Re: Best Low-cost IDE RAID Solution For 2.6.x? (OT?)

[Samuel Flory <sflory@rackable.com>]

Wakko Warner wrote:
>>>>nice about bad sectors as most hardware raid controllers.  On the other 
>>>>hand the md driver kicks the ass of nearly every raid controller I've tried.
>>>
>>>Faster than the mylex extreme raid 2000?  or one of the higher end adaptecs?
>>
>>Even faster than HP/Compaq cciss hwraid setups, yes.
> 
> 
> I've personally not had any experience with any hardware raid other than the
> mylex DAC960 family.
>

   I know a number of people that run their mylex cards in jbod mode and 
use software raid;-)


> One thing that keeps me from using the linux raid sw is the fact it can't be
> partitioned.  

   You're thinking of it the wrong way.  You just create a bunch of 
partitions and make them into raid devices.  You shouldn't be using the 
entire disk or you will break autodetection.

> I thought about lvm/evms, but I'm unwilling to make an initrd to
> set it up (mounting root).  Unfortunately boot loaders don't seem to support
> anything other than raid1. (Mostly lilo, but I'm not sure grub would do this
> either)
> 

   Lilo deals well with raid 1 devices.  I typical create a small raid 1 
mirror as /boot.  Just be sure to install your bootloader on to all 
drives.  Newer versions of lilo will do the right thing if told to use 
/dev/mdwhatever.

-- 
There is no such thing as obsolete hardware.
Merely hardware that other people don't want.
(The Second Rule of Hardware Acquisition)
Sam Flory  <sflory@rackable.com>