To install a Sybase-database, the partitions created on the harddisk need te be raw. So no file system like ext3 installed onto it.

When installing RedHat, Disk Druid lets you partition your harddisk. However, there is always a file-system created on every partition by default (ext3).

Is there a way to create a raw partition at install-time with disk druid ?
How can I remove the file-system afterwards ?

Basically I need 2 raw partitions on a 72 GB HD.
- database1 (60GB)
- log1 (12GB)

You can't create raw partitions per se but you could leave empty space after creating the other partitions needed, then use fdisk to slice it up how you want, etc after the initial install.

OS : RedHat Enterprise Linux Advanced Platform
Database : sybase
Disk partitions :
sda : Logical Volume System with root and swap
sdb : Logical Volume Databases with LV database1, LV log1, LV database2, LV log2

I've made a RAW binding between /dev/raw/raw1 and /dev/sdb doing :

in etc/udev/rules.d/60-raw.rules :
action=="add", kernel=="sdb", run+="raw /dev/raw/raw1 %N"

then udevtest /block/sdb
gives me : main : run : '/bin/raw /dev/raw/raw1 /dev/.tmp-8-16
--> so the udev-rules work properly (according the redhat-manual)

I then give the start_udev -command and this gives me no problems.

to check if the raw-device exists : raw -qa
/dev/raw/raw1: bound to major 8, minor 16


Now, in fstab I still see that all my logical volumes exist, and they have the ext3 file system.

I think I now have a raw device and also still my logical volumes ?!

Will sybase see the raw device to place a database on it ?

I'm troubled with the question whether I now have a raw device sdb or not ?!