Can't install mbr with dmraid and lilo in slackware
 

hello,

i have a problem that can't install lilo in a system in raid1 with 2 disks on the fakeraid controller Promise FastTrack.

ls /dev/mapper/
control pdc_dcgjfjcdgb pdc_dcgjfjcdgb1 pdc_dcgjfjcdgb5

i also create this links to format partition required by Slackware setup:
ln -fs /dev/dm1 /dev/dm-0p1
ln -fs /dev/dm2 /dev/dm-0p2
ln -fs /dev/dm3 /dev/dm-0p5

I correctly mount all partitions fine, when i make "dmraid -ay", but when i make "lilo", i get the error:

device-mapper ioctl cmd 12 failed: No such device or address
Fatal: device-mapper: dm_task_run(DM_DEVICE_TABLE) failed

I also compile the last lilo from source and he has device-mapper build in.
But no luck, same error.

with lilo -v 6, seams that the lilo will not search inside the /dev/mapper and not get also the /dev/dm* devices.

help will be appreciated.

Please, consider using software raid. It is better and safer then any fake-raid.

yes i have tested, software raid works and boot the system, with mdadm, but i what to tested fakeraid, you say that fakeraid is not very stable, or you have one epic fail?


i found with strace that is the /dev/dm-* that as have the problem, so i remove it and now lilo gets "inappropriate ioctl for device" when read the /dev/mapper/pdc_dcgjfjcdgb

I tested also with grub, but get "Floating point exception".

Seams that is any way to get fakeraid works at boot...

Well, i try to say that if you will set fakeraid and - in future - your motherboard or raid controller will fail - this will be serious problem to recover data, or synchronize new array.
If you use software raid you are indenpendence from hardware. Even if all hardware fail (except hard disk in case you have raid1), you can simply remove disk to new PC, add a new hard disk, and synchronize your raid.