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I have an IC7-MAX3 motherboard, and from what I recall when I first got it a couple years ago Linux had no support for the proprietary ICH5-R hardware raids. Does anyone know if it is possible yet? I've searched around but can't find a straight answer.
I believe that today's kernels support the ICH5R via fakeraid.
Google "fakeraid ICH5R" for more details.
Basically, Linux will pick up the drives individually (instead of the array you would see under Windows) and you will have to set up a software RAID array with those individual drives.
The few links I've found indicate there's an Sil3114 controller on that board (as well as an ICH5R?). The Sil is also a 'fakeraid' (note - not just a SATA controller) & was the auto-detected on my Fedora Core 5 installation as a 200Gb RAID 1 iirc, not 2x seperate disks - there may be a driver available direct from Silicon Image themselves too. I have done installs on ICHx RAIDS but these have always been on Intel motherboards & I have found the relevant driver for linux distro's from Intel's Download Center prior to installation.
Might be easier just to configure a software RAID, if the driver search is fruitless or not autodetected on your distro.
The few links I've found indicate there's an Sil3114 controller on that board (as well as an ICH5R?). The Sil is also a 'fakeraid' (note - not just a SATA controller) & was the auto-detected on my Fedora Core 5 installation as a 200Gb RAID 1 iirc, not 2x seperate disks - there may be a driver available direct from Silicon Image themselves too. I have done installs on ICHx RAIDS but these have always been on Intel motherboards & I have found the relevant driver for linux distro's from Intel's Download Center prior to installation.
How do you define "fakeraid"? There is a SATA controller and a piece of software in the BIOS which hints OS how to configure software RAID. I think "fake" means fake. Your FC install tried dmraid on it, dmraid is a software RAID, developed by RH, compatible with MS Windows.
Quote:
Might be easier just to configure a software RAID, if the driver search is fruitless or not autodetected on your distro.
What else could one do? The choice is between dmraid or Linux kernel RAID, both software. Latter is better if Windows compatibility is not required.
When I say software RAID I mean setting up 2 drives in the OS using something like mdadm - whereas the Sil/ICH controllers still have a RAID bios where you define the RAID member disks & level, and load a driver for RH to recognise the RAID as a single disk - fake maybe, software by your definition, but it doesn't use a dmraid driver.
Anyway, I hope hedpe gets his RAID sorted despite our rambling.
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