OK, so im my situation - I already have a working RedHat 7.3 istalled successfully on HPT370 RAID 0 and with vmlinuz.hpy37x2 in /boot/grub/grub.conf - I can't really boot from the boot disk provided on your link, can I? I would like to keep current kernel - at least for now - until I know I can boot from the new RedHat 8.0.

Also, mine is an Intel box, so recompiling kernel is "not optional". How do I do that with an existing 7.3? And how am I going to make use of the driver provided by you during compiling the kernel?
Regards.

Humm you have never compiled or upgreded the kernel since the 7.3 install?

I think that it sould boot correctly with your configuration. Did you tried it?


I have never upgrade redhat. When i install a new S.O. i whant it clean.
By this reason y have a separate /home partition :)

So, ... I don't know how RedHat upgrade works (probably upgrading the old kernels will be deleted, ... ... ... or not)

A posible solution is save the /modules/* and /boot/* in a CDR

Realy you can compile that kernel yourself but you need gcc3 to make it 100% compatible with the old one overwriting only 1 or 2 files.


To make the kernel to the rh8 install the rpm of this kernel and the kernel-source of this version.

copy the /boot/config-THEKERNELVERSIONYOUNEED to the kernel's source directory.

Modify the makefile and change the version ;P (or insmod will not work)

Edit the drivers/ide/ide-pci.c and drop these lines:

{DEVID_HPT34X, "HPT34X", FIXUP_HPT34X, PCI_HPT34X, NULL, INIT_HPT34X, NULL, {{0x00,0x00,0x00}, {0x00,0x00,0x00}}, NEVER_BOARD, 16 },
{DEVID_HPT366, "HPT366", FIXUP_HPT366, PCI_HPT366, ATA66_HPT366, INIT_HPT366, DMA_HPT366, {{0x00,0x00,0x00}, {0x00,0x00,0x00}}, OFF_BOARD, 240 },
{DEVID_HPT372, "HPT372A", NULL, PCI_HPT366, ATA66_HPT366, INIT_HPT366, DMA_HPT366, {{0x00,0x00,0x00}, {0x00,0x00,0x00}}, OFF_BOARD, 0 },
{DEVID_HPT302, "HPT302", NULL, PCI_HPT366, ATA66_HPT366, INIT_HPT366, DMA_HPT366, {{0x00,0x00,0x00}, {0x00,0x00,0x00}}, OFF_BOARD, 0 },
{DEVID_HPT371, "HPT371", NULL, PCI_HPT366, ATA66_HPT366, INIT_HPT366, DMA_HPT366, {{0x00,0x00,0x00}, {0x00,0x00,0x00}}, OFF_BOARD, 0 },
{DEVID_HPT374, "HPT374", FIXUP_HPT374, PCI_HPT366, ATA66_HPT366, INIT_HPT366, DMA_HPT366, {{0x00,0x00,0x00}, {0x00,0x00,0x00}}, OFF_BOARD, 0 },


(in some kernels only the 2 lines if the begining)

go to the kenel source dir. and do a "make xconfig" (or similar ;) ) and disable (under "ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL" -> "IDE,ATA and ATAPI Block devices"):

"Highpoint 370 software RAID" (CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATARAID_HPT)
"HPT34X chipset support" (CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT34X)
"HPT34X AUTODMA support (WIP)" (CONFIG_HPT34X_AUTODMA)
"HPT366 chipset support" (CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT366)

Save the changes, ... do a "make dep" and a "make" ... if you wanna test that ... "make modules , "make install"

Remember you need to recompile the hpt37x2 module before do a "make install" in the tgz of rh8 i included an hpt37x2lib.o with some modifications to allow use the resulting hpt37x2.o module with a gcc3 compiled kernel.

So, ... untar the oficial hpt "openshit" (really not opensource) driver overwrite the hpt37x2lib.o with the modified one and do a "make KERNELDIR=/usr/src/YOURKERNELSOUERCE"

Now you need to modify the initrd of the new kernel to do some insmods in the initrd...

mount it and edit "linuxrc" after the last insmod add these 3 insmods:

insmod /lib/scsi_mod.o
insmod /lib/sd_mod.o
insmod /lib/hpt37x2.o

and copy theselibraries from your recently compiled kernel/driver to the initrd's /lib

unmount the initrd run lilo and ... try this.

and, ... other posibility is:

download the oficial kernel and the -ac4 patch

... (patch the kernel)

compile it with the config file of the previous post ( in the redhat cd the kernel package)
install it, ...


1 consideration: you will NOT boot from /dev/sda ... you will boot from /dev/ataraid/d0 or /dev/ataraid/disc0/disc

you probably will need to make the nodes in the initrd and in yor "/" doing this:

cd /dev
mkdir ataraid
mkdir disc0
cd disc0
mknod disc b 114 0
mknod part1 b 114 1
mknod part2 b 114 2
mknod part3 b 114 3
mknod part4 b 114 4
mknod part5 b 114 5
mknod part6 b 114 6

or


cd /dev
mkdir ataraid
mknod d0 b 114 0
mknod d0p1 b 114 1
mknod d0p2 b 114 2
mknod d0p3 b 114 3
mknod d0p4 b 114 4
mknod d0p5 b 114 5
mknod d0p6 b 114 6

Thats all, ...

I am trying to install rh on an exsisting raid 0 array with 3 partitions. One contains windows xp. On my abit-kr7a 133r MB. When I use highpoints boot and driver disk i get an error

Ib: stdin :i/o error or -2147483630 reading error no such file or directory.

Can anyone interpret this error, and reccommend a solution?

I just tried it again, and hit ctl+alt+ f3 and f4 and I notice it says a bunch of i/o errors for the Floppy disk. Ive tried two different drives and two different cables. all the same thing

Try with a better floppy. Bad media?

Wich redhat are you installing?

sorry shoulda said prior to.. I am installing RH 7.3
I have tried several different disks.
It will actually start to load the driver then, i get that message in the background and it continues the install. But still does not find the array

Highpoint suggest to upgrade the bios to make it work under linux, ... did you do this?

did you do the CD-ROM media test?

I just reflashed my MB bios. so it is the newest.

When I use the boot disk provided by Highpoint it doesnt ask me to do a media check. I downloaded your bootdisk, when yours does a media check it says there is a checksum error.. The disks I have are the retail disks bought in the store. It lets me continue regardless of the checksum error, but then it says the second part of the install doesnt match the bootdisk or something like that. Then it reboots..

Hmm

Any ideas?

My boot disks works with redhat 8 / mandrake 9 only

If you are using the highpoint redhat 7.3 disks write mediacheck in the boot time (you can obtain more info pressing the function keys)

I am a newbie.. I dont know what "write mediacheck in boot time means"

Insert the boot disk, ...
Turn off your computer, ...
Turn on your computer, ...

Your floopy led will blink 1 time and some text information will be displayed on your screen, ...

At this moment you must write "linux mediacheck" (without quotes) and press enter, ...

The installer will ask you about the 3 CDs to check if they are ok.

Ok, tell ya what.. I feel kinda stupid.. But I was finally able to get a driver disk to work.. What I was doing was quick formatting the disks, but when I did a full format on the disk and install the drivers It finally worked. This is the first time Ive been able to see my raid array in linux.
Right now, i am making room on a partition of my HD. then I will go to work, and install it tommorow after school.

I appreciate the help.. And sorry for being so stupid..

Pandimus..

Wants its up and running, i am sure I can come up with more questions regarding hardware and various other stuff.

I think I'll hold off with compiling the RH 8.0 with this driver for now. The more I read it, the more complicated it sounds, and I am not a kernel compilation guru. My RH 7.3 works perfectly with RAID 0 on HP370, so, I guess I'll just wait for RH8.1 or something - hopefully they'll build in support for HP370 by then.

As i said in this thread you don't need to recompile the kernel, ... you can use the precompiled one included in my gziped tar file, ... just read the readme file included inside,... i think that this can be realy easy,...

I posted a reply recently about the new kernel 2.4.20, ...
I mailed alan cox to ask him about the update of the hpt driver inside the kernel, ... he said that the kernel will not be updated until 2.4.21

The native support of our raid using the oficial kernel will be far