Dear Trustix discussion subscribers,
I'm trying to install Trustix on a new server with a SuperMicro P4SCi mainboard. I've got two identical HDDs set up in a RAID-1 array, but for some reason Trustix does not detect them.
When RAID-1 is disabled Trustix can be installed without any problems, but I really would like to use the on-board RAID-1.
Is there someone who can help me get Trustix to work or give me suggestions on how to get it to work with an RAID-1 Array (Intel 6300ESB chipset)?
Does TSL work with the drives as "normal" disks?
The HDDs are not detected when RAID functionality is enabled in BIOS. The "Install Program" asks what device to use. When RAID functionality is disabled in BIOS the HDDs are detected witrhout problems.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this mb has no real RAID functionallity, but software RAID.
So it is better use the disks as an MD device and use the software RAID from linux itself.
The 6300ESB chipset supports RAID functionality, which can be setup using an alternate Adaptec BIOS (1230XA). This BIOS does only show up/can be setup when RAID functionaly is enabled in the system BIOS.
From the Intel drivers page: patches/ide-sata/piix.c-hr-ich5.patch to enable support for PATA & SATA storage interfaces looks like the chip is a ICH5/6 set, So I believe the chip is a fakeraid chipset.
This comes from the Linux SATA RAID Faq:
Many controllers on the market, or coming on the market are sold as "RAID controllers", but this term have become increasingly ambiguous over time. Sometimes the term refers to controllers where the OS driver is mostly unaware of the underlying disk devices attached to the controller. The OS driver only sees RAID arrays, and uses RAID-specific commands to read/write data. These controllers are what I call true hardware RAID.
Sometimes the term refers to controllers where the OS driver and card's on-board flash BIOS provide 100 percent of the RAID capability. This is called software RAID, or less flatteringly, fake RAID.
1. I have an Intel ICH5/ICH5-R/ICH6/ICH6-R SATA RAID. Why doesn't Linux support my hardware RAID? A. It's not hardware RAID. It is software RAID, provided by the BIOS on the card.
So if I'm correct, the controller is no real RAID and it's recommended to setup the disks as "normal" disks and use the Linux software RAID functionallity during the setup of your system, so you have no advantages to use the bios RAID functions. Linux software RAID is fast, and you can live monitor the status of the array, and hot-add and remove. I always use software RAID on systems with no real hardware RAID controller and it has never let me down.
-- Ariën Huisken Xilay Software
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