As you probably know, a RAID disk controller is a system failsafe feature that allows for a disk in a disk array to fail without bringing the system down.
Built into the RAID controller is a buffer. The buffer “tells” the processor that the “data write-to-disk” is complete, so the system “knows” to go back to the processor to fetch more data to send to the disks.
Quite simply, the cache buffer speeds up data from the processor to the disk.
And this cache buffer has a battery to keep the data in the cache buffer safe until it gets written to the disk drives.
So What Happens When This Battery Fails? Is My Data At Risk?
As this battery loses power, you will get a warning message on your console to notify your service provider. When it fails altogether, your data is NEVER at risk. You will, on the other hand, notice that your system performance slows down.
Be On The Watch For Special Console Messages, And Let Us Know As Soon As You Get An Error Message.
Despite this battery’s common appearance (it looks like the one in your camera or small electronic device), there is only one supplier — IBM.
This battery takes a few hours to a day to get. Then, in most cases, we need to schedule a time when we can bring down your AS400 to replace this battery. This is required because most AS400 in the field do not have “hot-swappable” RAID cards.
Once the new battery is in place, you will notice your server performing at its original high speed.
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