MegaCLI manages LSI MegaRAID controllers, including the Dell PERC H700, H710 and H730 family. Its syntax is cryptic, so this cheat sheet collects the commands you actually need when a drive fails: status checks, rebuilds, drive replacement and foreign configurations.

Installing MegaCLI

MegaCLI is not in the Debian or Ubuntu archives. Broadcom ships it as an RPM (MegaCli-8.07.14), and the community hwraid repository packages it for Debian and Ubuntu as megacli:

bash
sudo apt-get install megacli

That command only works after you add the hwraid repository. If you install Broadcom’s RPM (or convert it with alien), the binary is /opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/MegaCli64; link it into your PATH so the commands below work as written:

bash
sudo ln -s /opt/MegaRAID/MegaCli/MegaCli64 /usr/local/bin/megacli

Common Parameters

Controller Syntax: -aN

  • Use this to specify the adapter ID, starting at 0.
  • -aALL is fine for read-only commands. For changes, name the adapter (-a0) to avoid touching every controller.

Physical Drive: -PhysDrv [E:S]

  • E: Enclosure ID
  • S: Slot number (starting at 0).
  • Retrieve enclosure and slot information with:
bash
megacli -EncInfo -aALL
megacli -PDList -aALL | grep -E "Enclosure Device ID|Slot Number"

Virtual Drive: -Lx

  • Use to specify the virtual drive where x is a number starting at 0 or the string all.

Information Commands

Drive and Array Status

  • List all physical drives with their state (Online, Spun Up, Failed, Rebuild, Unconfigured(good)):
    bash
    megacli -PDList -aALL
  • Show virtual drives (arrays) and whether they are Optimal or Degraded:
    bash
    megacli -LDInfo -Lall -aALL
  • Check media and predictive failure counters, which warn you before a drive fails:
    bash
    megacli -PDList -aALL | grep -E "Slot Number|Media Error Count|Predictive Failure Count"

Controller Information

  • Display adapter details:
    bash
    megacli -AdpAllInfo -aALL
  • Show RAID configuration:
    bash
    megacli -CfgDsply -aALL
  • Check the cache battery (BBU); a failed battery forces write-through and slows writes:
    bash
    megacli -AdpBbuCmd -GetBbuStatus -aALL
  • Export event logs:
    bash
    megacli -AdpEventLog -GetEvents -f lsi-events.log -a0 -NoLog

Common Operations

Find the physical disk before you pull it:

bash
megacli -PDLocate -start -PhysDrv [E:S] -a0
megacli -PDLocate -stop -PhysDrv [E:S] -a0

Replace a Drive

  1. Set the drive offline:
    bash
    megacli -PDOffline -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN
  2. Mark the drive as missing:
    bash
    megacli -PDMarkMissing -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN
  3. Prepare for removal:
    bash
    megacli -PDPrpRmv -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN
  4. Replace the drive and assign it to the missing array row (get Array and row from megacli -PDGetMissing -aN):
    bash
    megacli -PDGetMissing -aN
megacli -PdReplaceMissing -PhysDrv [E:S] -ArrayN -rowN -aN
  5. Start the rebuild process:
    bash
    megacli -PDRbld -Start -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN

Most controllers start the rebuild on their own when a new drive goes into a slot that belonged to a degraded array, so check -PDList before running steps 4 and 5.

Watch a Rebuild

bash
megacli -PDRbld -ShowProg -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN

Add a Hot Spare

bash
megacli -PDHSP -Set -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN

Fix a “Foreign” Drive

A drive that was part of another array shows as Foreign. Scan first, then either import the configuration (keep the data) or clear it (discard it):

  • Scan for foreign configurations:
    bash
    megacli -CfgForeign -Scan -aALL
  • Import it, if the drive belongs to an array you want back:
    bash
    megacli -CfgForeign -Import -aALL
  • Or clear it, then mark the drive as good so it can be reused:
    bash
    megacli -CfgForeign -Clear -aALL
megacli -PDMakeGood -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN

Silence or Disable the Alarm

Silence the current alarm only:

bash
megacli -AdpSetProp AlarmSilence -aALL

Disable it permanently (you will no longer hear about the next failure, so make sure monitoring covers it):

bash
megacli -AdpSetProp AlarmDsbl -aALL

FAQ

How do I check if a RAID array is degraded with MegaCLI?

Run megacli -LDInfo -Lall -aALL | grep State. Optimal is healthy; Degraded means a member drive failed or is rebuilding; Offline means the array has lost too many drives.

Why does MegaCLI fail with libncurses.so.5: cannot open shared object file?

The binary is old and links against ncurses 5. Install libncurses5 where your distribution still ships it, or use StorCLI or PERCCLI, which do not need it.

MegaCLI shows “Unconfigured(bad)” for a new drive. What now?

Run megacli -PDMakeGood -PhysDrv [E:S] -aN to mark it good, then check for a foreign configuration with -CfgForeign -Scan.