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irondog
l33t
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 715
Location: Voor mijn TV. Achter mijn pc.
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 Posted: Wed Apr 14, 2004 4:10 pm Post subject: Howto: gentoo on A7N8X onboard sata raid0 |
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Do you want to use the onboard raid 0 feature of your Asus A7N8X and want to run GNU/Linux on it? I think Gentoo is the right choice.
Notes:
* Try software raid 0 if you have no plans to dual boot your system with MS Windows.
* This howto is using kernel 2.4. Be patient, there will be a time kernel 2.6 just works. If the time is ready, I'll update this howto.
First, download knoppix in order to bootstrap your system from one of the three stages:
link updated: knoppix now has kernel 2.4.26 which contains the right module to access the array
http://ftp.surfnet.nl/ftp/pub/os/Linux/distr/knoppix/KNOPPIX_V3.4-2004-05-10-EN.iso
howto updated: just do a modprobe to load the driver
Burn the ISO, boot it and once Knoppix has started load the module into memory to obtain access to the array:
| Code: |
$sudo su
#modprobe medley
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Use the device nodes in /dev/ataraid/* to make partitions, to format and to mount them.
Before entering the chroot it's important that the right device nodes are available in the chroot:
updated: device nodes in knoppix are different (d0p3 instead of disc0/part3 for example)
| Code: |
#mkdir /mnt/gentoo
#mount /dev/ataraid/d0p2 /mnt/gentoo
#mount -o bind /dev /mnt/gentoo/dev
#chroot /mnt/gentoo /bin/bash
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The driver we are using in our fresh installation is included into the 2.4 kernel recently. Kernel 2.4.26 will be the first official kernel to support our setup (it's not out yet at the moment I am writing this).
update: but it is now!
We will use gentoo-sources since they are based on 2.4.26-pre6 and contain the right patches.
update: The version 2.4.25-gentoo-r2 should work also.
| Code: |
#ACCEPT_KEYWORDS='~x86' emerge gentoo-sources
#cd /usr/src/linux
#make menuconfig
//Code maturity level options->
// Prompt for development and/or incomplete code/drivers
//ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL support->
// IDE, ATA and ATAPI Block devices->
// Silicon Image chipset support
// Support for IDE Raid controllers (EXPERIMENTAL)
// CMD/Silicon Image Medley Software RAID (EXPERIMENTAL)
make dep
make clean
make bzImage
make modules
make modules_install
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Installing the bootloader is easy (/boot must be mounted correctly and /dev must contain the right device nodes):
#emerge lilo
updated: device nodes in knoppix are different
and edit /etc/lilo.conf:
| Code: |
lba32
boot = /dev/ataraid/d0
map = /boot/.map
menu-scheme=Wb
prompt
delay = 50
image = /boot/bzImage
root = /dev/ataraid/d0/p4
append="devfs=mount noapic nolapic acpi=off splash=silent"
label = Gentoo
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Copy the kernel-image to /boot, run /sbin/lilo and reboot the system after you followed the rest of the Gentoo installation guide.
| Code: |
#cp /usr/src/linux/arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot && /sbin/lilo -v
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irondog
l33t
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 715
Location: Voor mijn TV. Achter mijn pc.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:57 am Post subject: |
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I've updated this howto. Things should be easier now.
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SkidSoft
n00b
Joined: 24 Jul 2003
Posts: 48
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| Posted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 12:47 am Post subject: |
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How would I configure my boot with grub? I am getting a kernel panic error. I just want to boot from my IDE but be able to access my raid0 array for storage, etc. I have an A7N8X-E Deluxe and using both 2.4.25 and 2.6.5 and having this issue with both. 
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Skid
And he got his head sent home in a freezerbag!
--Bill Murray in The Man Who Knows Too Little |
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irondog
l33t
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 715
Location: Voor mijn TV. Achter mijn pc.
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| Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 9:23 am Post subject: |
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| SkidSoft wrote: | | How would I configure my boot with grub? I am getting a kernel panic error. I just want to boot from my IDE but be able to access my raid0 array for storage, etc. I have an A7N8X-E Deluxe and using both 2.4.25 and 2.6.5 and having this issue with both. |
When having kernel panics I would say your bootloader works just fine. There must be another reason your system doesn't boot.
Is the disk containing your root partition being detected before the kernel panic? If not, have you compiled in support for the IDE controller?
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Zelmo
n00b
Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Posts: 1
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
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| Posted: Sun Jun 13, 2004 10:14 pm Post subject: initrd? |
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| Thanks a million for posting this guide! How about additional instructions for someone using initrd, created by genkernel? My Lilo has an initrd statement that includes a pointer to a boot partition, but when I try to boot I get a kernel panic saying something about an invalid boot device. |
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irondog
l33t
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 715
Location: Voor mijn TV. Achter mijn pc.
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| Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 9:30 pm Post subject: |
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Ok, I'll not update my howto yet, but things seem to have become better: kernel 2.6 and Medley raid is now available.
This is my webpage and it describes what can be done at the moment:
http://tienstra4.flatnet.tudelft.nl/~gerte/gen2dmraid/
It contains a bootable cd with a patched 2.6 kernel and the dmraid tool to do some magic.
This topic will be worth the effort to revisit it from time to time! Once I have the guts to install a 2.6 kernel on my pc, I'll post things here. Main reason for not doing it right now, is because it's dangerous to write to the array with alpha software.
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Boworr
n00b
Joined: 30 Jul 2004
Posts: 45
Location: England. Where the history comes from.
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2004 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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| irondog wrote: | | It contains a bootable cd with a patched 2.6 kernel and the dmraid tool to do some magic.. |
Didn't work for my Asus A7n8x - but it's the closest thing I've seen so far. |
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irondog
l33t
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 715
Location: Voor mijn TV. Achter mijn pc.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2004 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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Send a bug report to the author of dmraid. I have tested it on two systems with an A7N8X deluxe mobo. On one of the systems it workes. Dmraid will be improved.
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bcollie
n00b
Joined: 28 Oct 2003
Posts: 5
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| Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:44 pm Post subject: Sector size |
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dmraid seems to work for me, ie. i can boot up the cd and mount partitions read only.
The only issue is a warning saying that 2048 sector size is not supported.
Any ideas? |
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Boworr
n00b
Joined: 30 Jul 2004
Posts: 45
Location: England. Where the history comes from.
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| Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2004 10:26 am Post subject: SATA Support |
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As an update to the 1st post, don't forget that you need to compile in SATA support in the first place  |
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irondog
l33t
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 715
Location: Voor mijn TV. Achter mijn pc.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2004 10:45 am Post subject: Re: SATA Support |
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| bcollie wrote: | dmraid seems to work for me, ie. i can boot up the cd and mount partitions read only.
The only issue is a warning saying that 2048 sector size is not supported.
Any ideas? |
That's not a problem. It has to do with the cdrom drive. This drive should not be probed by dmraid (but it does).
One of the next versions of dmraid will fix this bug.
| Boworr wrote: | | As an update to the 1st post, don't forget that you need to compile in SATA support in the first place |
The first post doesn't say anything about installing a 2.6 kernel, but you are right:
when installing a 2.6 kernel compile in sata_sil dm-mod and raid[0-6]
Use an initial ramdisk created by dmraidinitrd (you can download the script from my webpage).
An update for this howto will be posted very soon as it runs very stable here when booting 2.6.7
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chAos972
n00b
Joined: 25 Dec 2003
Posts: 6
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 9:04 am Post subject: |
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Hi,
Do you think you could update this howto to use the 2.6 kernel by any chance please?
I've read your other webapge and it doesn't really help when installing gentoo. |
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irondog
l33t
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 715
Location: Voor mijn TV. Achter mijn pc.
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| Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2004 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| chAos972 wrote: |
Do you think you could update this howto to use the 2.6 kernel by any chance please?
I've read your other webapge and it doesn't really help when installing gentoo. |
Sorry, I won't and I can't.
I have updates for my site ready for weeks now, but the raid array on the server running the webpage is corrupted and mounted read-only. The system administrator does not reply on sms'es, phone calls and emails. The information and requests to devellopers I have are stuck on my pc.
//Problems described above have nothing to do with this topic's subject.
I can say this people who want to run kernel 2.6 on any BIOS raid setup (Intel, Promise, Medley, Hpt):
* Just install your favorite Linux distro with a 2.4 kernel (using ataraid) (for medley users the howto above is very usable, I think). Switch to kernel 2.6 after the next two steps.
* Setup a different bootloader than Lilo or grub. Both can't be written from a running 2.6 kernel, so neither be updated or reconfigured for a kernel update!
* Upgrade to kernel 2.6 after you have a bootloader capable to access the /boot partition nativly and capable to copy any kernel image into memory (DOS with loadlin.exe or Syslinux for example).
To make the hacks I did on my computer clear:
* /boot is fat32 and has DOS on it
* ms Windows' bootloader (NTLDR) loads DOS on an tiny primary partition (called /boot in linux)
* autoexec.bat makes DOS execute loadlin.exe to load an initrd with dmraid and a 2.6 kernel image
Ok, it's pretty dirty but the boot process is so fast you won't even notice you have chainloaded DOS and booted Linux with some microsoft help.
When I switched from kernel 2.6.7 to 2.6.8.1 I just had to copy the new kernel image to /boot and reconfigure /boot/autoexec.bat
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Last edited by irondog on Sun Oct 17, 2004 10:41 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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flipy
Apprentice
Joined: 15 Jul 2004
Posts: 232
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| Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2004 1:40 am Post subject: |
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Can you please explain how to set up a bootloader for that?
I've got everything working (i've installed gentoo) but grub nor lilo won't install (i've tryed to hack installation by mounting devfs on the new system, as I can see the raid array but lilo cannot manage it and grub dont see it).
So now i'm stuck here, i dont know what to do...
Thanks in advance!!! |
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