Revised April 3, 2013
May 4, 2011
NOTICE:
THIS FIELD NOTICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE FIELD NOTICE OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE FIELD NOTICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS FIELD NOTICE AT ANY TIME.
Revision History
Revision Date Comment
Products Affected
Products Affected Comments
Problem Description
When Cisco's modified Windows 2003.1.5 is fresh installed on any Media Convergence Servers (MCS)-7825-I4 or equivalent server, the Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) array might not be created properly. At any point after installation, if a hard drive fails, then the non-functional RAID array does not compensate for the hard drive failure. The result is that a loss of service is likely to occur when a hard drive fails.
This affects both MCS servers and IBM equivalent servers, as seen in the Products Affected section. For more information on the IBM equivalent servers, refer to the IBM Server Solutions.
Background
Two simultaneous conditions must exist for this issue to occur:
If only one of the above conditions exists without the other, the RAID array is not exposed to this issue. Fresh installs of other operating system versions are NOT affected. Upgrades from any prior operating system version to 2003.1.5 are not affected. Please note the following examples:
- A Fresh Install of Cisco's modified Windows 2003.1.5 release, AND
- The target server is one of the servers listed in the Products Affected section.
Example 1:
If only one of the above conditions exists without the other, the RAID array is not exposed to this issue. Fresh installs of other operating system versions are NOT affected. Upgrades from any prior operating system version to 2003.1.5 are not affected. Here are some examples:
Example 2:
Cisco's modified Windows 2003.1.5 release was originally fresh-installed on a 7825-I3. At some point later, the system was upgraded to a subsequent 2003.1.5(x) version. This server is not impacted by this notice. In this example, the affected operating system was installed on a server, an '-I3', which is not affected. The RAID array is not at risk for this issue.
Example 3:
Cisco's modified Windows 2003.1.5 release was originally fresh-installed on a 7825-I4. At some point after that, the system was upgraded to a subsequent 2003.1.5(x) version. This server is impacted by this notice. In this example, the RAID array was built with an operating system version that is exposed to this problem and on an affected server. The RAID array is at risk for this issue and might not be functional.
Problem Symptoms
There are no symptoms of the RAID array not being built correctly through the fresh installation.
When the RAID array is not built properly and a hard drive fails, the symptom may be a loss of service on the installed applications.
Workaround/Solution
This issue is resolved in Cisco's modified Windows version 2003.1.5a (the addition of the 'a', compared to the affected version), which carries the image/media part number 80-8710-08.
Note: This issue is resolved in Cisco's modified Windows version 2003.1.5a (the addition of the 'a', compared to the affected version), which carries the image/media part number 80-8710-08.
DDTS
To follow the bug ID link below and see detailed bug information, you must be a registered customer and you must be logged in.
DDTS Description CSCtj67616
(registered customers only)
How to Identify Affected Units
How to Identify the Hardware Model Number from within Windows
Server model information can be viewed from within Cisco's modified Windows versions; examine the History log file at: C:\program files\common files\cisco\logs\History.log
Perform a text search for Detected Hardware. Compare the results with this:
- 7825-I4 string value: "Detected Hardware 7825I05"
Notice that the Hardware String differs slightly from the model name. This is expected and is not an error.
How to Physically Identify the Hardware Model Number
Read the Model Name label on the front of the server.
How to Identify the Operating System Version from within Windows
The operating system (OS) version which was fresh installed can be viewed from within Cisco's modified Windows versions. Follow these steps:
Click Start, then choose Cisco MCS Version. The OSImage value is the fresh-installed version. If an OS Upgrade has been applied, a second variable called OSUpgrade contains the version of the upgrade, and the original OSImage value remains unchanged.
How to Physically Identify the Operating System Version Media
At-risk and fixed fresh install media is identified by two variables on the label of the media shown in this diagram.
At-Risk:
2003.1.5, Variable 2 circled in green
80-8710-07, Variable 9, circled in yellow
Fixed:
2003.1.5a, Variable 2 circled in green
80-8710-08, Variable 9, circled in yellow
For More Information
If you require further assistance, or if you have any further questions regarding this field notice, please contact the Cisco Systems Technical Assistance Center (TAC) by one of the following methods:
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