First the followup re: RAID using your installer: I deleted all existing partitions, started over, and got it going. I am guessing the first time that grub found existing partitions from a previous tsl 3 install which I did not destroy on /dev/hda and pointed at them instead of the new RAID partitions. So the install onto RAID was probably successful but ignored.
I left the partitions because I like to have several rescue partitions. I install 2 separate copies of TSL root copies into (for example) /dev/hda3 and /dev/hdc3 and then run normally from a RAID1 mirror built on /dev/hda2 and /dev/hdc2 so if something gets messed up I can reboot into one of the spare partitions, mount the broken one, repair it, and reboot. I routinely do all this via serial console from 500 miles away. Works great 98+% of the time. I also do complete installations and upgrades remotely, so I tend to not use your installer much. I test out the new version releases at home and then copy the whole root partition across the 'net into a spare partition so I can test without destroying existing content. All done from serial console, no CDROM, no ISO, no installer. No need to wonder if 2.2 -> 3.0 or even a kernel upgrade will take down a machine and leave me with 2500 cranky customers. >> I also tried building a RAID1 setup manually and copying things >> over with cpio. This worked for 2.2, I have 5 servers running >> this way now. > > Sounds like a hack. TSL 3.0 actually has excellent support for SW RAID > setup during installation. In my opinion way better than that of the old > installer in 2.2. Disclaimer: I really, really like Trustix and I use it on most of my production servers. Note Christian said "way better" not "easy" or "practical". :-) His "excellent support" means if you have extensive knowledge it's now possible. I am not convinced it was possible in 2.2 but that is moot now. Yes, I use a glorious and clever hack; I wish it were my own. Hacks and easy workarounds are a prime reason to use Linux. If I could not hack Linux, I would just use Windows.* I will write this hack up for the Wiki because IMO it is still easier to convert a running TSL system to RAID once you have the steps down than to use the 3.0 installer. No one could use your manual to do a RAID set up without extensive knowledge of Linux. For anyone who has not checked, the entire manual consists mostly of screenshots with very minimal text; you could have just put the text into the installer. I have the required knowledge and still found it annoying and convoluted. Maybe knowing it's easy from a command line has spoiled me?? I telecommute. This means I sometimes have to have someone with limited ability install TSL for me, and once it's going minimally I have to fix it up from 500 miles away. I have to talk the guy through menu by menu, everytime. He never remembers ANYTHING. Try doing your RAID install THAT way; it's impossible! Usually if possible I have him boot the system using a rescue CDROM that I created that has ssh in it. Then I manually build up the drives as mentioned above. (I suppose an option to enable serial console at install should be a feature request.) I have been thinking of trying to build a TSL disk up that has serial console support as the default. That would be another feature request... > kind regards > > c likewise, hope I don't sound too testy. b * this is perhaps an exaggeration for effect. ;-) _______________________________________________ tsl-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.trustix.org/mailman/listinfo/tsl-discuss
