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HPE MSA 2050 Storage Preparation

Complete procedure for preparing HPE MSA 2050/2052 SAN storage arrays, including physical inspection, factory reset, firmware updates, and redundancy testing.

Overview

The HPE MSA 2050 is a dual-controller SAN storage system designed for high availability. This guide covers: - Physical inspection and hardware validation - Management access and factory reset - Firmware synchronization between controllers - Disk group and volume configuration - Redundancy failover testing

Prerequisites

Item Details
Console Cable Mini-USB CLI cable for serial access
Terminal Software PuTTY, TeraTerm, or similar
Console Settings 115200 baud, 8-N-1
Network Access to configure management IPs
Serial Numbers Controller A and B serial numbers

Default Credentials

Interface Username Password
SMU (Web) manage !manage
CLI manage !manage
Factory Reset restoredefaults (controller serial number)

Factory Reset Login

To perform a factory reset via CLI, login with username restoredefaults and use the controller's serial number as the password.

Part 1: Physical Inspection

Controller Verification

Check Action
Dual Controllers Confirm both Controller A and B are seated firmly
SFP Transceivers Inspect ports - ensure correct speed (8Gb/16Gb FC or 10GbE iSCSI)
SFP Cleanliness Check for debris in optical cages

Don't Mix Speeds

Do not mix SFP speeds unless specifically tested and supported.

Chassis & Power

Check Action
PSU Status Both PSUs connected (required to clear error logs)
Ear Caps Check plastic ear caps for cracks
Fans Verify all fan modules are present

Drive Drawers

Check Action
Drive Caddies Verify proper latching
Blank Fillers Fill empty slots with blanks for airflow
Drive LEDs Check for amber fault indicators

Part 2: Management Access & Factory Reset

  1. Connect mini-USB CLI cable to Controller A CLI port
  2. Open terminal: 115200 baud, 8, N, 1
  3. Press Enter to get login prompt
  4. Login:
  5. Username: restoredefaults
  6. Password: (Controller A serial number)
  7. Controller reboots to factory defaults
  8. Repeat for Controller B if not synced

Finding Serial Number

The serial number is on a label on the controller module. Format: CXXXXXXX or similar.

Method B: CLI Restore Command

If you have standard CLI access:

# Login with default credentials
Username: manage
Password: !manage

# Factory reset configuration
restore defaults

Network Configuration

After reset, configure management IPs:

Via CLI: 

# View current network settings
show network-parameters

# Set static IP for Controller A
set network-parameters ip 192.168.0.10 netmask 255.255.255.0 gateway 192.168.0.1 controller a

# Set static IP for Controller B
set network-parameters ip 192.168.0.11 netmask 255.255.255.0 gateway 192.168.0.1 controller b

# Or enable DHCP
set network-parameters dhcp

Part 3: Firmware & SMU Management

Access Storage Management Utility (SMU)

  1. Open web browser
  2. Navigate to controller management IP: https://192.168.0.10
  3. Login: manage / !manage

Check Firmware Version

Via CLI: 

show versions

Via SMU: Navigate to: System → About → Firmware Version

Controller Firmware Mismatch

Never ship an MSA with mismatched controller firmware versions. This causes major reliability issues.

Update Firmware

Via SMU: 1. Navigate to: System → Action → Update Firmware 2. The Update Firmware panel shows current versions 3. Upload firmware file 4. Enable Partner Firmware Update (updates both controllers automatically) 5. Apply update

Via CLI: 

# Check current firmware
show versions

# Update process typically done via SMU for safety

License Check

Navigate to: System → Licenses

License Features
Base Standard functionality
Advanced Data Services Snapshots, Replication
Performance Tier SSD caching

Part 4: Disk Group & Volume Configuration

Storage Mode Selection

During initial setup, select storage mode:

Mode Description Use Case
Virtual Pool-based storage (recommended) MSA 2050 standard
Linear Traditional RAID groups Legacy compatibility

Creating Disk Groups

Via SMU: 1. Navigate to: Provisioning → Disk Groups 2. Select Create Disk Group 3. Configure:

Setting Recommendation
Pool Assignment Pool A (Controller A) or Pool B (Controller B)
RAID Level RAID 5 or RAID 6 (ADAPT for auto-tiering)
Spare Drives Configure Global Spares before creating volumes

Load Balancing

Split drives between Pool A and Pool B evenly (e.g., 12 drives each) to balance controller workload.

Creating Volumes

  1. Navigate to: Provisioning → Volumes
  2. Select Create Volume
  3. Assign to appropriate pool/disk group
  4. Set size and name
  5. Map to host ports as needed

Part 5: Redundancy Testing

Client Expectation

Clients rent MSA units for high availability. Failover functionality must be verified before dispatch.

The Failover Test

  1. Configure a test volume and map to a host
  2. Start continuous ping to the MSA management IP
  3. While pings are running, disconnect power/network from Controller A
Result Status
Pass Pings continue (brief pause acceptable) - traffic flows through Controller B
Fail Connection drops completely
  1. Reconnect Controller A
  2. Verify both controllers return to active/optimal state
  3. Repeat test for Controller B

CLI Command Reference

Status Commands

Command Description
show system System name, serial, health status
show controllers Controller A/B status (active/online)
show versions Firmware versions (must match!)
show frus Field Replaceable Units (PSU, fan status)
show disks All disk status
show disk-groups RAID group information
show volumes Volume list and status

Network Commands

Command Description
show network-parameters Current IP configuration
set network-parameters ip X netmask X gateway X controller [a\|b] Set static IP
set network-parameters dhcp Enable DHCP

Reset Commands

Command Description
restore defaults Factory reset (keeps IP config)
clear disk-metadata Wipe RAID headers (use for "Leftover" drives)

clear disk-metadata

This command wipes RAID headers from drives. Only use when drives show "Leftover" status from a previous array.

Power Commands

Command Description
restart sc a Reboot Controller A management (no I/O impact)
restart sc both Reboot both controller management processors
shutdown both Safe shutdown (wait 3 mins before power off)

Troubleshooting

Cannot Access CLI

  • Verify mini-USB cable is in CLI port (not management port)
  • Check terminal settings: 115200-8-N-1
  • Try a different terminal program
  • Power cycle the controller

Controller Shows Offline

  • Check physical seating of controller module
  • Verify both PSUs are connected
  • Check for fault LEDs on controller
  • Review show frus for hardware issues

Firmware Mismatch After Update

  • Enable "Partner Firmware Update" in SMU
  • Manually update the second controller
  • Verify with show versions

Drives Show "Leftover" Status

This occurs when drives were previously in a different array: 

# CAUTION: This wipes RAID metadata
clear disk-metadata

Pool Degraded or Failed

  • Check show disks for failed drives
  • Replace failed drive with matching type/size
  • Pool will rebuild automatically (can take hours)

Process Verification Checklist

  • [ ] Physical inspection (controllers, SFPs, PSUs, drives)
  • [ ] Factory reset completed on both controllers
  • [ ] Management IPs configured
  • [ ] Firmware version verified (match on A/B)
  • [ ] Licenses verified (if required features ordered)
  • [ ] Disk groups created
  • [ ] Volumes created (if pre-configured)
  • [ ] Failover test passed (both directions)
  • [ ] Unit cleaned and labelled

References