Re: Raid 5 s-ata controllers and RHEL5 install

Thanks Roger!

     Sorry all for the top posting, but am sending this pravate thread to
the list for any further comments. Please feel free to bottom post
;-).

> Marius,
>
> I previously did a private reply, so you reply to mine did not go
> to the list.  See below for my comments.
>
> Marius Schrecker wrote:
>>> Marius Schrecker wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>>    I've been trying to install RHEL5 x86_64 on an ASUS DSBF-D/SAS
>>>> motherboard with 2 RAID5 S-ATA arrays running on the:
>>>>
>>>>  Intel® 6321ESB I/O Controller Hub:
>>>> 6 SATA2 300MB/s ports
>>>> Intel Matrix Storage (Windows) support RAID 0, 1, 0+1, RAID 5 (S/W).
>>>>
>>>> I haven't found a diskett image for RHEL5, and even live cd's (debian
>>>> based) fail to show the arrays in /dev, although mdadm does see the
>>>> arrays.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I have 3 questions:
>>>>
>>>> 1.   Does anybody have any Experience getting RHEL5 installed on a
>>>> RAID5
>>>> array using this kind of controller?
>>>>
>>>> 2. As the machine in question doesn't have a diskett drive, I will
>>>> have
>>>> to
>>>> re-engineer the disk 1 iso including modules for the anaconda kernel.
>>>> Does
>>>> anyone know the kernel version for anaconda, and whether it is 32 or
>>>> 64
>>>> bit, which gcc to use, etc.
>>>>
>>>> 3.  Better would be to find a proper hardware RAID controller (pci-e).
>>>> Does anyone have any recommendations for a card (preferably 8 port for
>>>> 2
>>>> 3-4 disk arrays) which will provide TRANSPARENT support for the
>>>> installer,
>>>> or which anaconda will find natively?
>>>>
>>>>
>>> 1:
>>> Since the controllers are fake-raid that makes it somewhat less
>>> likely that the drivers exist at all and are open source (ie will
>>> ever be in a shipped OS).
>>>
>>> 2:
>>> If the controller makers has a driver floppy, get a usb floppy, that
>>> should work, you may need to do "dd update", or if they have source
>>> code
>>> you may need to engineer a driver floppy from an older one, but if the
>>> driver is never going to be in the kernel, then kernel updates will
>>> be a pain.
>>>
>>> 3:
>>> A number of the new HW raid controllers don't yet have drivers in
>>> RHEL5,
>>> I know that the PCI-e type 3ware controllers are not in default RHEL5,
>>> I
>>> suspect
>>> that most other recent new cards (pretty much all of the decent
>>> high-end
>>> HW
>>> raid PCI-E controllers) aren't there either, and require a driver
>>> floppy.
>>>
>>> I don't believe the 3ware driver went into the kernel.org kernels until
>>> 2.6.19, and I am suprised by the fact that RedHat did not back port
>>> that
>>> to their initial RHEL5 release.
>>>
>>>                            Roger
>>>
>>
>> Okay, looks like we forget option 1. at least.
>>
>> Most of the controllers I've looked at don't seem to support RHEL5
>> explicitly, and the (binary) drivers available on the install images are
>> for much older kernels (assuming anaconda runs on 2.6.18).
>>
>> These two at least look like they fit my needs, and ship with source
>> code.
>> What kernel and gcc versions do I need to build against??
>>
>> :: HighPoint RocketRAID 2320
>>
>> (http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA/rr2320.htm)
>>
>>
>> or Promise SuperTrak EX8350:
>>
>> (http://www.promise.com/product/product_detail_eng.asp?segment=RAID%205%20HBAs&product_id=156)
>>
>
> I would go with either Areca or 3ware, my 3rd choice would be Highpoint.
>
> The Areca and 3ware drivers are in 2.6.19+ kernels, and 3wares driver
> source
> listed for 2.6 kernels should work find on RHEL5.   I know it works fine
> on the FC6 - 2.6.18 kernel.   I suspect that the Areca driver is similar,
> I know Areca's and 3ware's drivers, and I believe Highpoint's driver for
> that card are included in the kernel.org kernels (I have no idea about
> the promise driver), but if they are in the kernel.org kernel then it is
> very likely the driver will be in RHEL5U1, and you won't need to worry
> about the driver when you do the kernel update.
>
> I believe we have used that highpoint controller and it did work, we have
> not used it on that OS.   The 3ware and Areca drivers and controllers
> appear
> (in my experience) to be more mature and well tested than the Highpoint
> stuff,
> the company I work for resells, installs and integrates all 3 (3ware,
> Areca, and Highpoint).   I don't believe 3ware or Areca sell any fake raid
> controllers, most of the older highpoint controllers are fakeraid, the one
> you specified is I believe a real raid controller.
>
>  From past experiences with Promise I don't use them,  Their early
> controllers
> were junk, that may have changed, but they were one of the first fake raid
> controllers out there, and early on they were alot of trouble, and only
> had
> a binary driver.
>
>
>
>> Does anyone have experience with either and can say if I will be able to
>> load the drivers for RHEL5 anaconda (I'm still going for a cd
>> re-engineer
>> as the easiest approach)?
>>
>> I've also ben toying with doing a chroot install if I gan get the system
>> (with arrays) up and running from a live distro but can't get anaconda
>> to
>> work. Anyone know how RHEL5 handles that?
>>
>> Cheers!
>>
>> Marius
>>
>>
>