Xserve Raid Card battery conditioning

Good afternoon, I have observed that the raid controller on my Xserve run conditioning cycle the batery every 3 months... is that normal?
I appreciate a clarification on this.
Thanks.
Hipolito Lopes

Hi Hipolito,
3 months is normal. It's a shame you can't choose the time of day it does this but it's generally around the 6hour mark for the conditioning to take place.
Hope that helps
Beatle

Similar Messages

  • How to change xserve raid-card battery?

    how to change xserve raid-card battery?

    Xserve RAID Card Battery Replacement Instructions:
    http://manuals.info.apple.com/MANUALS/0/MA277/en_US/Xserve_RAID_Card_Battery_DIY Instructions.pdf

  • RAID card battery conditioning - "Battery failed (other than expired)"

    OK, so if you log-in using the GUI, you get a warning telling you that battery conditioning is happening and that you shouldn't the server.
    However, if you log-in over SSH, as you might, for instance, with a headless Xserve, you don't get that warning. And then, if you restart more than a certain number of times, for instance because you're installing all the software updates that the server has missed while it hasn't been switched on, you end up in the following state:
    $ raidutil list status
    Apple raidutil version: 1.2.0
    General Status: Issues Found
    Battery fault. See Battery Status below.
    Battery Status: Battery failed (other than expired)
    Controller #1: Hardware Version 2.00/Firmware E-1.3.2.0
    Write Cache disabled
    Plainly this is undesirable.
    Does anyone know how to reset the battery state, preferably without having to pull the server out of its rack and disconnect the RAID card battery?
    Also, since when was it in any way reasonable to tell a user that they can't shut their machine down for 24 hours? Even with a server, that's ridiculous - sometimes you just have to reboot.
    Kind regards,
    Alastair.

    FWIW, I just filed rdar://7653429 about the fact that terminal users don't get any warning of this, and rdar://7653468 about the fact that battery conditioning shouldn't force sysadmins to keep their machine running for the next 24 hours (since they might really need to shut it down, right now).

  • Apple RAID Card -Battery Conditioning

    Does anyone how long conditioning takes (it's been at it several hours already)?
    Is it possible to re-schedule it for out of hours? Failing that is it possible to force-enable writing caching even when the battery is unavailable?
    The 'small drop in performance' mentioned in the user guide makes the difference between working well and being completely useless for me capturing video.
    I may as well have stayed home today.
    Any advise appreciated...

    http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=-1&messageID=7649062

  • What's the difference in Apple RAID card battery error messages?

    I have a Mac Pro with 2 quad core Intel Harpertown CPUs at 3.2GHz, and an Apple RAID card.  RAID Utility shows that the battery failed but in my research, nobody explains the difference between "Battery failed (code 0x#0 = 17)" (which is what I have) and "Battery failed (code 0x#0 = 18)" or ""Battery failed (other than expired)" (the latter two are what everybody talks about) and what the code numbers mean.  Speaking to a local AASP, they recommend that I just wait for a couple of days to see if it's doing the automatic 72-hour reconditioning operation since my Mac Pro is attached to a pretty hefty UPS (2200VA with nothing else attached) and power failures where I live are rare plus the write cache has been disabled so the RAID card is basically doing write-throughs at the moment.  But curiosity about the various, different error codes and messages is getting the better of me.  Thanks in advance.
    Also, what's worrying me (since RAID Utility is so vague) is this entry I found under "Hardware RAID" in System Profiler:
      Status:
      Charging:          No
      Conditioning:          No
      Connected:          Yes
      Discharging:          No
      Sufficient Charge:          No

    As an update to this, once I replaced the RAID card battery (which was an absolute nightmare--the writer of the instructions at Apple obviously had never done it for real nor seen it done since they omit a lot of important things), the problem went away.  But I'm still intrigued about what the error codes mean.

  • Xserve raid card failing? 3 x 1Tb drives

    Hi all
    I've had an xserve running for the last month or two now, it has been subject to frequent crashes...
    I have applied the latest 10.5.5 update and haven't had a crash for some time now.
    This morning I happened to have a look at the server monitor, and there was an error...
    I'm a little confused... especially when the xserve is also connected to an APC UPS unit.
    Should I be worried about this... is something lurking around the corner?
    *Any help/suggestions appreciated.*
    http://smam.net/xserve/raid-card.jpg
    Az

    This is covered in the RAID Utility User's Guide on page 12.
    Every 3 months the RAID card will discharge and recharge the battery. During this process, you will see the message.
    Regards,
    Eric Miller

  • Apple Raid Card Battery Failed

    Hey guys !
    I have an early 2008 Mac Pro with a Raid Card and i get this message battery failure other than expired
    actually i got this message again about an year or so back ... so yes it happened before ... Apple replaced my battery
    Now im out of warranty coverage.
    Questions are :
    How does this affect my Raid Set ?
    Can my Raid Set survive without the battery ?
    If yes ... what are the downsides ?
    What can i do to manage the situation without changing again the battery ?
    Hope to get some advice soon on this matter
    Thank you very much.
    PS
    Down below i pasted some specs for my machine
    Mac Pro RAID Card:
      PCI Slot:          Slot-4
      Hardware Version:          1.00
      Firmware Version:          M-2.0.5.5
      Expansion ROM Version:          0018
      Shutdown Status:          Normal shutdown
      Write Cache Enabled:          No
      Battery Info:
      Firmware Revision:          1.0.2
      First Installed:          1/1/01 2:16 AM
      Last Date Conditioned:          2/24/12 3:47 PM
      State:          Faulted Battery
      Fault:          Battery failed (other than expired)
      Status:
      Charging:          No
      Conditioning:          No
      Connected:          Yes
      Discharging:          No
      Sufficient Charge:          No
    Drives:
    Bay 1:
      Product ID:          ST3300655SS  
      Serial Number:          3LM35BGK00009827PBXY
      Firmware Revision:          A005
      Type:          SAS
      SMART Status:          Unsupported
      Capacity:          300 GB (299,999,999,488 bytes)
      RAID Sets:          RS1
      Status:
      Assigned:          Yes
      Failed:          No
      Foreign:          No
      Missing:          No
      Reliable:          Yes
      Roaming:          No
      Spare:          No
    Bay 2:
      Product ID:          ST3300655SS  
      Serial Number:          3LM622YT00009923HP5Q
      Firmware Revision:          A005
      Type:          SAS
      SMART Status:          Unsupported
      Capacity:          300 GB (299,999,999,488 bytes)
      RAID Sets:          RS1
      Status:
      Assigned:          Yes
      Failed:          No
      Foreign:          No
      Missing:          No
      Reliable:          Yes
      Roaming:          No
      Spare:          No
    Bay 3:
      Product ID:          ST3300655SS  
      Serial Number:          3LM2Y49T00009827PAZV
      Firmware Revision:          A005
      Type:          SAS
      SMART Status:          Unsupported
      Capacity:          300 GB (299,999,999,488 bytes)
      RAID Sets:          R0-3
      Status:
      Assigned:          Yes
      Failed:          No
      Foreign:          No
      Missing:          No
      Reliable:          Yes
      Roaming:          No
      Spare:          No
    RAID Sets:
    R0-3:
      RAID Level:          Enhanced JBOD
      Capacity:          299.8 GB (299,798,364,160 bytes)
      Available Capacity:          Zero KB
      Drives:          Bay 3
      Volumes:          Vol-R0-3
      Status:          Viable (Good)
    RS1:
      RAID Level:          0
      Capacity:          599.73 GB (599,730,946,048 bytes)
      Available Capacity:          Zero KB
      Drives:          Bay 1, Bay 2
      Volumes:          R1V1
      Status:          Viable (Good)
    Volumes:
    R1V1:
      BSD Name:          disk1
      Capacity:          599.73 GB (599,730,946,048 bytes)
      Read Command Size:          2 MB
      Read Ahead Margin:          16 MB
      RAID Set:          RS1
      Status:
      Degraded:          No
      Inited:          Yes
      In Transition:          No
      Viable:          Yes
    Vol-R0-3:
      BSD Name:          disk2
      Capacity:          299.8 GB (299,798,364,160 bytes)
      Read Command Size:          2 MB
      Read Ahead Margin:          16 MB
      RAID Set:          R0-3
      Status:
      Degraded:          No
      Inited:          Yes
      In Transition:          No
      Viable:          Yes
    Hardware Overview:
      Model Name:          Mac Pro
      Model Identifier:          MacPro3,1
      Processor Name:          Quad-Core Intel Xeon
      Processor Speed:          3.2 GHz
      Number Of Processors:          2
      Total Number Of Cores:          8
      L2 Cache (per processor):          12 MB
      Memory:          8 GB
      Bus Speed:          1.6 GHz
      Boot ROM Version:          MP31.006C.B05

    The RAID card battery backs up the memory buffers on the card. These are needed for calculating the checksum blocks used in RAID 5 and similar schemes.
    If you are not running RAID 5 or similar, you do not need the battery. For that matter, you do not need the RAID card, either (unless you are running SAS drives).

  • Repair Apple RAID card battery

    I have an Apple RAID card Mac Pro (Early 2009) RAID Card (top picture) with a bad battery. Unfortunately these batteries usually die after a few years and the replacement is not cheap. Looking on ebay, I can only get them from the US, but I live in Europe and it will cost me at least $150.
    From what I suspect reading the case, the battery is a 3.7 V Lithium battery, probably with built-in electronics that I can perhaps get for $5 from China. Any soldering work is not a problem. If I can replace the digitizer of an iPad mini, I can probably replace a battery too.
    The case of the battery looks like a regular aluminum box and the lit is probably just glued onto the battery. It's seems quite sturdy and would require some force to open. Has anyone ever opened an Apple Raid Card battery? I'm reluctant to apply much heat to open the case, though external heat might be ok. Any ideas? I'm aware of the risks.

    To summarise the 'end of days' issue with RAID5 the problem is that with the much bigger size of hard disks now available and being used e.g. 4TB or even bigger, it takes so long to rebuild a RAID5 array when replacing a faulty drive that the chance of another drive failing during the rebuild is becoming more and more likely. This is actually made worse by the fact that a RAID rebuild causes a lot of activity and therefore 'stress' on the hard disks in order to do the rebuild process. It can take more than 24 hours to do a complete RAID5 rebuild and during all that time you are vulnerable to a complete failure.
    RAID6 is a partial solution in that you start off with redundancy provided by two drives rather than RAID5 which has just one so RAID6 can survive two drive failures. It however only reduces the chances of having a complete RAID failure during a rebuild it does not eliminate it.
    Standard RAID5 or RAID6 therefore is being increasingly viewed as having reached a brick wall.
    For Enterprises i.e. those with lots of money you can just throw more drives at the problem e.g. RAID10. For the rest of us the hope is on new alternatives to RAID5. The one I am particularly excited about is BTRFS, this is a combination of both a RAID layer and a file-system layer, it is able to use file checksums from the file-system layer to spot and fix RAID issues and this is orders of magnitude more efficient than having to do a complete RAID resync/rebuild. This approach has two advantages, firstly it protects a problem described as 'bit rot' whereby a byte or block in a file can become corrupted, the checksums allow this to be detected and automatically fixed, the second is that it can do a rebuild of actual real data whereas a normal RAID rebuild rebuilds all blocks on a drive even empty ones.
    BTRFS is still pre-release especially its equivalent of RAID5 and RAID6 but it is getting closer. (RAID 0 and 1 for BTRFS are already considered ready for use.)
    ZFS is a similar 'new' file-system to BTRFS and at one point there was talk that Apple were going to switch to using ZFS but this no longer looks like happening. ZFS was a solution being developed and 'owned' by Sun Microsystems who are now part of Oracle. BTRFS is free open-source.
    I personally hope that Apple at some point implement BTRFS.
    There are some NAS manufacturers already implementing BTRFS however they are currently 'cheating'. NetGear for example use BTRFS on their current ReadyNAS OS 6.x models but rather than using a 'pure' BTRFS approach have a implemented BTRFS on top of a standard RAID5 system created by mdraid. They did this because as I mentioned above the official BTRFS RAID5/6 solution is not yet ready for real-world use. As a result you get some of the benefits of BTRFS like being more easily able to expand the size of a file-system, but you don't get the full checksum derived protection of BTRFS because it is not integrated to the RAID level. Thecus I believe have gone the same approach as NetGear. Synology and QNAP are still waiting for BTRFS to be 'finished' before implementing it.

  • Xserve / internal RAID card / Battery Failed (code 0x#0 = 18)

    Hi, RAID utility is reporting a battery problem. I have rebooted xserve once, the problem went away, the battery was charged but now I have the problem again.
    The result is a disabled write cache, which reduces performance.
    Changing the battery is quite a big effort, so I really would like to avoid this. Any ideas, what the problem might be and how to solve it?

    Hi Lordlobby,
    I've had this on 2, 2008 xserves. Started off randomly happening that the RAID card would report the same error code which wasn't down to the discharge cycle. It became worse so the battery was replaced and it's been fine since... It's about 15mins work to replace the battery..
    Good luck
    Beatle

  • Xserve RAID Card: Is setup kept when reinstalling OS?

    Hi everyone,
    I have a new Xserve with 3x 1 TB and the RAID Card. The default setup is JBOD and of course I'd like to change that by booting from the DVD and setting it up. I know that I can convert JBOD to RAID while keeping the already installed OS. But since I plan to reinstall the OS anyway I was wondering if my chosen RAID setup will be preserved this way?
    I believe this is a real Hardware-RAID so this should work, right?
    Thanks
    Björn

    Thanks,
    since the RAID can't be reconfigured while booted off one of the internal drives and since this can't be accomplished remotely using Server Assistant I need to reconfigure it with another (external) system. Is that true?
    I suppose it could also be done directly at the Xserve, but I do not have a Mini Display Port Adapter at hand, so this is currently no option. It seems to work with an external FW drive running OS X 10.5.7 (Client) which has the RAID Utility on it...

  • Macpro raid card(Battery is Missing)

    MacPro 2010
    I bought a raid card a month ago.
    But I got a message "But Battery is missing".
    My Raid Card is Corrupt?
    Could you teach me the reason?

    google translate says:
    My macpro 2010 have the same problem, replace the battery to repair the same problem after the new battery Month 3 Months generated.

  • 4Gb Xserve Raid Card to 2Gb Xraid Fiber Channel

    Greetings All,
    Does anyone know if a 2x4Gb Fiber channel card will auto-negotiate down to the 2Gb level of my Xraid?
    Thanks,
    -dave

    Yes it does. I've done it and the newest Xserve is plug and play with the old Xserve RAID.
    =Tod

  • What happens if the Raid card battery goes dead?

    I just got my MacPro, Raid card, and 3 SAS drive. I set it up as Raid 0. The battery in the Raid card is good for 72 hrs. And that is to save the raid cache. So what happens if I leave the MacPro unplugged for longer then 3 days and the battery goes dead? Do I loose all my data?
    Thanks-Ray

    With an orderly shutdown prior to disconnecting the power, no problems should arise.

  • Xserve raid Card

    We buy a Xserve 2.66 8CX/6x2G/1TB/1TB/1TB/ SSD/SD whithout Raid Card.
    Is possible install now in the Xserve a Raid Card?

    Alberto
    This is the wrong place to ask.
    Try here:
    http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=832&start=0
    Peter

  • Apple RAID Card - Battery failed (code 0x#0 = 18)

    Hello,
    Upon start up of the computer I get a message that says "The Apple RAID Card installed in your system requires your attention".
    When I open up the RAID Utility I have messages like -
    Battery failed (code 0x#0 = 18)
    Write cache disabled due to insufficient Battery Charge
    Can anyone explain what this means and what I should now do?
    Do I need a new Battery and does this mean my RAID 5 isn't saving data correctly?
    Thanks in advance for any assistance.
    Kris

    Hello
    I have the same problem too:
    Battery failed (code 0x#0 = 18)
    or in my case, I am german: Die Batterie funktioniert nicht (Code 0x#0 = 18)
    It happened the first time after one year and I replaced the battery. One year later it happened again and I replaced the battery. And one more year later again. This time I decided not to replace the battery.
    I booted the system from the recovery media and started the the raid utility from there and it said: battery charging.
    So I returned to my "normal" partition and it said: battery charging.
    A few days later:  Battery failed (code 0x#0 = 18)
    I repeaded this several times, always with the same result.
    I was quite sure that all the trouble resulted from a firmware bug.
    So I did shut down my Mac, and removed my raid card. On the raid card I disconnected the battery and waited a few minutes and reconnected it. I reassembled all and started my Mac.
    It is running now for more than a month without any further errors.

Maybe you are looking for