Promise RAID once again :-(

akb · Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2003 9:16 am Post subject: Promise RAID once again :-(

I've read nearly all topics about the Promise RAID Controller (Onboard @ msi K7T Turbo -R), but didnt find a solution yet. Maybe someone can help me, I hope so :-)

Well, I compiled the kernel with all necessary options and also build the modules ataraid and pdcraid. But first there wasn't the /dev/ataraid tree, so I used the makedev-script for ATARAID, which was mentioned somewhere in here.

So far so bad... now I've got the ataraid tree in my listed, but still cannot insmod the pdcraid. Whenever I want to insmod it, it tells me "no such device" or something. Then I had the idea to have a look at the bootlog and that first gives me a "skipping promise raid" or something while looking for harddisks and at the end of the log file it tells me that there wasnt a raid defined.

But the 2 HDs I want to use are perfectly working with XP, so they are already correctly built and so on. Since XP puts it into SCSI-tree, each harddisk a single scsi-disk, its not installed as normal ide, but as single-drive stripe.

Well... does anyone know hot to solve this nasty problem? :-(

slott_hansen · Posted: Mon Feb 03, 2003 8:16 pm Post subject: Promise 20376

I also have trouble getting my new kernel to find my ATARAID promise raid controller. When I boot with the CD I can do the "modprobe ataraid pcdraid" and get it to show up in my device list.

I really don't know what the :twisted:

%&""#¤

is wrong, but so far I have spendt 4 days and several hours on the phone talking to experts without solving the problem...

So if there is anyone out there with a gentoo linux system runnign with a promise raid 20376 controller I would like to get in contact with you ASAP.
_________________
Best regards,
Morten Slott Hansen

akb · Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2003 10:34 pm Post subject:

got it work

had to use the newer kernel (upgrade 2.4.19 -> 2.4.20) and now all's fine with this... but now my soundcard doesnt work any more

Gnufsh · Guru Joined: 28 Dec 2002 Posts: 400 Location: Portland, OR

There is a bug in the 2.4.19 kernels, something about an ifdef and ifndef being switched, basically a typo... try using the 2.4.20 vanilla kernel, works great for me.

akb · Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2003 12:46 pm Post subject:

The vanilla didnt work, because i have to root an xfs-fs @ /
the xfs-kernels work great, but with the vanilla kernels i didnt get it work, even with all xfs-options that were available.
but now, as i already mentioned, the 2.4.20-xfs works with ataraid, but not with my soundcard

the problem is something about the combination of es1371 and gameport. if i disable gameport support it works. but i need this nasty little port :-(

*lol*

slott_hansen · Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2003 4:39 pm Post subject: Still no luck

I tried with the latest 2.4.21 kernel from A.C., but still no luck finding my promise RAID 20376. However now I got it working with software instead (makeraid /dev/md0 etc. etc.) and it works great.
The drawback of this is of curise the CPU overhead in maintaining the mirroing and the *2 overhead in writing (which would have been handled by the hardware).

But to all of you who made a working kernel with promise 20376 - PLEASE post your kernel settings!!!! Or send me the kernel settingsfile to
msh@onliners.dk
_________________
Best regards,
Morten Slott Hansen

akb · Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2003 11:08 pm Post subject:

Well... I tried lots of 2.4.20 kernels and each of them got my promise raid correctly! Vanilla via emerge, 2.4.20-xfs_pre6, 2.4.20 via ftp.kernel.org... no problem with 2.4.20 i think. I just put in whats called (ata)raid and/or promise and it worked *lol*

Zeeland · n00b Joined: 13 Feb 2003 Posts: 28

rbonthond · Apprentice Joined: 24 Jun 2002 Posts: 190

I have it working, but compiled in the kernel, not via modules. Modules did not work for me.

kernel: 2.4.19-gentoo-r10

dmesg gives the following information:

slott_hansen · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2003 4:32 pm Post subject: still not working

Tried the lates version of the AC kernel - still no go.

Can you guys find the raid by typing modprobe ataraid ????

I really don't get this!!!
_________________
Best regards,
Morten Slott Hansen

Zeeland · n00b Joined: 13 Feb 2003 Posts: 28

rbonthond · Apprentice Joined: 24 Jun 2002 Posts: 190

Martigen · n00b Joined: 04 Mar 2003 Posts: 59

The Promise 20276 is the ATA RAID solution, for which the kernel's ATARAID drivers will work. The Promise 20376 is the new SATA version of the 20276, and currently does not have any support in the kernel.

Software RAID using MD is the way to go, is faster, and no more CPU intensive than using the firmware Promise RAID solution (calling it hardware RAID is a misnomer).

Mart

slott_hansen · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2003 5:12 pm Post subject: not quite the same speed

It might not be CPU intensive but all WRITE operations are TWICE as slow since the write has to be called TWICE. The RAID hardware automatically generates the second write when running in mirror 1 mode.
_________________
Best regards,
Morten Slott Hansen

Totophe · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2003 6:51 pm Post subject:

So, i'm like a newbie... Sorry.

I have an A7V8X with Raid Promise 20376 Controler.

I have on it a IBM HDD, in single drive (I used it on it because no place on my standart IDE controler. Fucking 4 devices limits !!!, and it is all no HDD thinks i can't put on the raid...)

So, if i understand (because I don't speak english very well, as you see), we can do working the Promise 20376 with Linux, with a Software program ?

My question is : How to do that ? (Lil' explains needed.. Thanks..)

slott_hansen · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2003 3:23 pm Post subject: Software RAID

Since I couldn't get my server working with the hardware RAID I was forved to use the built in software solution found in LINUX.

Simpley use the mkraid command and off you go!!!!

Enjoy!
_________________
Best regards,
Morten Slott Hansen