Can't find logical drive on HP Smart Array if I don't install O/S to the drive

[Nick Gray]

We have DL580 with an 8 disk internal array on a HP Smart Array Controller and an external RAID as well. We are using FC10 and noticed that if we boot on the install disk or rescue disk the internal raid logical volume shows up as /dev/cciss/c0d0 and the externals show up as /dev/sd*. If we install the O/S to the internal and reboot we see the same thing on the new system. If we build to one of the external RAIDs or a JBOD that is attached, and reboot. We no longer can see c0d0. a cat of /proc/driver/cciss0 shows that the RAID assy is there, but for some reason does not know about the logical drive that is still there. If I boot this system off the rescue disk, I can see the logical drive again. I have search with google for a solution and have even gone through the rescue disk to see if I could understand how it see's it ( My knowlege of Python, extends to knowing how to spell it) and can determine what they are doing to detect this drive. I tried to use MAKEDEV to create the devices, but I think everytime I reboot, udev deletes them

[Steven E. Protter]

Shalom,

Your best bet with this server is to set up raid in internal disks with the BIOS utility at the console.

F8 is usually the trigger.

You set up RAID, its essentially invisible to the system which only sees the disks that is presented to it.

Then you install the OS.

SEP

[Nick Gray]

Stephen.

This has been done already. The RAID BIOS shows one logical volume and if I was to install the system on that logical volume, everything is great. I can boot from the internal RAID and use the external as well. The problem is that I should be able to see logical device that exist whether I booted from the RAID or not. If I am using the rescue disk or the installer disk I can see this logical volume.

[Jimmy Vance]

What OS are you using. It should not make any difference if you boot from the internal or external devices. Sounds like when you install on the external /dev/sdX devices, the initrd image that is getting installed does not have the cciss driver included. when you run lsmod after booting from the external drives is the cciss module listed?