The Infoblox 2205 Series appliances use a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) 10 array to provide the optimum mix of high database performance and redundant data storage with recovery in the event of disk failures. The disk array is completely self managed, with no maintenance or special procedures required to service the disk subsystem.
RAID 10 (or sometimes called RAID 1+0) uses a minimum of four disk drives to create a RAID 0 array from two RAID 1 arrays, as shown in 13828150. It uses mirroring and striping to form a stripe of mirrored subsets. The RAID array combines — or stripes — multiple disk drives, creating a single logical volume (RAID 0). RAID 10 combines the high performance of RAID 0 and the high fault tolerance of RAID 1. Striping disk drives improves database write performance over a single disk drive for large databases. The disks are also mirrored (RAID 1), so that each disk in the logical volume is fully redundant.
Figure 13 RAID 10 Array Configuration
Evaluating the Status of the Disk Subsystem
You can monitor the disk subsystem through the Grid Manager, the scrolling front panel LCD display, and the front panel LEDs for the disk drives. You can also view disk status by using the CLI command show hardware_status.
To see a detailed status report, log in to the Grid Manager and from the Grid -> Grid Manager tab, select the appliance, and then click the Detailed Status icon. (For more information on the Detailed Status panel, refer to the Infoblox Administrator Guide.)
The color of the RAID icon on the Detailed Status panel indicates the status of the RAID array on the 2205 Series appliances.
Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
Green | The RAID array is in an optimal state. |
Yellow | A new disk was inserted and the RAID array is rebuilding. |
Red | The RAID array is degraded. At least one disk is not functioning properly. The Grid Manager lists the disks that are online. Replace only the disks that are offline. |
The Grid Manager also displays detailed status of the RAID array. In the event of a disk failure, you must replace the failed disk with one that is qualified and shipped from Infoblox and has the same disk type as the rest of the disks in the array. The appliance displays information about mismatched disks in the Detailed Status panel.
Note that all disk drives in the array must have the same disk type (IB-Type 5) for the array to function properly. When you have a mismatched disk in the array, promptly replace the disk with a replacement disk from Infoblox to avoid operational issues.
Disk LED Operation
The disk drives are located on the left side of the appliance front panel behind a removable face plate. A single LED, the top LED on the right, indicates the activity and status of each drive. The LEDs are not visible unless you remove the face plate. To do so, gently grip the left edge of the face plate and pull towards the front.
Table 7 Disk Drive LED
Upper LED Color | Condition | Action |
|---|---|---|
Green (flickers on and off) | Disk is connected and operating normally | None |
Dark | Disk has failed or not inserted | Verify the disk failure in the Grid Manager or CLI. Remove the disk and replace with a functional disk drive. Note that the drive rebuilds with its twin. |
Disk LED Behavior
Disk drive LEDs on 2205 series appliances are always reversed.
- If disk drive 1 is empty or faulty, disk drive LED 2 turns red.
- If disk drive 2 is empty or faulty, disk drive LED 1 turns red.
- If disk drive 3 is empty or faulty, disk drive LED 4 turns red.
- If disk drive 4 is empty or faulty, disk drive LED 3 turns red.
However, the result of the show hardware_status command in the CLI and the NIOS Grid Manager always display the correct empty (or empty) disk drive.