Article ID: 000024480 Content Type: Error Messages Last Reviewed: 07/19/2021

Importing Foreign RAID Arrays on Ctrl+G–based Hardware Intel® RAID Controllers

Environment

Redundant RAID levels with a global hot spare

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Summary

This provides you with hints on how to deal with foreign configurations found during POST.

Description

Foreign Configuration(s) found POST Message
Because of this situation, the operating system is no longer detected.  Additionally, from within the Ctrl+G RAID BIOS, the following would show up:

  1. Virtual drive is degraded.
  2. Some drives may show up with Unconfigured Bad status.

 

Resolution

When newly inserted drives are detected by the Intel® RAID controller, and are displayed in either Intel® RAID BIOS Console. Their state may show as (Foreign) Unconfigured Good, or (Foreign) Unconfigured Bad. The Foreign state indicates that the Intel RAID controller finds existing RAID configurations on the new drives.
 
Important Reminder: Always ensure that your data is backed up and secure (Click here for more details).
 
Procedure

1. When the Foreign Configuration(s) found on adapter POST message comes up, proceed booting into the Intel RAID BIOS Console by pressing Ctrl+G when prompted.


2. Once inside the Intel RAID BIOS Console, proceed as follows:
2.1. If a drive had been previously reported by the RAID card as defective or predictive failure events had taken place on it, and this is marked as Foreign Unconfigured Bad; if it has an solid amber LED, remove it from the hot-swappable backplane.

2.2. Use Scan Devices option in order to preview and import the existing RAID configuration(s) on the drives. Because of the RAID-level redundancy, this action should trigger a rebuilding process.

2.3. Wait until the RAID card completes the current rebuilding.  This may take some time, depending on how much data there is.
Note: It's highly recommended not to interrupt the rebuilding process. Therefore, schedule a downtime beforehand, if needed.

2.4. Once the rebuilding is completed, proceed as follows:
2.4.1. Scan devices, again. If this action reports no issues; if the virtual drive status still remains optimal; if all the drives have green, online status, proceed exiting and rebooting back into the Intel RAID BIOS Console.
2.4.2. If going back into the Intel RAID BIOS Console had no issues; if the volume and drives were optimal, it would be a good sign that the operating system should be able to boot up with no problems. Therefore, later you could on insert another drive and make it a hot spare. Alternatively, you could proceed as follows (see steps below) from the Intel RAID BIOS Console:
i. Insert a brand new drive as replacement of the previously removed one.
ii. Scan devices. Doing so, it should detect this drive.
iii. Mark this newly inserted disk as a global hot spare.
iv. Scan devices again. If this doesn't change anything; if all of the drives still show a good status, and the hot spare shows up, alright, proceed with rebooting the system.

 

Additional information

Cause: Possible predictive failure events found on one drive.