Installation SL 3.4a on hardware SATA RAID system

[tom909]

My system is basing on a hardware RAID, stripeset, 2 drives. Already installed is winXP SP2, using 2 partitions, one base partition, another logical, both NTFS 5.0, no dynamic drives.

I've created enough space (~60 gigs) for SL 3.4a 64bit Edition, to be precise: That open space isn't a partition anymore. I tried both, the text and the graphical installation, both give me the same result: No suitable partitions can be used or even viewed, so the installer recommends to reinitialize the harddisk(s), which I cannot do, because actually I need my winXP stuff for some time, until there's a professional video cutting software under Linux. I have tested the liveDVD environment of SL 3.4x86-64 on my and my wife's machine without installation and we're quite impressed, we actually love this distribution, but the installation doesn't work at all. We'd love to kick that M$ crap a.s.a.p, since the Linux + Wine + Beryl software makes a serious competition.

So, as far as I understand from previous installations of other OS, there'll be additional RAID drivers needed. My RAID controller is an Intel onboard, 82801 SATA type. Is that so? Or do we have to re-arrange partitions in some way (Please keep in mind that the current OS shouldn't be affected and kept on dual-boot mgnt./start for some time until I've figured out some way to use my video tools under 'wine' and shoot the wincrap to the sun by myself *g*)

Can anyone please help us?

[fungms]

Hi!

First of all - you have to know - is kernel right "see" your device and how it is named:

Check this on console:

Code: Select all

dmesg | grep raid

or

Code: Select all

dmesg | grep sata

If there is something sounds like your Intel in Win, then you will see - how kernel marks that device - your raid.

For example - my raid is HP Compaq and it is visible as /dev/cciss for raid and /dev/cciss1 for first partition and so on.

If there is nothing - search on intel.com and google

Good luck!

[rikd]

My RAID controller is an Intel onboard, 82801 SATA type.

Here's you problem - the 82801 onboard controller is Intel's ICH which is not actually hardware RAID but a software RAID

If you do a google for dmraid you'll find lots of info on problems, etc...

I too have an ICH8R system and can't get any linux distro to install directly onto a RAID configuration. If you do a search on this forum, you'll see a number of people have problems - a google search will show it's not just limited to sabayon.
The only way many have gotten this to work is to install linux onto a non-RAID harddrive, then subsequently setup the installation to pull in the RAID set.

Sorry - I can't be of more use.

[tom909]

@ fungmx & rikd

Thank you for your help. So my chances seem to be somewhat bad.. You're right, the installation of XP even was a hard piece of work, since the ICH7 RAID controller type isn't supported natively and needs additional drivers during installation, which must be put into the installation-routines manually, so an 'altered' install-CD was necessary. Took me 3 days to find a way to do that.

So, under Sabayon/install there's not even such an option, even if there would be Intel ICH7 drivers for SATA RAID arrays? That's so sad. A third harddrive on the IDE-bus is not an option for me, won't fit in my pc-case.

Anyway - thanks again guys. I'll wait and keep an eye on the technological progress in the Linux world.

[gekido]

so you're saying there's no way to install on a sata harddrive?

i'm getting the same errors with a software raid (via) - tells me that there's no filesystems available and boots me from the installer.

[tom909]

so you're saying there's no way to install on a sata harddrive?

i'm getting the same errors with a software raid (via) - tells me that there's no filesystems available and boots me from the installer.

Not generally onto SATA drives, RAID SATA (&most likely IDE RAID, too). In the case of Intel's ICH controllers, a RAID is not 100% hardware-sided, it will (unfortunately) need additional drivers to work. It is, however, possible to install Linux on such (Intel, VIA ect.) RAID systems.

http://tienstra4.flatnet.tudelft.nl/~gerte/gen2dmraid/

That webpage explains a bit about 'dmraid' - which can be used to do this.. somehow..

I personally, am not experienced enough to rewrite python scripts, manually integrate dmraid into Sabayon Linux 3.4a and stuff like that.

The alternative for me would be to install SL onto a non-RAID harddisk, which I can't do -> not enough space in my pc-case. And even if I could do it that way: That's not a real solution to the problem.

So - maybe some other users have some clever ideas..