Move a software array to a new box.

NrG · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 09 Jun 2002 Posts: 83

I want to move a sw raid 0 array to a new box.
Will my kernel automaticly detect this new array?
can i use any ide port i want to? or should i use the same as it was using on the other box?
Do need to copy/modify my raidtab?

What i read in the howto makes me believe i can just plug in the array in a new box and it would be automaticly detect if:

* autodection is enabled in the kernel
* they array is created with persistance supperblock
* and type is set to fd.

All of the above options are done on my system/array.

Any help/info is appriciated. There is some semi important information on these 2 disks and i dont have the capacity to backup 120 gb

Thx in Adv.

NrG

mglauche · Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2002 12:52 pm Post subject:

I think that is true, otherwise the kernel could not boot from raid

(chicken - egg problem), how could the kernel know the raid parameters otherwise if "/" is raid ?

rommel · Posted: Mon Oct 28, 2002 5:17 pm Post subject:

will you booting from the new array? either way you would need to make changes to /etc/fstab.....explain a bit more of what you are thinking or doing...like the steps you would take to actaully do.

NrG · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 09 Jun 2002 Posts: 83

No system file are on this array. The array only contains my music

.

Currently its running on a slackware box and i want to move it to a new gentoo box. After the box is booted i want to mount it, it doesnt matter where.

My thinking is that when i move it to the new box and connect the drives to the ide ports and boot it up. The kernel should automaticly detect it and i would be able to mount /dev/md0 anywhere i want. But im not completely sure its as simple as that.

Hope this explains my situation a bit beter.

btw: the kernel could never boot from sw raid 0 as for as i know.

NrG

rommel · Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2002 5:22 am Post subject:

your right you cant have a boot aprtition as part of of an lsr raid 0 configuration...i have been running lsr since i started using linux/gentoo....i was just wondering what you were trying to do...i think what you want to do will work as long as the right raid support in the kernel and raid tools have been emerged, then creating a mount point for /dev/md0 in fstab and an entry in /etc/mtab. but even if it didnt work i dont think you would be risking damaging the raid array.
the only other thing is what ide channels will you be using, and if its a pci controller to ber sure that it has kernel support.

good luck

NrG · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 09 Jun 2002 Posts: 83

I think i will give it a try soon.
When i dont forget i will post my experiances here.

Thx

NrG

rommel · Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2002 1:51 am Post subject:

yeah that would be helpful ....i would be interested to know what you had to do and how it worked out for ya

good luck

NrG · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 09 Jun 2002 Posts: 83

Last weekend i finaly did it.
I moved my 120 raid 0 array and added also a new 650 gb raid 5 array.
After i connected the 2 disk of the 120 raid 0 array it was nicely detected by the kernel. It doesnt even matter what ide port/channel you use aslong as you:

Enable the RAID options you need in the kernel.
Enable auto mount in the kernel.
Partition your raid drives and setting it to type FD.
Set persistent-superblock 1 when creating the array.

Any box with disks that have these requerments will work i think.

Another thing i found out is that you can never use more then 2 promise controlers in one pc. Maybe this info can come in handy sometimes when you want to create a really large achive.

NrG