When working with legacy systems like Windows Server 2008 and RHEL 5, verifying hardware RAID configuration requires different approaches depending on the operating system and RAID controller manufacturer.

Using Device Manager:
1. Right-click Computer > Manage > Device Manager
2. Expand "Storage controllers" to see your RAID controller
3. Check properties for array information

RAID Controller Utilities:
Most hardware RAID controllers include Windows management utilities. For example, for Adaptec controllers:

# Command to check Adaptec RAID status
arcconf getconfig 1

Checking dmesg Output:

dmesg | grep -i raid

Examining /proc Files:

cat /proc/mdstat
cat /proc/scsi/scsi

Controller-specific Tools:
For LSI MegaRAID controllers:

megacli -LDInfo -Lall -aAll

Consider these universal methods for RAID verification:

• Controller BIOS during boot (Ctrl+H for LSI, Ctrl+A for Adaptec)
• Smart Array utilities for HP servers
• Dell OpenManage for PowerEdge servers

Windows PowerShell Script:

Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_DiskDrive | Where-Object { $_.InterfaceType -eq "SCSI" } | Select-Object Model, Size

Linux Bash Script:

#!/bin/bash
lspci | grep -i raid
hdparm -I /dev/sda | grep RAID

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When working with enterprise servers, verifying RAID configuration is crucial before performing storage operations. Hardware RAID controllers abstract the physical disks, presenting them as logical volumes to the OS. Here's how to check configuration on different platforms:

Method 1: Using Disk Management Console
Press Win+R, type diskmgmt.msc and check for:
- RAID volumes marked as "Healthy"
- Disk types showing as "SCSI Disk Device" (common for hardware RAID)

Method 2: Via Device Manager

1. Right-click Computer → Manage → Device Manager
2. Expand "Storage controllers"
3. Look for your RAID controller (e.g., LSI MegaRAID, HP Smart Array)
4. Check properties for configured arrays

Method 1: Checking /proc/mdstat

cat /proc/mdstat

This displays software RAID info. For hardware RAID, proceed further.

Method 2: Using vendor-specific tools
For LSI MegaRAID controllers:

# Install MegaCLI if not present
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/truerss/megacli/master/install.sh
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

# Check RAID configuration
/opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/MegaCli64 -LDInfo -Lall -aALL

1. Physical Inspection:
- Server BIOS/UEFI during boot (Ctrl+H for LSI, F8 for Adaptec)
- Controller's configuration utility

2. SMART Monitoring:

# Linux:
smartctl -i /dev/sda

# Windows (via PowerShell):
Get-WmiObject -Namespace root\wmi -Class MSStorageDriver_FailurePredictStatus

Case 1: OS doesn't see the RAID array
- Verify controller driver installation
- Check BIOS settings for RAID mode enablement

Case 2: Degraded array detection

# MegaRAID example:
/opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/MegaCli64 -PDList -aALL | grep -i "firmware state"

Look for "Failed" or "Offline" states in output.

Linux bash script to check RAID health:

#!/bin/bash
# Check for MegaRAID
if [ -f /opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/MegaCli64 ]; then
    /opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/MegaCli64 -LDInfo -Lall -aALL | grep "State"
elif [ -f /usr/sbin/hpacucli ]; then
    hpacucli ctrl all show config detail | grep "Status"
else
    echo "No known RAID controller detected"
fi