Device and Partition Numbering

All storage devices, disk partitions, and logical partitions are identified by object numbers assigned by the NetWare operating system Media Manager.

In addition, the Media Manager assigns device names to physical devices and adapters called object numbers.

These object numbers and device names are consistent across all NetWare utilities and console commands so that you can easily identify the objects and devices.

Object Numbers

Object numbers are hexadecimal numbers assigned to devices, adapters, media, partitions, and divisions of a partition (such as the Hot Fix redirection area).

If you mirror partitions, each logical partition in the mirrored set has the same object number as the other partitions in the set.

Object numbers are not sequential or persistent. New numbers can be assigned when the server is restarted. But the same object number represents the same entity in any NetWare utility. For example, if you type LIST DEVICES at the server console prompt, you would see a list of storage devices, such as the following (the first number in each line is the Hexidecimal object number):

Likewise, in MONITOR, if you select Available Options > Storage Devices, you would see a list of storage devices, partitions, and adapters similar to the following:

In the MONITOR example, object number 0x0001 represents an Iomega Jaz drive, just as it did in the LIST DEVICES display.

Note that a physical NetWare partition is identified as NetWare Partition and a logical partition is identified either as Non-Mirrored Partition or Mirrored Partition.

Mirroring messages use the logical partition object number to report that hard disks are being remirrored or unmirrored.

For instructions on using MONITOR, see MONITOR in the Utilities Reference.

Partition examples

The following are example partition entries with the device information: Unpartitioned - D:0x1-1

• Unpartitioned indicates that the device is unpartitioned.
• D:0x is the device number.
• -1 is the chunk number. (A unique number that this is the first unpartitioned segment on device 1.)

NSS-P:0x15-1

• NSS-P:0x15-1 indicates that this is an unassigned NSS partition.
• P:0x15 is the partition ID.
• -1 is the chunk number (this will always be 1 because it consumes the entire partition).

Traditional P:0x15b-2

• Traditional indicates that this is a traditional volume with unassigned space.
• -P:0x1b is the partition number of the traditional partition ID.
• -2 is the chunk number indicating that this is the second piece of free space in this unused partition.

If the object ID number contains a "P," the partition does not have a mirror object ID. The selected object has an unmirrored physical partition ID.If the object ID number contains an "M," the partition is mirrored. The ID number following the "M" is the ID of the mirror group instead of an individual partition.For example, M:0x14-1 indicates that the partition exists on the group of partitions represented by the mirror ID 0x14. Traditional - M:0x1c-1 indicates that the traditional partition exists on the group of mirrored partitions represented by mirror ID 0x14.

Device Names

Devices such as hard disks and adapters are identified not only by a nonpersistent object number, see Object Numbers, but also by a permanent device name. When a hard disk fails, the failure message includes the device name so you can identify the disk or adapter.

To see a list of storage devices and their names, execute the LIST STORAGE ADAPTERS command at the server console prompt. The screen lists each device adapter, followed by a list of devices driven by that adapter. In the following example, the first line identifies an IDE disk adapter. The second line identifies a hard disk operated by that adapter:

The bracketed letters and numbers at the beginning of each line are the device name. The device name identifies the adapter or device, as follows:

• Vendor number. A unique number specific to the device vendor.

• Adapter number. The instance of the adapter in the server. In the example, A0 identifies the first instance of an adapter installed in the server. Adapter numbers are unique. The second adapter installed in the server will have adapter number A1, even if the adapter is of the same type as adapter A0.

• Device number. The number of the disk or other device. For a SCSI disk, this is the target ID, usually set by a jumper on the hard disk. For an IDE disk, this number represents the bus from the IDE controller. IDE numbers range from D0 through D3, representing the primary, secondary, tertiary, or quaternary bus.

• Logical unit number (LUN). The LUN identifies individual devices when more than one device is attached to one bus. For example, one IDE bus might be attached to two disks, a master and a slave. LUN 0 represents the master and LUN 1 represents the slave. However, because disk manufacturers rarely use the logical unit number to identify hard disks, the LUN almost always appears as 0.

The Device name represents the device in all Novell utilities and console commands, including MONITOR, LIST DEVICES, etc.

Fault tolerance systems such as Hot Fix use the Device name to report that data blocks on disks have relocated.