Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

sekiz · 2009-05-30 06:03:38

I've been tryin to install arch on Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage ich8 for days now, but I believe I'll sort it out.

Been following http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … _Fake-RAID

What I'm failing is grub installation but that is not my question. In the wiki it says to put in modules section your_chipset_module_driver. sata_sil actually probes my controller, but is sata_sil my driver or does intel has any other linux kernel driver?

(Yeah I lsmod ed, nothing fitting)

TIA

Last edited by sekiz (2009-06-01 10:04:02)

mikesd · 2009-05-30 07:13:39

Do you need to use fake raid? I use software raid for my server and have never had a problem with it. Even though it's an old box, io speed doesn't seem to be a problem and it's dead easy to setup.

I don't like the idea of fake raid. If your controller dies it may be difficult to access your data without that particular controller. Not 100% sure if this is the case someone else might be able to confirm or deny this.

With software raid as long as you can hook the disks up you are good to go.

If you really need fake raid someone else may have experience with it. I don't.

sekiz · 2009-05-30 07:54:09

Thx mikesd, but there are other operating systems on that array I need to use. Arch is an essential on my list of os. And I am raid1ing (mirror) so there is very few risk of data loss.

I just need to know if there is another driver for intel raid on linux kernel 2.6 or is sata_sil OK?

whompus · 2009-05-30 12:21:11

There is a problem with archlinux dmraid and Intel on my machine which I believe is related to the serial number issue, isw is only reading the first 16 characters of a 20 character serial number debian has a patch but I have not worked out how to incorporate into dmraid yet. At the moment I'm using kubuntu which is working.

sekiz · 2009-05-30 16:04:59

Thx for letting me know whompus. Other linux distributions i used before (fedora and pardus) also work fine. But I'll stick with Arch, I believe it is linux as it should be. This is the enthusiastic thing about linux, get stuck and rescue yourself ever increasing your knowledge about computer systems in general.

I'll use raid, I'll use arch, I'll use other OSes I need on that array and let you guys know about the outcome.

sekiz · 2009-05-31 06:47:58

I made it. I should have been more careful and read the guide carefully and foreseen any glitches.

For those who cannot get their intel fakeraids running in Arch dmraid, here is what i've done, in light of the guide:

http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ins … _Fake-RAID

As the install cd booted in, I followed the guide to probe for any fakeraid arrays, as a precaution I probed for dm_mirror too, I am Raid-1ing:

$ modprobe dm_mod dm_mirror ata_piix
$ dmraid -ay
$ ls -la /dev/mapper/

which gave

total 0
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 0 2009-05-31 08:38 .
drwxr-xr-x 21 root root 0 2009-05-31 08:47 ..
crw-rw---- 1 root root 10, 60 2009-05-31 08:38 control
brw------- 1 root disk 254, 0 2009-05-31 08:38 isw_jibjccdda_Y
brw------- 1 root disk 254, 1 2009-05-31 08:38 isw_jibjccdda_Y1

as output. Y1 is my XP partition, I had installed earlier.

Then I switched to tty2, and started arch installation.

$ /arch/setup

At the Partition Hard Drives section I manually selected other and entered /dev/mapper/isw_jibjccdda_Y and added a single ext2 partition 35 GB large. I do not use boot or swap partitions, neither like journalling filesystems. Again, just at this chreen record your Cylinders Heads Sectors values. Mine were 30400 255 63. Then write the new hard disk partitioning layout and quit partitioning.

The critical point (which I missed to do earlier) is, just at this stage arch setup cannot see a new partition is added, and you should return to tty1, and:

$ dmraid -ay

again. then return to tty2 and continue setup till the end.

My mkinitcpio.conf settings are:

MODULES="ata_piix dm_mod dm_mirror"
HOOKS="base udev autodetect pata scsi sata dmraid filesystems"

You will not be able to install GRUB to MBR of the array automatically, but you have to set menu.lst right at this stage. The Arch section should be triggering either a) your boot partition or b) your boot folder under root. My GRUB menu.lst looks like (and apperantly works):

# (0) Arch Linux
title Arch Linux
root (hd0,1)
kernel /boot/vmlinuz26 root=/dev/mapper/isw_jibjccdda_Y2 ro
initrd /boot/kernel26.img

# (1) Windows
title Windows
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
makeactive
chainloader +1

Then either exit setup or switch to tty1, leads the same ends.

$ mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev
$ mount -t proc none /mnt/proc
$ mount -t sysfs none /mnt/sys
$ chroot /mnt/
$ dmsetup mknodes
$ grub --device-map=/dev/null
grub> device (hd0) /dev/mapper/raid_set
grub> geometry (hd0) 30400 255 63

which should give stg like:

drive 0x80: C/H/S = 30400/255/63, The number of sectors = 488376000, /dev/sda
Partition num: 0, Filesystem type unknown, partition type 0x7
Partition num: 1, Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

grub> root (hd0,1)

Filesystem type is ext2fs, partition type 0x83

grub> setup (hd0)
grub> quit
$ reboot

should lead to a happy end.

Thanks for the nice Fake-raid guide. There is nothing wrong with dmraid working with ich8, it worked for me.

Anybody still having problems, up this message.

peque · 2009-11-24 09:46:11

I'm using this guide - trying to setup my Raid1 on ICH96 - Which goes OK untill the boot installation???
Running the commands - allthough I just have the raid as follows
disk
disk1 /boot
disk2 SWAP
disk3 /root
disk4 /storage

I can see the disk after putting the geometry in there, but then ???

root (hd0,0)   - OK
setup (hd0) -
  Checking if "/boot/grub/stage1" exist... no
  Checking if "/grub/stage1" exist... yes
  Checking if "/grub/stage2" exist... yes
  Checking if "/grub/e2fs_stage1_5" exist... yes
  Running "embed /grub/e2fs_stage1_5 (hd0)"... 24sectors are embedded.
succeded
  Running install /grub/stage1 (hd0) (hd0)1+24 p (hd0,0)/grub/stage2 /grub/menu.lst.. failed

error 22: No such partition

pointone · 2009-11-29 01:55:15

Same problem here. Check: http://bugs.gentoo.org/275566

whompus · 2009-11-29 13:12:10

I cannot remember the details but I think I ended up using super grub disk to repair my grub installation.

http://www.supergrubdisk.org/

sekiz · 2010-10-18 17:37:16

Sorry for upping this "solved" case, but I also repeatedly get grub boot installation errors in Arch installer CD's later than 2009.02, either 32 or 64 bit on fake raid. So what I do is basicly install Arch on fakeraid with the latest Arch install CD using the wiki as stated above, but when it comes to installing grub I reboot with 2009.02 version installer (important: boot from 64 bit if the install is 64, likewise in 32 bit). Then simply mount linux partition on /mnt then simply follow the wiki or above description from

$ mount -o bind /dev /mnt/dev

onwards.

Arch Linux

#1 2009-05-30 06:03:38

Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#2 2009-05-30 07:13:39

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#3 2009-05-30 07:54:09

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#4 2009-05-30 12:21:11

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#5 2009-05-30 16:04:59

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#6 2009-05-31 06:47:58

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#7 2009-11-24 09:46:11

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#8 2009-11-29 01:55:15

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#9 2009-11-29 13:12:10

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

#10 2010-10-18 17:37:16

Re: Raid1 on Intel Matrix Storage (ich8) [SOLVED]

Board footer