SATA backup device not recognised when attached to onboard port - IBM System x3400, x3500

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip: H191434

Symptom

After installing an IBM System x Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) backup solution on any of the on-board SATA controller connectors of an IBM x3400 or x3500 server, the backup device is not seen during server Power On Self Test (POST) or in the host Operating System (OS).

Affected configurations

The system may be any of the following IBM servers:

• System x3400, Type 7975, any model
• System x3400, Type 7976, any model
• System x3500, Type 7977, any model

The system is configured with at least one of the following:

• Microsoft Windows 2003 Server, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003/2003 R2, Datacenter x64 Edition, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Datacenter , any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter 32-bit, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Datacenter 64-bit, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise 32-bit, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Enterprise 64-bit, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, R2 Standard, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard 32-bit, any service pack
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Standard 64-bit, any service pack

The system is configured with one or more of the following IBM Options:

• Digital Data Storage (DDS) Generation 5 Tape Drive, Option part number 43W8480
• Digital Linear Tape V4 SATA Tape Drive, Option part number 39M5659
• GoVault 120 GB Cartridge, Option part number 42D8776
• GoVault 80 GB Cartridge, Option part number 39M5617
• GoVault Backup/Restore Tape Drive, Option part number 25R0006
• GoVault Base Drive w/o Cart, Option part number 42D8771

Note: This does not imply that the network operating system will work under all combinations of hardware and software.
Please see the compatibility page for more information: http://www.ibm.com/servers/eserver/serverproven/compat/us/

Solution

For detailed instructions on how to configure the host server, refer to the following PDF file:

• ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/systems/support/system_x_pdf/h191434.pdf
  

Workaround

Until the fix is resolved in the new BIOS release, the workaround is as follows:

The following instructions may help resolve issues noted installing the GoVault removable disk storage system. Ensure that the on-board SATA usage is enabled in the BIOS Setup and Configuration Utility. Using the latest BIOS release of 1.56 or later, perform the following:

Prerequisite: Ensure that the GoVault application interface driver software found on the IBM support site has been installed.

1. Boot system.
2. Press F1 during POST to access the BIOS setup.
3. Select Devices and I/O PORTS.
4. Select Advanced Chipset Control.
5. Verify the SATA Controller is Enabled.
6. Set the SATA AHCI DISABLED option to Enabled.
7. Set the SATA Controller Mode option to Enhanced.
8. Save changes and reboot the server.
9. After reboot, boot into Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and install the RAID/AHCI Storage Matrix driver as listed at the following URL: RAID/AHCI Software - Intel® Matrix Storage Manager.
10. Reboot the server.
11. Confirm that the GoVault is now seen by the operating system as a logical drive within Windows Explorer.
12. Run test back up using software of choice.

The following instructions may help resolve any issues seen in with the DDS Gen 5 SATA tape drive.

The DDS Gen 5 Tape Drive Option part number 43W8480, CRU 43W8489 may not be seen during server POST nor does the Microsoft Windows 2003 operating system detect the device. In order to get the DDS tape drive to work implement the following workaround:

1. Reboot the system.
2. Press F1 during POST to access the BIOS setup.
3. Select Devices and I/O PORTS.
4. Select Advanced Chipset Control.
5. Ensure the SATA Controller is enabled.
6. Set SATA AHCI ENABLE option to ENABLED.
7. Set SATA Controller Mode Option to Enhanced.
8. Save changes and reboot the server.
9. 9. After reboot, boot into Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and install the RAID/AHCI Storage Matrix driver as listed at the following URL: RAID/AHCI Software - Intel® Matrix Storage Manager.
10. Reboot the server.
11. Confirm that the GoVault is now seen by the operating system as a logical drive within Windows Explorer.
12. Run test back up using software of choice.

Additional information

The default Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) SATA port setting needs to be changed in order to enable any System x SATA backup solution to work in the listed IBM System x3400 and x3500 servers.

After the SATA port is enabled, the system will report having attached an unsupported drive, but the attached IBM System x SATA backup solution will work in the OS.