Intel On-Board RAID 1 Failed Array Member Replacement Method

A system we have on our bench has some serious gremlins working in it.

We have since replaced the original 150GB Raptors with 150GB VelociRaptors, we replaced the RAM, and we replaced the motherboard.

The replacement of the Raptors and then a subsequent OS install served to really stabilize the system. There were no more spontaneous reboots happening every couple or three random hours.

But, the system would still spontaneously reboot every two or three days. We have had the full Season 2 of 24 run through the box alternating with a local radio station for good measure. All multimedia runs through Windows Media Center on Windows Vista Ultimate with a Hauppauge PCI-E multimedia card providing the radio and a Radeon HD3870 providing the DVD decoding. A SoundBlaster X-Fi rounds out the configuration.

The onboard Intel Matrix Storage BIOS would not let us replace the defective hard drive no matter what methodology we tried.

A call into Intel support provided the guidance we needed to get things working as they should.

We had to delete the RAID 1 set the last good array member was on. From there, we booted into Windows Vista and needed to start the Intel Matrix Storage Console.

In the Console, we needed to switch to advanced mode, then select Create RAID Volume from Existing Hard Drive.

We chose to create a RAID 1 array.

The next step, which is choosing the source drive for the array, is critical. Since the failed drive was on Port 0, we knew that the drive on Port 1 need to be the source drive.

Once we selected the source and destination drives we let the Migration process run. It took about 45 minutes for it to complete. We then did a reboot to make sure that the OS was still good to go.

Hopefully the flaky behaviour we have seen so far will disappear now that one of the array members has outright failed … hopefully!

We will run Season 3 of 24 through the machine, balancing that with some local radio station tunes to make sure. :)

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac! (previous blog post)

Windows Live Writer

A Vista Gadget Funny

It’s Friday, time to go home and one last task to accomplish was the update of this workstation’s ATI Catalyst drivers to the newest version since it started choking on them yesterday.

So, after the update reboot, we must have hit hyper-space, because we ain’t in Kansas anymore Toto:

A blue sun!

BTW, that –5 Celsius is nice to see since it was –25 Celsius yesterday!

Welcome to the Andromeda Galaxy!

Time to go home. Will fix another day. :)

Have a great weekend!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts will not be written on a Mac until we replace our now missing iMac!

Windows Live Writer

Windows Vista - Now ... Just Exactly What is in What Edition Again?!?

We have our Retail (Fully Packaged Product - FPP) boxed XP Pro and Vista Business on which we base our Open Value Software Assurance benefits.

We are eligible for the Windows Vista Ultimate upgrade or Windows Vista Enterprise upgrade editions with our Software Assurance Benefits.

Okay, now ... can someone tell us simply and clearly: What is the difference between Windows Vista Ultimate and Enterprise features in one page or less ... preferably via a grid?

Microsoft's Windows Vista Choose an Edition site does not clarify that.

So, we click the link at the bottom of the Vista Comparison Grid:

Large, global organizations with complex IT infrastructures should consider Windows Vista Enterprise edition.

Therein we find a link to Vista Enterprise's features. Still, we don't find a grid to compare to other Vista editions.

With a little bit of searching, we came up with this excellent Windows Vista Edition comparison article at Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Windows Vista Review
Part 2: Understanding the Vista Product Editions. We are provided with a grid, and the answer to the question we were asking.

The answer is: The primary difference between the two editions is the inclusion of Media Center features along with the Media Center Extensions and DVD making software in Vista Ultimate Edition.

For us, the differences are important as we need to explain to our client's senior partners the edition options that can be installed on their systems. We may also be required to run some training for our client's partners on the Ultimate feature set either here or on-site.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.

System Builder Tip: Meet JOE ... Intel's new Executive Series Desktop Board

Our system builder has been testing the new DQ35JOE for over a month now. They told me that they are quite happy with the results of the tests.

So, we will be building our corporate systems on the new Intel Desktop Board DQ35JOE from now on.

In the mean time, we are going to build a series of Core 2 Quad Q6600s on the JOE we will obtain through distribution. The systems, around 5 or 6 to start, will be used in a training lab we are putting together in the shop here.

Here is a side-by-side with our current corporate system mainstay, the DQ965GFEKR series:

Left: DQ965GF - Right: DQ35JOE

It is pretty obvious that this is not just a step up in a board revision with a relabel. We are seeing 32bit 33MHz PCI go the way of the Dodo. Kinda reminds me of the PCI replacing ISA days. For that matter, PCI 32/33 has been around for a long time in computer years.

And, check out the very left hand bottom of JOE: There is no PS/2 connectors! :D YAY! Anyone else remember the promise made somewhere around 10 years ago? Wow! It sure took one heck of a long time for that one to pass. Same with the now absent parallel and floppy ports!

The new JOE has dual video out. One DVI and one VGA that will now support dual monitors native to the on board video. That is a pretty kewl feature. In some cases where high powered video is not required, this will save a few bucks for our clients that do things like desktop publishing and the like.

JOE comes with an eSATA connector - in red - that has an external mounting bracket with cable that can be mounted at the rear of the case. While eSATA is definitely a neat feature, it presents a bit of a predicament. That predicament is data protection.

This is one place where a smaller client with no Software Assurance/Enterprise Agreements really should consider BitLocker.

Despite all of the crying about Windows Vista Ultimate and the so called "lack of features", BitLocker is, to us, the "killer app" in Windows Vista Ultimate. In the Corporate World, all of the other stuff is fluff ... well ... except maybe for the partners or executives. ;)

BitLocker should be an easy sell to any client requiring client data security. Think doctors, lawyers, accountants, dentists, and any other professional or trade where client/customer data needs to be protected.

Tie BitLocker into that external USB HDD that is mirroring the internal hard drive, some training on the use and rotation of the drives, and a second drive (we use different colour enclosures) for off-site rotations, and we have have a nice little security package we can propose to our clients.

The Intel product sites:

• Intel® Desktop Board DQ35JO
• Intel® Desktop Board DQ35JO Ordering Codes

And remember, the product life cycle may be at least two years, but that does not mean that we will not run into some sort of revision level to CPU compatibility next year!

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists

*All Mac on SBS posts are posted on our in-house iMac via the Safari Web browser.