How to mount hard RAID5 array with software RAID0 and GPT?
 

I couldn't post in General. It said I had insufficient permissions to post there, so, this post does have to do with Windows slightly. Sorry that it's here, but I DID read the rules ;) (I searched, and couldn't find an answer to my problem either)

Anyways, I have a RAID5 array 2.72TB (4x1TB drives) which I used in my windows installation, initialized as GPT, and I used "span" to make the single 2TB partition, and 720GB partition into one partition. I believe that Windows created a software RAID0. Ok, so now I've made the leap away from windows, and am going 100% into Linux (Debian, to be exact) and I'm trying to figure out how to mount this array. I've only done basic web/ftp/ircd server management on Linux before, and never anything with mounting drives. I'm a complete n00b at this stuff.

Hopefully somebody understands what's going on and can help :)

Chunky-

EDIT: I forgot to mention, that this array is full, and I'd rather not lose the data. :)

Make sure you've set up the raids in the BIOS settings right!
Then you have the spaces and combinations you want and don't have to take care of anything.
Software then can't figure out if a raid is used - it is presented by the BIOS as one drive.
Maybe you have one or more damaged HDs in your raids.

Nevertheless if you have some spare time you can delete the BIOS raids and lowlevel format the HDs and then setup the raids in the BIOS new.

If you have experiences in linux then you can partition your HDs with fdisk.

Software raids are one big laugher, because the newer drives "raids" hard errors internal and if a drive doesn't work it's always its record heads and a software raid loses all data.

First of all: They're setup just fine for hardware RAID5, I'm just not sure if GPT is supported in Linux, and that's what all of the files are on :(

Secondly, ok, we've gotta move slower than this... Haha like, veryyy beginning. I know there's a way to list what all is plugged into the computer, but I forget what that command is. And then I have to edit some file, right? And then I have to "mount filesystem /media/filesystem" or something, correct?

Sorry, like I said, I really have NOOO idea what I'm doing here with mounting drives, and my Linux skills are very limited.

A hardware raid doesn't have to do something with software.
But think about if you really want a raid5.? That is interesting to DOS operating system like ms-windows but not UNIX/Linux. On Linux every resource(HDs, USB-mem, Network, Internet) is catched and added to one big system (mounted).
And like I wrote above, raid5 is also done internal on all newer HDs (8-3 years)! and if such a drive is broken then one or more of it's heads are damaged and with raid5 you will lose all data that are stored there. So if you're interested in security you would better configure them as raid1 or as raid0 if you want speediness.
And if you're interested in one big storage then linux mount functionality does that for you in etc/fstab.
What Linux does, can do:
- uses the HD caches for speediness or as main memory, what the need is more and if a swap partition is on that drive
- include every resources so that you get one big system
- do anything the system gets faster or more secure dynamically.
So Linux changes its strategy at runtime. What the user needs the most at that moment.

It is also no mistake if you don't use your drives as a raid5 with linux.
And if you don't want to lose data on a HD break down then there is only raid1.
So think about if you want to use a raid5, it is slower than 2 or more drives with swap partitions, only raid0 will be faster.
There is only one thing hard raid5 is good for: if you have very big files (greater than one of that drives - Linux can handle fils with 1.5 TB) that take more than some seconds to load and so you need the corresponding main memory, too.

I don't think you're following my question. I already HAVE the RAID array. I've been using RAID for a long time. It's needed in my situation.

All I want to know is the commands to identify which is the RAID array (among other things plugged into my computer), and mount it to /media/drive

Start with

fdisk -l

as root user. If its running, you should be able to see it.
If its a HW raid, then it'll appear as one entry.

Ok, sdb and sdc are both the same array, my card just splits it at 2TB:

fatass:/home/fatty# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x76a776a7

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 30071 241545276 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 30072 30401 2650725 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 30072 30401 2650693+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris

WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sdb'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.


Disk /dev/sdb: 2199.0 GB, 2199021158400 bytes
256 heads, 63 sectors/track, 266304 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16128 * 512 = 8257536 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x49dc49db

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 266306 2147483647+ ee EFI GPT

WARNING: GPT (GUID Partition Table) detected on '/dev/sdc'! The util fdisk doesn't support GPT. Use GNU Parted.


Disk /dev/sdc: 801.5 GB, 801578680320 bytes
256 heads, 63 sectors/track, 97072 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16128 * 512 = 8257536 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x49dd49dd

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 266306 2147483647+ ee EFI GPT



I'm pretty much trying to figure out what GNU Parted is used for. Like if it can be used to mount drives to folders (eg. /media/folder) or if I have to do this a different way. ^_-

I don't write my posts for fun, I want that you can find you own way with that information.
You use four 1 TB HDs - so:
/dev/sda 250 GB with 750 GB of that raid 5.
/dev/sdb 2 TB is a hard raid of two 1 TB HDs.
/dev/sdc 800 GB and with 200 GB of that raid 5 parity table.

That what fdisk prints is only what the BIOS wants to present and a operating system can work on and you can install linux on.
With this configuration you can only access 2 TB of that raid without software.
It also seams that the BIOS has been overwritten by that software.

You have 4 TB in your computer, 2950 GB in a soft raid 5 or miss configured hard raid 5 and 1050 GB non raided. Is that right?

If you don't want that all drives are 100% hard raided and you dont't want to get one big drive, /dev/sda with about 4 TB, then read this carefully:
http://www.linuxhaven.de/dlhp/HOWTO/...AID-HOWTO.html

Think about what hardware you have and what your target is.

As the msg implies, GNU Parted is a disk partitioning tool: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnu_parted,
You mount disks via the mount cmd if manually, add an entry in /etc/fstab for permanent mounting a boot time.
http://linux.die.net/man/8/mount
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fstab

Ok, I understand. So, what would the fstab line look like for mounting one, or both of the GPT drives? That's what I'm trying to figure out. Lol.