Click to See Complete Forum and Search --> : Cannot boot Intel SR1425 srv using RAID


fishface
06-23-2006, 12:29 PM
Problem - trying to install SLES9 64bit on an Intel SR1425 server using the ICH6 RAID 1 function which as a hotspare function - I'm unsure if this is hardware or software RAID? AFAIK there are not many (if any) software RAIDs that have hotspares.It looks as though it might be a bit of both for this particular chipset.

Using the onboard controller RAID1 + hotspare, SUSE is seeing at 3 separate drives, not 1 logical drive.

Tried all sorts of things, no good, Intel now say they have an issue with this chipset with SLES9 64 bit when previously they said it would work.

Anyways, as a work around, I've installed an Intel SRCS16 RAID card, I'm installing SLES9 64bit. Boot from first CD and do all the usual, SLES recognises the RAID1 as 1 logical drive, great. It goes through installing all the packaages etc, and then reboots when it has finished, and then I get the following error message (very similar anyway)

VFS: Cannot open root device "<NULL>" or unknown-block(8,3)
Please append a correct "root=" boot option
Kernelpanic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(8,3)


So I guess I have to load the Intel drivers, (another server with a much older ICP Vortex RAID doesn't seem to have the problem at all - RAID1 recognised, boots no problems), so I boot using the CD, I've tried linux dd as a boot option and F6 update drivers but no good, I can use rawrite or dd to extract the driver image to a floppy but this server has no floppy drive - so how do I get the drivers loaded? I need a rawrite or dd to a CD ideally, how can I do this?

crow2icedearth
06-23-2006, 06:32 PM
you might need to creat an initrd image . what boot loader you running ?
The error message you posted either tells me A) your pointing to the wrong partition where the root drive mount point is. or B:) you don't have initrd image and the kernel has no idea what to use for the root= or C:) you don't have RAID suport in the kernel. if you don't see if you can load the modules if its compiled into the kernel. good luck

crow2icedearth
06-23-2006, 06:34 PM
paste your boot loader config file. I am asumming your running either GRUB or LILO. lilo /etc/lilo.conf or grub /boot/grub/grub.conf

is the raid ATA raid or SCSI raid ?

fishface
06-25-2006, 06:28 PM
I'll give that a try tomorrow, from memory, I think SLES9 uses lilo by default.

It is SATA RAID. The first RAID I tried (the embedded one) seems to be hardware RAID, Intel branded but actually LSILogic. I think it is a bit more then just a simple software RAID.

The current one I'm trying is a full blown PCI-X 6 port SATA RAID card.

If all else fails I'll guess I'll plug in a USB floppy drive - which I have ordered, just in case!

fishface
07-01-2006, 08:29 AM
Well it now installs - 3 attempts at installing SLES9 64 with checksummed media, 4th attempt with same media and it goes on quite happily.