I am considering using RH 6.0 to replace a few of my NT file servers, but I do have heavy reservations about using this OS because of the difficulty I am having in setting up RAID 1 with my test system. If someone could please answer a few questions, I would be deeply appreciative. I am not new to Linux though. I presently have an FTP server (which took 3 days to complete), Name Server (2 days to complete), and a firewall using the FWTK (1 week to complete). My test system is as follows: Compaq Pro Workstation 5000 w/ dual PP200s, 128MB RAM, and an NCR-53c875 SCSI adapter and two Seagate barracuda UW 2.1GB drives.
1. I have two versions of a Software-RAID HOWTO on my system which are totally different in their scope. I am guessing that I use the on located in the /usr/doc/raidtools-0.90 directory? The instructions are very confusing and assume to much with the readers level of knowledge. Do I need three drives to successfully create a mirror? I have loaded the OS on drive /dev/sda. Should I not be able to just make /dev/sdb a mirror of the other drive without having to use a third drive just to prepare the OS installation?
2. I have followed the instructions (as best that I can) and find that RAID activation stops during autodetect of RAID arrays. I have even removed the RAID info from /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit. It does start the configuration after it has detected the both SCSI drives and then fails. I get the message:
kmod: failed to exec /sbin/modprobe -s -k md-personality-3, error=2
do_md_run() returned -22
unbind<sdb6,1>
export_rdev(sdb6)
unbind<sda6,0>
export_rdev(sdb6)
md2 stopped.
Any clues?
3. Why is RAID so hard to set up on Linux? The HOWTO suggested that I should "experiment" with this? He also states that I "should use this information at my own risk"? Why should a company pursue the use of Linux if the person that wrote the HOWTO drops a disclaimer such as this? I know that NT is not perfect, but it generally takes me 1.5 hours to complete an entire NT Server installation running RAID 1 (software mirroring) and I know that it is easy to set up and very reliable from hardware failures that I have dealt with in the past. It sounds as if he is not sure of the ability of the system to perform RAID or of his instructions. Please excuse me. I am really not trying to be so critical of the OS, but these are the questions that I am asked by executive management and this project is taking way so long to complete. Maybe someone has had to deal with these questions and can help me with the answers.
Shon Nixon
Chief - Information Technology
Midrex Direct Reduction Corp.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
