physical disks have failed or are inaccessible. For example, if a
RAID 1 virtual disk consists of two physical disks and one of them fails or become inaccessible, the virtual disk become degraded.
To recover a virtual disk from a degraded state, you must replace the failed physical disk and rebuild it. Once the rebuilding
process is complete, the virtual disk state changes from degraded to optimal.
Memory errors
Memory errors can corrupt cached data, so the controllers are designed to detect and attempt to recover from the memory
errors. Single-bit memory errors can be handled by the controller and do not disrupt normal operation. A notification is sent if
the number of single-bit errors exceeds a threshold value.
Multi-bit errors are more serious as they result in corrupted data and data loss. The following are the actions that occur in the
case of multi-bit errors:
● If a multi-bit error occurs while accessing data in the cache when the controller is started with dirty cache, the controller
discards the cache contents. The controller generates a warning message to the system console to indicate that the cache
was discarded and generates an event.
● If a multi-bit error occurs at run-time either in code/data or in the cache, the controller stops.
● The controller logs an event to the controller’s internal event log and a message during POST is displayed indicating a multi-
bit error has occurred.
NOTE: In case of a multi-bit error, contact Global Technical Support.
Troubleshooting 77