Intel SR1500ALR / S5000PAL motherboard - CentOS 5.3 installs, but doesn't start

Hello.

I have the following problem. We purchased Intel SR1500ALR with S5000PAL mother board. It has an integrated raid. We are going to use CentOS 5.3 x64 on this platform. System installation was done using SATA DVDROM. System installed ok, on the installation stage linux detected RAID as something like "devicemapperxxxxxxxxxx" and automatically created LVM volumes there. But after system reboot, we have only a blank black screen with a blinking cursor at the top left corner. Pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del reboots the system.

Can someone advise me, what is the problem? Doesn't CentOS 5.3 have appropriate driver for this RAID?

 

That's what I guess.

 

Then how it successfully installs into this semi-RAID?

 

I think the installer supports your RAID, but the installed system doesn't.

 

Is that possible speaking of CentOS? Is Anakonda installer CentOS-based itself?

 

I'd like to refresh the subject and say that I've got the same problem at work with that server. If anyone is capable of helping then please do. Only sometimes after reboot cursor appears on a blank screen and nothing wants to boot (hdd,dvd etc.). But screw that! I didn't figure that yet but unplugging it for a minute or two brings it back to life. Maybe it's a hardware problem.

Anyway the problem in my case is installing hardware Raid drivers. I'm using the same hardware and distribution. CentOS is installing ok but two disks are not replicating. Automatic configuration of LVM is normal in Red Hat type distributions. I'm looking for drivers and a way to install them. Right now it give's us all a big headache. I'm not sure if hardware Raid needs software drivers nor that server has full hardware Raid.

If anyone can help with that then please do.
Thanks in advance.

 

The solution is to drop this integrated RAID. It is not a hardware RAID, but a FRAID (fake RAID) almost the only use of which is to serve as a crutch for Windows. Switch integrated RAID off and use Linux integrated software RAID capabilities.

 

That's what I'm afraid of and would like to avoid

 

If you will search the net, I think, you will understand, that it is the FRAID, you need to avoid, not Linux software RAID system, which is much more stable. FRAIDs doesn't give you any speed gain, nor they give stability.
Also, read this topic: http://www.centos.org/modules/newbb...d=20185&forum=39&post_id=78369#forumpost78369

 

I guess You're right.
Although I really believe in Linux and cool solutions which it provides, but our goal now is to use and test what we already have,that is that fake raid, compare it with Linux software and make a final decision at the end. Do You know how to make use of it ?

Another option is to add a true hardware Raid controller like this: http://content.it4profit.com/itshop/itemcard_cs.jsp?ITEM=70607122915338109&THEME=asbis-new&LANG=pl
and maybe everything would go smooth this time.

 

Driver for this fraid is here: http://www.lsi.com/storage_home/pro.../megaraid_sas/megaraid_sas_8208elp/index.html

 

You mean the controller I meant at the end (http://content.it4profit.com/itshop/itemcard_cs.jsp?ITEM=70607122915338109&THEME=asbis-new&LANG=pl). Thanks.
What about integrated fraid on s5000pal ? Any ideas?

 

http://www.lsi.com/storage_home/products_home/internal_raid/megaraid_sas/megaraid_sas_8704elp/

 

You still point out drivers for that external card that we intend to test next week.
I'd need drivers for fake raid on s5000pal please.

 

Ops, I am sorry. You can try this: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...&OSFullName=Все операционные системы&lang=rus

 

I've tried a lot of different drivers for RHEL on CentOS 5.3 which should be compatible with CentOS 5.3 without luck. I've used img images meant for writing on 3,5 " diskettes. None of them worked (dd linux noprobe .... before installation).Finally I've extracted contents of one of the img files inside the file to which You pointed me to in Your last post and found out that none of the pre build modules fit my kernel (2.6.18-128.el5). Every file was meant for older kernels. There was also an rpm file which contained megasr driver.So I've installed dkms as a dependency and then the megasr (megasr-13.04.0120.2009-1.noarch.rpm) which generated megasr module and initrd for my kernel. Everything went fine without any errors. Machine reboots without errors to and there's nothing suspicious in the logs. My question is do I have to do anything more to make it work as it should or maybe that's all ?
I didn't have the time to test it by pulling out an hdd but will do it first thing tommorow morning.

 

I think that's all if OS sees RAID ok.

 

I've shut down the system, pulled disk#2 and ended up with a fresh install. There should be more packages installed but the system behaves like it was booted for the first time. What else could I do to test it ?

 

I can see in Raid Web Console that something's happening.Drive #1 is being rebuild. Estimated time is:1,5h (quite long).

 

I cannot help you on the further process. I never used those drivers. And don't think you should