Basic LVM Questions.
 

I have a 3ware 9550 sata raid card. It can do OCE, however ive yet to figure out how to make linux see the extra space that the raid card adds. So, ive been told LVM is the way to go. Hence my concerns.

If I use LVM to tell linux how to "use" the extra space, wont that add an extra layer, otherwise, an extra point of failure?

Are there extra steps I need or can take to avoid disaster with LVM? For instance, if my boot drive crashes, (my raid array and my boot drive are seperate entities) how will that affect my array?

Some insight, hints and/or tips would be appreciated :)