install RHEL4.2 doesn't recognize RAID controller

Thu Dec 11 19:40:44 CST 2008

Very good suggestion.  In our case, we needed bare-metal speed and also a simple configuration so such options were out.  Yes, I’ve read all of the propaganda about para-virtualization, but it’s just not quite there.  Once Intel/AMD complete the task of adding hardware support, then maybe it’s a different story.  But until then...   (RedHat 3.8, which I’m stuck with, only supplies a 2.4 kernel for which no para-virtualized drivers exist--or ever will/can for that matter.  So even if Xen/VMware/KVM/etc met all of their propaganda with real world results, we’d be left out...)

Virtualization provides much better manageability and resource utilization, but not flat-out speed (yet?)  And using it complicates the setup.  Not a good solution for our product which ships pre-configured in server bundles.  I just wish I could get our product managers to recognize that an OS upgrade would also be a good “feature”.  :-|

That said, we do use virtualization everywhere else possible.  Sounds like it might be a good match if the application is only a software editor.  We do most of our builds using RH3.8 VM’s running under VWware ESXi 3.5u3.  KVM didn’t work well--horrible about losing clock-ticks--and I ran out of time for my Xen evaluation.  Schedules are a brutal thing.  But anyway, VMware ESXi works well and can be free of charge--depending on how willing the sysadmin is to muck about in the innards (in other words, not cry uncle and pony-up for Virtual Infrastructure licenses.)

Roger

From: Kevin Davidson [mailto:kevin at indigospring.co.uk] 
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 7:48 PM
To: Johnson, Roger
Cc: <linux-poweredge at dell.com>
Subject: Re: install RHEL4.2 doesn't recognize RAID controller 

Why not install a current supported OS on the hardware and run your old OS and applications under Xen or VMWare?

-- 

Kevin Davidson

Sent from my iPhone

indigospring :Making Sense of IT

w http://www.indigospring.co.uk/

t 0870 745 4001

On 11 Dec 2008, at 23:10, "Johnson, Roger" <rjohnson at idirect.net> wrote:

	If there isn’t a driver available from Dell (or LSI which makes the PERC6/i chipset) for your RedHat version, then you don’t have much recourse down that path other than to learn driver development... Not a happy thought.  DKMS can be used to build drivers for specific kernels, but only if a “DKMS-ized” driver source exists.  Someone from Dell can chime in to confirm/deny.

	However, we were in a more dire situation than yours--our software is only certified for RedHat 3.8.  We ended up downgrading the PERC6/i to a PERC5/i for which there was a proper RedHat 3.8 driver available.  I’d be surprised if Redhat 4.2 wasn’t also supported with a PERC5/i driver.  The PowerEdge 1950 does support the PERC5/i, so contact your Dell rep to get one.  They may even be nice and let you swap.  I think the major difference between the two PERC models is the amount of cache RAM (256MB on the PERC6/i), but I could be wrong about that.

	Hope this helps,

	Roger Johnson

	> Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:32:53 +0100

	> From: mailinglists <mailinglists at e-tera.com>

	> Subject: Re: install RHEL4.2 doesn't recognize RAID controller

	> To: Bryan <bryan.madhatter at gmail.com>

	> Cc: linux-poweredge at dell.com

	> Message-ID: <4940DE45.2050306 at e-tera.com>

	> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

	> 

	> Thank you for all your answers.

	> 

	> The problem is that RHEL4.2 is really required by the software editor as a prerequisite.

	> They usualy work with IBM servers, that's why their never encountered this problem.

	> But they gave me their agreement to use a DELL server, so I will look for a solution with them.

	> 

	> For my personnal knowledge, can someone explain me how to build the "driver disks" ?

	> 

	> thank you in advance

	> 

	> Bryan a ?crit :

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