kernel is from 6-17, compiled by root@mfs - that is definately me.

shouldn't the slackware install process ("setup") copy the correct system map when you tell it which kernel to use???

i think it's a linking problem in the module. i'm going to recompile the module when i have time tonight, and see how it goes.

Hi madrabbit i appreciate the guide. I was wondering if you could give me any pointers on how to adapt it to work with a raid 0 array.

Also do you know if the linux software raid solution that could be compiled right into the kernel would provide better performance than the highpoint solution?

Also i have xp on this raid 0 array and if I would use the compiled into the kernel solution would it be able to see the data that is already on there and so not write over it

Does it write in the same manner that the highpoint solution does so that i can use xp and then go and use linux?

Sorry for all the questions.

hello watjac,

i tried to do this with raid0 for about three weeks and nothing but trouble. a big part of the madrabbit howto is building everything and then plugging the drive into the controller to replicate. as far as i know, you cannot add drives to a raid0 array, nor is there any replication...

He said in his guide that it should be adaptable to a raid 0 array. I don't understand how that method would be adapted to a raid 0 installation either.

If you had a spare hard drive you could install to and then copy the installation over that might possibly work but i don't have a spare hard drive.

I'm really wondering if the one that has been written as a real open source one works better and if the real open source one writes in the same fashion so i can use the highpoint driver in xp and the real open source one in linux on the same raid 0 array I don't really care about the two features missing from the real open source driver. If it does write in the same fashion then we could just compile a kernel that includes that driver and be set.

do you think that it would be possible to just boot from a floppy that has the kernel and a highpoint driver compiled for that kernel on it everytime i want to use slackware? Is that possible? If so how would I go about accomplishing it.

it's possible, but i'm not sure how... probably make the initrd image, a kernel copy, and the module on floppy, in the initrd script, it will hand off to the hard drives.

i got around all of these headaches by getting read of the cheap piece of junk and buying an lsi logic megaraid a4 card. i hear the 3ware cards are good also. they are both 100% hardware solutions, so they're faster and you don't have to worry about kernel modules. expect to pay $200+ for a used one or $300+ for a new one.

Hello watjac92

I tried the compiled-in software solution for about a year on one box. I think performance in the same on each. The only advantage to the vendor-supplied module was being able to hot-wap and rebuild on the fly. Since you can't hot-swap with raid 0 this might not be an issue for you. The compiled-in drivers might be your best solution.

If you still wanted to use the vendor-supplied module, here would be my pointers to make it work for raid 0:

1. Use one drive to build enough of a system to get your driver diskette with the module on it built and tested.

2. Plug in both drives, configure for raid 0.

3. Boot from the floppy/cd, install the driver module, fdisk the raid array (/dev/sda) and install linux to /dev/sda2

4. Before rebooting do all the mkinitrd and lilo stuff.

5. Reboot and enjoy raid0!



Also I never tried putting a raid card in a dual-boot machine. My advice would be to try it on a test machine first so you don't destroy anything valuable if it doesn't work. If you were going that direction and wanted to read/write both partitions, I would use the vendor-supplied drivers for each for consistency. But I never tried it, so who knows.

Hardware raid is the best answer, but you're right it's more money.

The best hardware ide raid doesn't even need drivers. If it does, then it's not 100% hardware. I tried an ARAID brand hardware solution and it was great; no drivers. But it was $500 CDN.

Thanks mad rabbit thats what i'm thinking of doing, I don't have any important data on my xp install but i do want to have it on there for a couple of games that I have like vice city but i can just reinstall xp later.

I can get redhat 9 installed and currently do. I've been looking at doing a chroot type deal not sure if the install program when its running in the chroot will be able to recognise the array though. Not sure exactly how the chroot works. Since what the chroot is running from can see the array can the program running in the chroot see it? or does it run completely and totally independent.

Also does anyone know where one could find out if the compiled in one reads and writes in the same fashion? I know you would have to choose the same chunk size. Is there indepth documentation on the driver listed anywhere? I've been searching google and google groups.

I think the data itself should be the same. It's just the info that the controller writes to the boot sector (or somewhere like that) to describe the array info that may differ and cause problems.

there is no in-depth documentation on the module code. i spoke with a salesman and exchanged email with tech support on this. they seemed to completely ignore my question and simply stated that if i couldn't figure out how to do it i shouldn't use their card, so i took their advice :-)