IBM Support

RAID hard drive Write-Cache defaults to Write-Through mode - IBM Servers

Troubleshooting


Problem

IBM Netfinity and eServer xSeries hard drive Write-Cache mode defaults to Write-Through.

Resolving The Problem

Source

RETAIN tip H033734

Symptom

IBM Netfinity and eServer xSeries hard drive Write-Cache mode defaults to Write-Through.

Affected configurations

The system is configured with the following options:

  • Onboard ServeRAID
  • A PC ServeRAID SCSI adapter, option part number 70G8489, replacement part number (FRU) 06H9334
  • A ServeRAID II Ultra SCSI adapter, option part number 76H3584, replacement part number (FRU) 76H3587
  • A Netfinity ServeRAID-3H Ultra2 SCSI adapter, option part number 01K7207, replacement part number (FRU) 01K7396
  • A Netfinity ServeRAID-3HB Ultra2 SCSI adapter, option part number 37L6086, replacement part number (FRU) 01K7396 (adapter), replacement part number (FRU) 09L2105 (cache) (ServeRAID-3H battery backup cache, option part number 28L1003, replacement part number (FRU) 09L2105)
  • A Netfinity ServeRAID-3L Ultra2 SCSI adapter, option part number 01K7364, replacement part number (FRU) 01K7352)
  • A Netfinity ServeRAID-4H Ultra160 SCSI controller, option part number 37L6889, replacement part number (FRU) 37L6892 (controller), replacement part number (FRU) 37L6902 (cache daughter card), replacement part number (FRU) 37L6903 (cache battery)
  • A Netfinity ServeRAID-4L Ultra160 SCSI controller, option part number 37L6091, replacement part number (FRU) 09N9540
  • A Netfinity ServeRAID-4M Ultra160 SCSI controller, option part number 37L6080, replacement part number (FRU) 37L7258
  • A Netfinity ServeRAID-4M Ultra160 SCSI controller (Japan), option part number 19K0565, replacement part number (FRU) 00N9543 (Japan)
  • A ServeRAID-4Lx Ultra160 SCSI controller, option part number 06P5740, replacement part number (FRU) 06P5741
  • A ServeRAID-4Mx Ultra160 SCSI controller, option part number 06P5736, replacement part number (FRU) 06P5737

Additional information

There are two (2) possible settings for the hard disk Write-Cache mode, Write-Through (WT) and Write-Back (WB). This setting changes the way the internal cache memory is used on the physical hard disk device. The default Write-Cache mode for all IBM xSeries hard disk drives is Write-Through (WT). This is the preferred setting for all Netfinity and xSeries hard disk drives attached to any supported disk controller in IBM server environments. Hard disk drives attached to ServeRAID controllers must be in a "Ready" state before the Write-Cache mode can be changed. The "Ready" state means that the disk drive is not a member of any defined array or logical drive.
 
All disk drive devices should be set to Write-Through prior to configuring arrays and logical drives. There is the potential of losing data if a power outage occurs while using disk drives with the Write-Cache mode set to Write-Back.
 
In ServeRAID storage subsystems, ServeRAID Manager can be used to verify and change the Write-Cache mode to Write-Through. From within the operating system, open ServeRAID Manager or boot the system to the IBM ServeRAID Support CD:

  1. In the Explorer pane, open the controller #, then physical drives, then the SCSI Channel.
  2. Select the SCSI ID of the disk in the left pane, look for the field "Write-Cache mode" in the right pane and the setting should read "Write-Through".
  3. To change the Write-Cache mode of a disk drive using ServeRAID Manager, select a "Ready" disk drive, then click Actions on the menu bar and select Change write-cache mode to write-through.

 

Document Location

Worldwide

Operating System

System x:All operating systems listed

Older System x:Operating system independent / None

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Document Information

Modified date:
28 January 2019

UID

ibm1MIGR-44238

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