Asking Wipe/Clear DACStore with LSI OEM product.

[tsgsm911]

Hello Experts!

I would like to ask the used disk configuration clearance by following three kinds of tools,

I got some used disks from Sun StorageTek6140 & IBM DS4700.
As I knew that it should be cleared DACStore configuration by "clear configuration" on OEM disk manager tool (called as Santricity).

Purpose: Clear the configured disk configuration to re-use the disk after clear DACStore information.

Question: The following three kinds of method, are they all same result to re-use the disk as parts on any other disk array system?

Method 1: Clear system configuration on the demo system.
Maintenance > Clear Configuration ( All configuration included in RAID controller, each disks DACStore config, NVRAM config.)

Method 2: Erase full disk by each disk vendor tools (Hitachi: WinDFT, WD: DataGuard Diagnostics, Seagate: DiskWizard)This function is the full erase(overwrite). But It is not sure that this ops can be cleared the disk configuration on DACStore location.

Method 3: Erase the MBR sector.
It is not sure that this ops can be cleared the disk configuration on DACStore location.

Please provide the tips to clear the used-disk configuration for re-use the disk as parts.
I didn't have Sun 6140/ IBM DS4700 base system with RAID controllers.
So I am looking forward to clearing disk configuration with less money.

Can I get the effect with method2 or method3 same as method1, or not ?

Would you please explain the differences between MBR and DACStore also?

What are the differences between MBR clearance and DACStore clearance?

Kind Regards!

SangKyun, Hong

Kind Regards!
SangKyun, Hong

[AlexDawson]

Bit of an in depth topic for these boards..

HDDs are a collection of blocks, arranged by tracks, cylinders and heads, which are then virtualised by the drive controller into LBA to store filesystems on.

DACStore and MBR are both at a high level a method of storing details about the volumes stored on a disk (ie, which LBA blocks make up the filesystem).

For RAID member drives, MBR is not used, so the RAID vendor (such as LSI ESG in the case of a STek 6140..) has other methods of maintain logical data about the use of the disk. 

If you ever want to use it in an enterprise RAID device again, the type of wiping you're looking at is not acceptable, you must use the Santricity manager.

If you just want to use them in other devices as plain hard drives, the vendor tools, or a linux system will be acceptable.

Hope this helps.