Ubuntu 7.04 RAID 1 over Proliant ML310 G4

[victorsp]

Hi!
I have some problem installing Ubuntu 7.04 over the HP Proliant. I set the Array of 2 HD in the started BIOS, but then, the ubuntu installer detect 2 separates disk.

Thanks.

[James ~ Happy Dude]

Hello Victor,

This server does not support the installation of UBUNTU Feisty Fawn. However, you may refer :
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=81189

You also have a link to howtoforge.com, which should be helpful to you.

Regards,
James.


{Please assign points to all Replies}

[Jimmy Vance · Accepted solution]

These systems ship with either an embeded SATA controller, or an 8 port SAS/SATA controller card. Either way in RAID mode they use a proprietary driver that is not in Ubuntu (or any distribution) These controllers require a special driver to use the RAID feature. Currently HP does not offer a driver for either of these controllers for a Debian based distribution.

You have a couple of options

1) Don't enable RAID on the controller and just leave the drives as JBOD and use software RAID in Linux. I'm not sure about the SAS controller, but the embeded SATA controller is basically software RAID done in the driver (adpahci).

2) Install an HP Smart Array controller that is supported in the ML310 G4(E200, E500, P400).

If you go with option 2, the HP Smart Array driver (cciss) is open source and already included in most distributions. Kernel updates are generally not an issue as the latest cciss driver should already be in the kernel update. I have installed Ubuntu 7.04 on several different ProLiant servers with a Smart Array controller.

As a side note:
Even though HP does have drivers for the embeded SATA and 8 port SAS/SATA controllers for Red Hat and SuSE you can still run into issues when doing a kernel update as you'll need an updated driver. Since these are closed source drivers you will have to wait for an updated driver to be released before applying any kernel updates.

[victorsp]

This server go with Intel 82801GR SATA RAID controller. I set up the RAID 1 driver in the BIOS menu, but in the Ubuntu partitioner I find 2 separates hard disk.

Jimmy, I'm interested in your second options. But how can I install the HP Smart Array driver? In the Live-cd installer or installing a Ubuntu in one of the hard disk (/dev/sda1 for example)?

We can say that cciss is the raid driver for Linux? Installing Windows you have to set up the RAID before install it (in installation process). But here in Ubuntu?

Thanks

[Jimmy Vance]

The 82801GR is an Adaptec chipset based controller and requires a driver called adpahci for the RAID to function. Ubuntu only contains the ahci driver which is why you see 2 disks. As I understand it the RAID functionality is done in the driver even though you configure the raidset in the controller BIOS. Currently HP only offers this driver for Red Hat and SuSE. Without the adpahci driver RH and SuSE also see 2 disks as the installers load ahci by default.

If you install one of the supported HP Smart Array controllers, the cciss driver is already in Ubuntu. Smart Array devices show up as /dev/cciss/c0d0

c0d0 means controller zero disk zero

In either Windows or Linux you have to set the RAID up before you install the OS

cciss is the controller driver for the Smart Array controller. The driver is in the kernel.org tree so it's generally in all the distributions.

[victorsp]

Thanks,

I'm very pleased of your helper. I have a lot of doubt about this.

If I'm correct, I have to add the adpahci driver at the start of Ubuntu live-cd installation process, isn't it?
But where can I downloads and how can I install it?

[victorsp]

Would I have the same problem if I try to install other free linux distribution, such us Fedora?

I cann't mount RAID 1 over Ubuntu.

[Jimmy Vance]

I doubt you'll find adpahci for any of the free distributions. You might try using the drivers for RHEL with Centos.

[victorsp]

Well,

I can't believe that Ubuntu server can't be installed in Raid in a Proliant Server. I don't undertand why HP get support for RedHat and Suse and not for Ubuntu or other free linux distribution.

No option for install Ubuntu?

[Stewart Walker]

I know its a bummer..

Centos 5 works like a charm.. Just doesn't have all of the hoop.de.la.

Finding Ubuntu doesn't fit well on the HP laptops either. Have not tired new models only the nx9010 and a few other late model we have laying around here.

On to other things.