[Novalug] hardware raid monitoring?

[William Warren]

there's no conversion.  backup your data..blow out the 
fakeraid..reinstall from the beginning using Linux Software Raid.

Brandon Saxe wrote:
> That was a very helpful link. Thank you! See more
> below:
> 
>> But unless you're dual-booting
>> MS-Windows, you
>> shouldn't care, because Linux's software RAID
>> (kernel "md" driver) is
>> much faster and more reliable. You're advised to
>> blow away fakeraid
>> volumes, use SATA drives as straight block devices,
>> and enable Linux
>> software RAID instead, during Linux installation.
> 
> 
> So, it would appear that I should switch to Linux
> software RAID. Any suggestions on first steps to
> convert without losing data?
> 
> --Brandon
> 
> --- Russell Evans <russell-evans at qwest.net> wrote:
> 
>> On Wed, 9 May 2007 20:40:41 -0700 (PDT)
>> "Brandon Saxe" <brandon20va at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> So I was thinking about my current desktop setup
>> and
>>> remembered I have a RAID 1 running off of my
>>> motherboard. I set this up over a year ago and
>> forgot
>>> about it (please keep in mind I knew very little
>> about
>>> what RAID was back then).
>>>
>>> Now my question is: How do I monitor this thing?
>> Does
>>> Linux provide tools to tell me if one of my drives
>>> fail? 
>>>
>>> lspci shows:
>>> RAID bus controller: Silicon Image, Inc. (formerly
>> CMD
>>> Technology Inc) SiI 3112 [SATALink/SATARaid]
>> Serial
>>> ATA Controller (rev 02)
>> http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/sata.html#sil
>>
>> The link off this page to Tekram has a binary
>> monitoring tool in the
>> zip file. You could try it to see if it will work
>> with your setup.
>>
>>
>> There is this on
>>
> http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/sata.html#fakeraid
>> RAID issues (a separate wrinkle): 
>>
>> Most ATA RAID host adapters (except 3Ware Escalade,
>> Adaptec 24x0,
>> Areca, HP/Compaq, IBM ServeRAID, Intel SRC*/ICP
>> Vortex, LSI Logic
>> MegaRAID 150-4/150-6, and Tekram) turn out, upon
>> examination, to not be
>> real hardware RAID, but rather
>> software/BIOS-dependent fakeraid. (I.e.,
>> missing hardware functionality is traditionally
>> emulated inside
>> idiosyncratic, undocumented, and proprietary
>> software drivers, to hit
>> low price points). Fakeraid is difficult to support
>> in Linux — absent
>> either reverse-engineering, special proprietary
>> drivers, or (rare)
>> manufacturer cooperation. (HighPoint, LSI Logic,
>> Nvidia, Promise, and
>> VIA provide proprietary drivers to support their
>> respective fakeraids.
>> I personally would steer clear.)
>>
>> Linux often cannot read existing fakeraid volumes on
>> such host
>> adapters, unless you're willing to use proprietary
>> fakeraid drivers
>> (where available). But unless you're dual-booting
>> MS-Windows, you
>> shouldn't care, because Linux's software RAID
>> (kernel "md" driver) is
>> much faster and more reliable. You're advised to
>> blow away fakeraid
>> volumes, use SATA drives as straight block devices,
>> and enable Linux
>> software RAID instead, during Linux installation.
>>
>> Kernel coders are slowly figuring out some fakeraid
>> variants, and
>> coding ataraid/dmraid modules. 
>>
>> Warning about media errors and RAID
>> Be aware that if any one drive of your SATA-based
>> RAID array goes
>> offline for any reason, including a significant
>> string of media errors,
>> depending on the SATA host adapter, the array may
>> hang and need to be
>> rebooted. This is because many SATA host adapters,
>> like ATA generally
>> absent special hardware provisions, simply don't
>> support hotplug
>> functionality.
>>
>> This is known to be true, in particular, of Intel's
>> ICH5/ICH5-R series,
>> and Garzik has pointed out that that chip series,
>> plus Intel ICH6 (in
>> non-AHCI mode), Pacific Digital Talon, and Promise
>> SATA SX4 — at
>> minimum — will never support hotplug.
>>
>>
>>
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-- 
My "Foundation" verse:
Isa 54:17  No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and 
every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt 
condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their 
righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

-- carpe ductum -- "Grab the tape"
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