HotPlug drive care

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Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

Hello,
I am purchasing a number of 9GB, HotPlug, SCSI disc
drives (P.N. A5802A), as spares for some HP rp5430 (L-class) servers.

These drives are refurbished and come with a 90 day warranty. They
would only be used in the case of a server suffering a failure of one
of its internal "system" discs.

Since each server uses two internal drives and has space for two more
I have a question about the disposition of my spare drives - from the point
of view of minimising problems associated with disc stiction.

Would it be best to leave these drives on the shelf, or should they be plugged
in and spinning (though not in use by the OS)?

Thanks in advance for any opinions,
David N.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.hp.hardware (More info?)

David Nixon wrote:
> Hello,
> I am purchasing a number of 9GB, HotPlug, SCSI disc
> drives (P.N. A5802A), as spares for some HP rp5430 (L-class) servers.
>
> These drives are refurbished and come with a 90 day warranty. They
> would only be used in the case of a server suffering a failure of one
> of its internal "system" discs.
>
> Since each server uses two internal drives and has space for two more
> I have a question about the disposition of my spare drives - from the
> point of view of minimising problems associated with disc stiction.
>
> Would it be best to leave these drives on the shelf, or should they
> be plugged in and spinning (though not in use by the OS)?
>
> Thanks in advance for any opinions,
> David N.

A spare or backup is only as reliable for the purpose as it has been
demonstrated in practice. The world of risk management is replete with
examples of purported backups that failed when needed. The entire drive
inventory should be rotated in service. It is the only way to validate
the equivalency of the drives in inventory.

Q