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debian 7 on DL360 g8 with b320i raid controller - can't find disc

 
stegfeld
Occasional Contributor

debian 7 on DL360 g8 with b320i raid controller - can't find disc

hey,

 

I'm trying to install debian 7 on my HP Proliant DL360e gen8 server with an smart array b320i Raid Controller. when debian-installer comes to the disc detection it says "cannot find any disc". I tried to select the hpsa driver manually - same result, and I tried this suggested solution:

http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2012/10/msg00088.html

doesn't change anything..

 

does anybody have any other suggested solution?

2 REPLIES 2
BrendonC
Occasional Advisor

Re: debian 7 on DL360 g8 with b320i raid controller - can't find disc

For anyone still having this problem: looks like the "e" series differs from the "p" series in that it has a B320i, not a P420i. The link posted above is a fix for the DL3XX "p" with the P420i controller. This issue was fixed in Debian 7.1 and 6.0.7 so if you're not using 7.1, I would try that (or 7.2 when the new ISOs are generated). I've installed using 7.1 to a DL360p Gen8 server without issue.

Also, on the Ubuntu page for this server, I noticed something in the notes that might apply to Debian as well:

http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/hardware/201203-10849/

"System is certified with Dynamic Smart Array disabled
To disable Dynamic Smart Array: * Press F9 to boot into RBSU * Navigate to System Options -> HP Dynamic Smart Array B320i and select disable * Go to System options -> SATA Controller options and select Legacy SATA or AHCI * Reboot the machine and now you will be able to install the OS."
Jimmy Vance
HPE Pro

Re: debian 7 on DL360 g8 with b320i raid controller - can't find disc

I apologize for missing the original post in this thread.

 

The B120i and B320i controllers differ from the "P" series smart array. Whereas the "P" series Smart Array controllers use the hpsa driver (older controllers use cciss) , which are both open source drivers. The "B" series controllers use the hpvsa driver which is closed source and currently only available for Red Hat and SUSE.

 

"P" series controllers are hardware based RAID controllers

"B" series controller are software based RAID controllers.

 

The "B series controllers are much improved over the previous software based RAID controllers in ProLiant servers as the driver based RAID code is compatible with the firmware in the "P" series controllers. This allows one to move the disks from a "B" series controller to a "P" series controller without data loss.

 

 

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