SAS Raid Controller Driver

[Sam Flory]

Jonathan Marshall wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm trying to install Fedora Core 4 on a recently purchased Dell Poweredge 840.
> The client is insisting on the OS version.

  This falls under the heading of don't run new hardware on old linux
versions.  The only time this sort of thing works is with actively
maintained subscription based distros like RHEL/Centos or SLES.  These
guys are always back porting drivers, and driver disks are generally
available.

> I can't get the Fedora installation to see the RAID array and the
> installation just aborts.
> Below the hardware details are the different drivers I've tried.
> 
> Hardware Details:
> Dell SAS 5 Host Bus Apapter Bios
> MPTBIOS-6.12.02.00 (2006.12.22)
> 
> LSI Logic SAS1068-IR ver 0.10.49

  This requires a more recent version of the mpt fusion driver than FC 4
has.

> I've tried the following drive images:
> The driver on the Dell discs
> 
> mptlinux-3.02.83.12-5-SAS-5ir
> mptlinux-4.00.00.01-4dkms_ir
> as well as
> mptlinux-2.06.48.02-2-SAS-5ir
> from ftp.dell.com
> 
> I've also tried driver images from linux.dell.com which are for Red
> Hat Enterprise
> 03.01-1-rhel30-all
> 03.07-1-rhel30-all
> 03.07-1-rhel40-all
> 
> I create the driver disk with dd if=(image name) of=/dev/fd0
> 
> I start the Fedora installation with "linux dd". Only the driver image from the
> archive 03.07-1-rhel30-all loads without a complaint but it still
> can't see the raid array and the installation fails.
> 
> Is it possible to get this hardware to work with this version of Fedora?

  Drivers disk only work for a specific release. You need to compile a
new mpt module specifically for Fedora Core 4.  Then create a driver's
disk. Making a driver disk if you aren't familiar with the process, set
up to do it, and familiar with building kernel modules externally is
very painful.

  Even then they are an abomination. It's likely that the next kernel
update will not contain the newer driver, and the system won't even boot
after a routine update.  Thus requiring manual intervention, or sticking
with older buggy/ less secure kernels.

  With Dell on RHEL it works out a bit better as Red Hat seems to
include the new driver in their quarterly releases.  Fedora doesn't get
this kind of driver updates.  Of course this is mostly a non issue here
as FC 4 is over 2 years old, and no longer maintained.  Heck FC 5 isn't
maintained.