Adding RAID array LSI 150-6 to exisiting Debian install

Brian Puccio · 05-23-2004, 11:33 AM

(Yes, i've searched, yes, I've googled.)

I've just put in a 5x250GB SATA RAID 5 array into my Debian (unstable) system. I'm a bit new to linux, I'm familiar with it as a server, but it's new to me as a desktop OS. That being said, I've never added a drive. so far, I fdisk'd it to create a primary partition:

Code:

Command (m for help): p
 
Disk /dev/sdb: 1003.9 GB, 1003982159872 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 122060 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
 
   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sdb1               1      122060   980446918+  83  Linux
 
Command (m for help):

This seems correct (one drive lost for parity) to me.

Next, I should use mke2fs, correct? I tried it (with the j switch to it's ext3) and it said that it was not a partition, but rather an entire device. Rather than screw something up, here I am. I do want to mke2fs -j /dev/sdb, right?

After that, I need to edit /etc/fstab, correct? Here is what it currently reads:

Code:

alpha:/etc# cat fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc            /proc           proc    defaults        0       0
/dev/sda5       none            swap    sw              0       0
/dev/sda1       /               ext3    defaults,errors=remount-ro 0       1
/dev/scd0       /media/cdrom    iso9660 ro,user,noauto  0       0
/dev/scd0       /media/cdrom0   iso9660 ro,user,noauto  0       0
/dev/scd1       /media/cdrom1   iso9660 ro,user,noauto  0       0
/dev/scd0       /cdrom          iso9660 ro,user,noauto  0       0

My current SCSI disk has numbers after it, 5 and 1, where did those numbers come from and should sdb have numbers as well (I'm assuming each number is a parttion)?

So the entry I should add should read:

Code:

/dev/sdb        /tb             ext3    defaults,errors=remount-ro 0       1

And that will let me access the drive at /tb, correct? After which I can put a link from my home directory to that for quick and easy access?

Thanks!

EDIT: If Debian has some automagic way to do this (which would rock) I'd like to go that way. I know Debian has it's own ways of doings things sometimes.

ToniT · 05-23-2004, 12:20 PM

Replace every /dev/sdb with /dev/sdb1 and you are in business.

The /dev/sdb represents the whole drive, /dev/sdb1 is first partition in it. With fdisk you have successfully created the partition (containing the whole drive). Now you have to create a filesystem for the partition: 'mke2fs -j /dev/sdb1' should do it. Next, to have a permanent mountpoint, you have to create a directory /tb (eg. mkdir /tb) and have a line in fstab; similar to the one you suggested, but with /dev/sdb1.

In fact, creating a partition is not necessary in a strict sense in linux, but *strongly* recommended.

If you have a one TB of space, I would recommend using LVM and reiserfs with it. YMMV.

Brian Puccio · 05-23-2004, 02:52 PM

Thanks for the info, that clears things up. I'll give it a shot once I get back home.