Incero » Hardware

Installing The Adaptec Hardware RAID Monitoring Utility (arcconf) on CentOS

Gordon — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:52:13 +0000

You can use arcconf to check the status of your Adaptec hardware RAID array. Below are the commands to download and install the program into a directory called /incero, and then the command to run the program. Tested with CentOS 5.5 64bit and CentOS 5.6 64bit.

mkdir /incero cd /incero wget http://download.adaptec.com/raid/storage_manager/asm_linux_x64_v6_50_18579.tgz tar -zxf asm_linux_x64_v6_50_18579.tgz rm -f asm_linux_x64_v6_50_18579.tgz cd cmdline/ chmod +x arcconf yum -y install compat-libstdc++-33 ./arcconf getconfig 1 AL

If you wish for your server to email you if an array becomes sub optimal you can use a script like the one posted by “quad3datwork” here: http://www.sysadmintalk.net/forums/Thread-CentOS-Adaptec-RAID-2405-arcconf-monitoring

Incero clients with our management services need not worry about RAID health, as it is constantly monitored 24/7 along with load and other server health parameters by our staff.

Supermicro IPMI2 + KVM Server Control

Gordon — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:08:32 +0000

With “mission critical” in mind all of our servers include the latest IPMI2 and KVM integrated into the motherboard.

The web based control panel for the IPMI and KVM, which works even when the server is offline, allows complete remote control over the system. My favorite feature is the KVM for remote console access along with the ability to mount remotely hosted iso images as a local cdrom. The combination of these features allow you to completely reload an operating system remotely, and complete countless other tasks which previously have required physical access.

Click on each image to see the larger version:

The final screenshot, shown below, shows the IPMIVIEW desktop software, which can be used instead of the browser based control panel if desired.

Use Memtest86 Before Deploying Servers

Gordon — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 07:39:49 +0000

We’ve been building a few servers recently, and as part of our testing we performed a memory test on each of the machines. In doing so we discovered that one of the RAM modules was defective. We confirmed that the memory, not the cpu nor motherboard, was at fault by then testing the RAM in another machine.

System memory can be defective without being overly apparent, allowing you to install your operating system and use it normally for a period of time. After a while programs may begin to crash unexpectedly, and other system errors may occur.

By running Memtest86 before shipping the servers to the datacenter we have saved ourselves countless hours of remotely debugging the issue and coordinating a replacement of the hardware.

Memtest86 is free and can be downloaded as a bootable iso and in many other formats here. It is also bundled on Ubunutu installation disks, just boot from the cd/dvd and run the “memory test” option.

Below is a screenshot detailing over 400,000 memory errors. Working memory should not return any errors at all, one single error is cause for concern.

Check out the Memtest86 website for more details on how to determine which memory module is at fault, and whether your bios or voltage settings may be to blame.

SRF10 With An Arduino Mega

Gordon — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:07:20 +0000

One of the projects that we are working on requires ultra sonic range finding abilities. We’ve used the SRF10 with an Arduino Mega to do this.

Code: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/491583/weblinked/srf10_demo_incero_dot_com.pde

Hookup:

5v on arduino goes to 5v on SRF10.
Resistor goes from 5v on arduino to SCL on SRF10.
Resistor goes from 5v on arduino to SDA on SRF10.
SCL on arduino goes to SCL on SRF10.
SDA on arduino goes to SDA on SRF10.
GND on arduino goes to GND on SRF10.

Video:

Hookup Photo: