Compaq Proliant ML350 can't setup smart array

[mar9999]

I have a newly acquired ML350 which I got for a deal(maybe). I wish to put Fedora 6 on it. I tried doing install directly from the fedora distro, but distro doesn't see drives

I have 3 x 9.1 Gb 10k drives, in hot-swap rails.

Did surfing, and found I should use smartstart to setup array. Downloaded smartstart 7.70, and it boots and runs, then crashes at step 4.

Downloaded smartstart 5.5. Extracted erase utility diskette there, and ran it. Erased.

ss 5.50 won't boot from the cd (get 'invalid system disk' error). Tried extracting array config utility to diskette from this floppy. Get same 'invalid disk' error when trying to boot that floppy.

smart array controller is 3200, with firmware 4.50 installed.

Tried to boot both ss 5.50 cd and diskette with no drives installed, same error message.

I'm stuck. Apparently have to configure array first so fedora will 'see it', but how do I do this without having smartstart that will run? where do I obtain proper smartstart ver for this server?

All indicia indicate Compaq, not hp, on label. Bios says P19 dated 2002. Don't know how to better specify ml350 model I have. Weighs about 110 lbs. 2 x PIII Xeon 800Mhz processors, with 2Gb memory total.

Help!!! :-)

[kcpant]

Hi,

Since the server is quite old (ML 350 first gen , I believe), and you want to install latest ver of FC, I think there is something wrong with the server. When you boot the system with FC 6 , it should see the disks, and you RAID controller.
Smartstart is meant for only setting up basic things and Windows OS on those servers. It won't help you to use SS and setup linux. But, you may use smartstart to boot and check whether you are able to see disks from it or not, just to confirm is this a HW problem or otherwise.

[mar9999]

Thanks for swift response.

I should have been clearer. Boot-up does indeed recognize the smartarray controller. Smartarray controller does indeed recognize there are drives in the cages, but there is no logical drive defined.

[If I have the drives installed, I get message after smartarray initialization of '0 logical drives defined. Run Array Configuration Utility'. Without the drives in, I get 'no drives detected' in addition to the above, so seems like the hardware knows they're 'there'.]

I think reason fc doesn't see any drive is that the drives aren't defined in any array. Yes?

Or, should fc see drives [unconfigured in any raid array] nonetheless?

[kcpant]

Yeap , the situation is more clear now...

You are right, your RAID volume is not configured, and it has to be configured before you go to install OS on it. Use any of the three thing 1. Smart Start (5.0 or 5.5) 2. Array config utility 3. May be you can also use RBSU (but i'm not very sure) . When your system boots, after first status screen, it ahows some function key related options (F9, f10 etc.) , see the same and use an appropriate function. configure the array volume, and you would be able to install FC without a hitch...

[mar9999]

KC,

Thanks for hanging in there for me!

Well, I figured out my dilemma. I'd put into this machine a dvd burner, so I could easily make backups. Never DREAMED that would introduce an issue, but it did, as apparently, the iso for 5.5 is burned some 'older' way or something. I found an older cd drive and tried that, and voila! it worked [SmartStart that is].

Configured my drives, and now I'm installing FC6 as I write this.

[mar9999]

The issue I had was not being able to use smartstart cd I downloaded to setup array, thus I couldn't begin Fedora Core 6 install. This was resolved by finding an older CD drive and using it, as there's some type of incompatibility in the SmartStart 5.50 iso and newer cd/dvd drives.