The purpose of verifying logical devices is to compute and write the parity data on the selected drives. Verifying a logical device confirms that the data redundancy for the logical device is correct.
Note:You can also verify a logical device
without writing the parity data. This type of verifiy
is similar to Verify with fix—it checks the entire drive to ensure that there
are no problems. However, unlike Verify with fix, Verify does not repair
inconsistent or bad data.
If the logical device is attached to a controller that supports Build initialization, the Adaptec Storage Manager automatically verifies all new RAID level-5 and 50 logical devices. These logical devices must be verified before storing data. Verification ensures that the parity data is accurately computed. Accurate parity is critical for updating the parity when you begin to store data.
Note: The Adaptec Storage Manager also the supports Build initialization
for RAID level-1 and RAID level-10 logical devices. For these RAID levels, the Adaptec Storage Manager automatically copies data from the
primary drive to the mirror drive.
During Build initialization, the Adaptec Storage Manager displays 
(in
animation) in the Logical devices view, indicating that the operation is in
progress. You can perform some actions on the controller during Build initialization,
such as deleting a logical device; however, you cannot perform a
logical device migration. Also, you can turn off the %SERVER% during Build initialization
and, when you turn on the %SERVER%, the firmware will continue the build from
where it left off.
Note: You can determine
if your controller firmware supports Build initialization and background consistency check
by viewing the controller properties. The properties pane reports if these features
are enabled or disabled.
When you create a logical device that is attached to a controller that does not support Build initialization, you will receive a warning event in the event viewer stating that you must manually verify the logical device before storing data. Use "Verify with fix" to manually verify the logical device. You must verify new RAID level-5 logical devices after you create them.
Manual verification can be a lengthy operation. You cannot perform any other actions on the controller until the manual verification is completed. You can verify the logical device immediately or schedule it for a later date and time. You can also schedule the verification as a recurring task. A recurring task starts at the initial start time, then runs periodically according to the given interval: the same time each day, each week, or each month. Do not turn off the %SERVER% until the manual verification is complete.
Background consistency check is an automatic background verification process. Background consistency check keeps data "fresh" by doing the following:
If background consistency check is disabled or your controller firmware does not support background consistency check, consider manually verifying your logical devices weekly. This does not alter data on the drive.
Note: If background consistency check
is disabled on your controller, you can enable background consistency check, but not
through the Adaptec Storage Manager. Instead, use the command-line program that
comes on Adaptec RAID Installation CD.
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