Intel SRCU32 RAID c...
 
Notifications
Clear all

Intel SRCU32 RAID controller

10 Posts
3 Users
0 Likes
484 Views
(@gkelley)
Posts: 128
Estimable Member
Topic starter
 

Anyone ever imaged a computer with one of these? I'm trying to put the RAID back together. The power supply was removed so we were forced to image the disks separately. there are 4 drives.
The RAID settings are actually stored on the drives but I'm having a heck of a time figuring them out. I think I have a RAID5, but I'm not 100% sure.
I've tried RAID Reconstructor and Encase's RAID analyzer script and neither gave me any help. I've tried my methods of finding the MBR and partition starts and those have only got me part way there.
Not only do I have to figure out the disk order and stripe size but also the sector that the striping starts at for each disk.

 
Posted : 20/09/2009 10:36 pm
(@patrick4n6)
Posts: 650
Honorable Member
 

Try PyFLAG or X-Ways.

The boys from Aust DSD gave a great demo of RAID reconstruction with PyFLAG years back at the AHTCC conference.

 
Posted : 21/09/2009 1:39 am
(@seanmcl)
Posts: 700
Honorable Member
 

Did you have all of your drives attached to a non-RAID SCSI adapter when using RAID Reconstructor?

You mentioned the RAID configuration being stored on the drive which is true. This is to support the Array Roaming Compatibility of that series of controllers but it may also indicate that there is proprietary technology involved.

However, that particular RAID controller family has an open source Linux driver. You can use the C include file to determine the size of the structures on disk which describe the RAID format (including certain strings that you can GREP for), and then search for the parameters, yourself, find the structures, and enter the data into RAID Reconstructor.

You might even make it easy on yourself and get one of the controllers and a couple of disks and create the array but don't format the logical volume(s). The documentation states that the configuration data is not visible to the user so it must be outside the file system and having an array with logical volumes which have not been formatted should make it easy to find the location of the information written to it by the controller.

 
Posted : 21/09/2009 1:52 am
(@gkelley)
Posts: 128
Estimable Member
Topic starter
 

When I used RAID Reconstructor, I was using disk images, not the original drives.
I did read about the roaming capability, that is how I came to the conclusion as to where the RAID config is stored.
I didn't realize it was open source. Do you have a source for the source files? Reading C once I get them will be pretty easy for me.

 
Posted : 21/09/2009 6:25 am
(@seanmcl)
Posts: 700
Honorable Member
 

Try here

http//downloadcenter.intel.com/detail_desc.aspx?agr=N&ProductID=884&DwnldID=8257

Make sure to past it all back together.

 
Posted : 21/09/2009 5:42 pm
(@gkelley)
Posts: 128
Estimable Member
Topic starter
 

Thanks

 
Posted : 21/09/2009 6:01 pm
(@gkelley)
Posts: 128
Estimable Member
Topic starter
 

Well, while code does list the data structures that contain the information, it appears that the driver queries the controller for that information so I'm not sure where on the disks the controller is storing the data.

 
Posted : 21/09/2009 11:54 pm
(@seanmcl)
Posts: 700
Honorable Member
 

Well, while code does list the data structures that contain the information, it appears that the driver queries the controller for that information so I'm not sure where on the disks the controller is storing the data.

True, but sufficient information must be on the drive to allow the controller to look at drives it has never seen, before, and know how to assemble them into the array. The question is What information?

That is why I suggested that (assuming that the client will pay for this), get the controller and a few disks which have been zeroed out and set up an array with volumes but don't format the volumes. Any data on the disks must be data written to the disks by the controller. Once you know what it looks like, you should be able to find it.

 
Posted : 22/09/2009 12:18 am
(@gkelley)
Posts: 128
Estimable Member
Topic starter
 

That is why I suggested that (assuming that the client will pay for this), get the controller and a few disks which have been zeroed out and set up an array with volumes but don't format the volumes. Any data on the disks must be data written to the disks by the controller. Once you know what it looks like, you should be able to find it.

Gotcha. Well, luckily I was able to find a refurbished controller for $60. We'll see what happens when it comes in.

 
Posted : 22/09/2009 12:59 am
(@gkelley)
Posts: 128
Estimable Member
Topic starter
 

A follow-up…

I got a controller of the web rather cheap. I took some sanitized disks and built a RAID5. Reviewed the data on the disks and then partitioned and formatted. Still no idea on how to read the individual disks to build the RAID in Encase so I just took the easy way out. I restored the images I had of the RAID out to separate disks, added them to the controller and then used Linen to image.

A side note I only had 3 SCSI disks to test by my RAID was 4 disks. I just added the 3 to the controller and not only did the controller build the RAID5 (as it should) but since it was critical with a disk missing, the controller put the RAID in Read-Only mode. Very nice.

 
Posted : 06/10/2009 6:48 am
Share: