This is a guide to setup or run the Raid-Signature Cleaner Application on Either Windows or CentOS 6 Linux

• Login to the machine as administrator

• Open PowerShell

• Navigate to Desktop Directory where the application resides using the command

PS C:\Users> Set-Location C:\Users\Adminstrator\Desktop

• Run the application using the following command

PS C:\Users> .\mega_raid_clearer.ps1

• Login to the server as root

• navigate to root directory

• run raid_clear.sh script by entering the cmd

root@localhost:~$ bash raid_clear.sh

• or by make the file executable and run it this way!

root@localhost:~$ chmod +x raid_clear.sh
root@localhost:~$ ./raid_clear.sh

This is a guide to create and a setup a server to erase RAID Signature of old disks using the MegaRAID controller's MegaCli Command Line tool or using the script developed for easier operation.

• Install Windows Server as usual and login as admin

• The MegaCli command line tool has to be downloaded and installed. This can be downloaded here

• Unzip the contents of the file and save it in the Desktop Directory.

• Download the mega_raid_cleaner.ps1 Powershell script from https://github.com/Vasu77df/MegaRAID-RAID-Signature-Cleaner/blob/master/raid_clear.sh

• Save this file in the Desktop Directory and run the application using the following command

PS C:\Users> .\mega_raid_clearer.ps1

• You can also create your own powershell script by copying the contents below and editing as needed:

Set-Location C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\8-07-14_MegaCLI\Windows

function Start-Clearing {
    Write-Host "Clearing RAID configuration of Disk in Slot: $slot_number"
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
    Write-Host "Clearing Foreign Configuration......"
    .\MegaCli.exe -CfgForeign -Clear -aALL
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
    Write-Host "Making the Disk into Unconfigured Good if in Unconfigured Bad state (ignore failure if occurs)"
    .\MegaCli.exe -PDMakeGood -PhysDrv[64:$slot_number] -aALL
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
    Write-Host "Converting the Disk into JBOD mode....."
    .\MegaCli.exe -PDMakeJBOD -PhysDrv[64:$slot_number] -aALL
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
    Write-Host "----------------Done Clearing RAID Configuration---------------"
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 1
}

function Get-Confirmation {
    $OPT = Read-Host -Prompt "Are you sure you want to clear RAID configuration in slot: $slot_number ?[y/n]: "
    
    switch ($OPT) {
        'Y' { Start-Clearing }
        'y' { Start-Clearing }
        'Yes' { Start-Clearing }
        'yes' { Start-Clearing }
        'n' {break}
        'N' {break}
        'no' {break}
        'No' {break}
        Default {$OPT = Read-Host -Prompt "Please enter 'y' or 'n' "
        if ($OPT -eq "y") {
            Start-Clearing
            }
    }
    
}
}

Write-Host "---------------------Welcome to RAID Cleaner-------------------"
Write-Host "List of all the available drives attached to the controller: "
.\MegaCli.exe -PDList -aALL | Select-String -Pattern "Enclosure Device Id", "Slot Number", "Drive's Position", "Device Id", "Firmware State", "Foreign State"

$nu_disk = Read-Host -Prompt "How many disks would you like to clear?: "

if ( $nu_disk -notmatch "^[0-9]+$" ) {
    $nu_disk = Read-Host -Prompt "Invalid Input! Please enter the number of disks to be cleared: "
}

for ($i = 0; $i -lt $nu_disk; $i++) {
    $slot_number = Read-Host -Prompt "You can clean the Foreign RAID configuration of the Disk by specifing the slot number(please enter the slot of disk one by one): "
    if ($slot_number -notmatch "^[0-9]+$") {
        $slot_number = Read-Host -Prompt "Invalid Input! Please enter the slot number: "
    }

    if (($slot_number -eq 0) -or ($slot_number -eq 1)) {
        $slot_number = Read-Host -Prompt "The Disk in the Slot you have chosen has O.S installed. Please choose a different slot: "
    }

    Get-Confirmation

    if ( $i -lt $nu_disk) {
        Write-Host "---------------------------Next Disk---------------------------"
    }
}

Write-Host "--------------------- Current Configuration--------------------"
.\MegaCli.exe -PDList -aALL | Select-String -Pattern "Enclosure Device Id", "Slot Number", "Drive's Position", "Device Id", "Firmware State", "Foreign State"

Set-Location C:\Users\Administrator
Write-Host "----------------------------Exiting----------------------------"

Start-Sleep -Seconds 2

IBM System X3550 M2 are installed with ServeRAID 1015 RAID Controllers this Hardware RAID Controller is only detected and supported in Centos 6 and Centos 7. They are not supported in Centos 8 and above.

First Centos 6 ISO has to bee flashed on an USB for us to install it onto or RAID Clearer Server. Use your workstation to complete this process.

• Rufus is an utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash disks. This can be downloaded from here

• Centos 6 can be downloaded from here

Now create a bootable drive using Rufus.

• Plug in the usb Drive to the server and enter the BIOS to choose the USB drive as boot drive.

• run through the installer as directed and setup your login credentials

• The username after intial installation is root and the password is the credentials you have setup during installation

####### Downloading prerequistes and packages

For our utility to run certain prerequistes have to be installed and configured.

The MegaCli command line tool has to be downloaded and installed. This can be downloaded here

• Use your workstation to download this package and copy the zip file to a USB Drive

• Insert the USB drive to the server and copy the zip file using the following command to the /root/Downloads directory.

root@localhost:~$ cp /media/usb_drive_name/8-07-14_MegaCLI /root/Downloads/

• The unzip utilit has to be installed to extraxt our zip file. Use this command to install unzip.

root@localhost:~$ yum install unzip

• Navigate to the Downloads directory and unzip the downloaded MegaCli file using the following commands

root@localhost:~$ cd Downloads/
root@localhost:~$ unzip 8-07-14_MegaCLI.zip

• Now navigate to the Linux directory to from the extracted folder and install the command line tool using the following command/

root@localhost:~$ cd Linux/
root@localhost:~$ yum localinstall MegaCli-8.07.14-1.noarch.rpm

• Now Navigate to the home directory to directory and create and alias to easily use the command line tool.

root@localhost:~$ cd ~
root@localhost:~$ alais megacli=/opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/MegaCli64

• You can add this alias to the .bashrc file to permanently save the alias.

root@localhost:~$ vi .bashrc

• append the alias command as shown above by entering i to go into insert mode and the press esc and enter :wq to save and quit the file.

• Test the installation by entering the command.

root@localhost:~$ megacli -h

Now the MegCli RAID Command Line Tool is now installed

• Download the raid_clear.sh Bash script from https://github.com/Vasu77df/MegaRAID-RAID-Signature-Cleaner/blob/master/raid_clear.sh and copy the script to an USB Drive.

• Copy the script from the USB Drive into the root directory /root using the following command.

root@localhost:~$ cp /media/name_of_usbdrive/raid_clear.sh /root/

• You can run the script using the following command.

root@localhost:~$ bash raid_clear.sh

• You can make the file executable and run it this way.

root@localhost:~$ chmod +x raid_clear.sh
root@localhost:~$ ./raid_clear.sh

#!/bin/bash

cd /opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/

function clearing {
echo "Clearing RAID configuration of Disk in Slot: $slot_number"
        sleep 1 
echo "Clearing Foreign Configuration......"
        ./MegaCli64 -CfgForeign -Clear -aALL
        sleep 1
echo "Converting the Disk into JBOD mode....."
        ./MegaCli64 -PDMakeJBOD -PhysDrv[64:$slot_number] -aALL
        sleep 1
        echo "----------------Done Clearing RAID Configuration---------------"
        sleep 1
}

function getconfirmation() {
        read -p "Are you sure you want to clear RAID configuration in slot: $slot_number ?[y/n]: " -r opt
        case "$opt" in
                y|Y|yes|Yes)
                        clearing
                        ;;
                n|N|No|no)
                        return 1
                        ;;
                *)
                        echo "Please enter 'y' or 'n'"
                        return 1
                        ;;
        esac
}
echo "---------------------Welcome to RAID Cleaner-------------------"
echo "List of all available drives attached to the controller:"
./MegaCli64 -PDList -aALL | grep -i "enclosure device id\|slot number\|Drive's Position\|Device id\|Firmware state\|foreign state"
read -p "How many disks would you like to clear?: " -r nu_disks
if ! [[ $nu_disks =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]
    then 
    read -p "Invalid Input! Please enter the number of disks to be cleared: " -r $nu_disks
fi

for (( c=1; c<=$nu_disks; c++))
do
        read -p "You can clean the Foreign RAID configuration of the Disk by specifing the slot number(please enter the slot of disk one by one): " -r slot_number
        if ! [[ $slot_number =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]]
        then 
                read -p "Invalid Input! Please enter the slot number: " -r $nu_disks
        fi

        getconfirmation

        if [ $c -lt $nu_disks ]; then
                echo "---------------------------Next Disk---------------------------"
        fi
done

echo "--------------------- Current Configuration--------------------"
./MegaCli64 -PDList -aALL | grep -i "enclosure device id\|slot number\|Drive's Position\|Device id\|Firmware state\|foreign state"

cd ~

echo "----------------------------Exiting----------------------------"
sleep 3

To list all attached Drives:

root@localhost:~$ megacli -PDList -aALL

To list only the useful parameters:

root@localhost:~$ megacli -PDList -aALL | grep -i "enclosure device id\|slot number\|Drive's Position\|Device id\|Firmware state\|foreign state"

To scan and clear all Foreign RAID Signature:

root@localhost:~$ megacli -CfgForeign -Scan -aALL
root@localhost:~$ megacli -CfgForeign -Clear -aALL

Convert the Unconfigured Drives into JBOD Drives

root@localhost:~$ Megacli -PDMakeJBOD -PhysDrv[64(enclosure id), 3(slot number)] -aN