You must address any foreign configuration before the controller will let you do ANYTHING with the drive.  In your case, if the system is up and running and you simply replaced a faulty drive, then you must CLEAR the foreign configuration.  In OMSA, go to Storage, PERC, Information/Configuration (link at top of page), then Foreign/Clear from the dropdown menu of Available Tasks for the controller.  Then you can assign the disk as a hot-spare to begin the rebuild.
Hi,   I just replaced the faulty hdd on our PE 2950 server running server 2003 r2 but it says foreign state status on the openmanage server admin. how do i fix this issue? please help. thanks   Jessie 
foreign state