[GLLUG] OT - Boot order HP ML110 G6

[John Edwards]

Hi

On Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 09:29:59PM +0100, Ken Smith via GLLUG wrote:
<snip>
> I have got the new disks in there and recreated the Raid array from
> the Raid config in the BIOS. I'm now trying to boot the thing from a
> DVD or from a USB stick. Its behaving as if the Boot order settings
> in the BIOS don't have any effect as it seems to be trying to boot
> the blank raid array and ignoring the other media. If I unplug the
> disks or switch Raid off and let it see the individual disks it will
> boot from USB or DVD. There is probably some setting I'm missing.
<snip>

Have you considered not using the onboard RAID, and instead using 
the Linux Software RAID (as managed by "mdadm") which is what I tend
to use on low end servers (and some workstations).

It would have the advantage of not tying your RAID configuration to a
particular RAID controller, and mean that your drives would be
readable on any computer (very useful in event of hardware problems).
The RAID can also be expanded by adding extra SATA cards and drives
without having to buy a new RAID card.

Lower end servers tend to have poor hardware RAID, or even
non-hardware RAID, that require OS drivers to be installed (I think
dmraid handles this in Linux but I'm not sure because avoid it).

Whereas Linux has it's RAID built into the kernel and I think GRUB v2
now supports booting direct from different types of Linux RAID (older
versions of GRUB where limited to RAID1). Be aware that the management
tool "mdadm" is often an optional package on some distributions and so
would need to be installed.

I think most distribution installers should have an option to setup
hard drives as part of an "md" Linux RAID (Ubuntu certainly does).


-- 
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|    John Edwards   Email: john at cornerstonelinux.co.uk    |
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