Ubuntu – Setting up RAID 10 on Ubuntu Server – Showing 2 disks during installation

raidUbuntu

I'm trying to setup the below raid configuration. I've setup a RAID10 via the raid controller but it appears ubuntu server either does not recognize the RAID or it's not fully working because I see 2 500 GB drives during the ubuntu server installation. However, when I go back into the RAID controller it shows that all 4 disks belong to the RAID 10 setup.

I had called SuperMicro about seeing 2 disks during setup and they said it was probably because Ubuntu didn't have the appropriate raid driver to see the 1TB drive.

I've looked around Google with little luck, can anyone provide any insight on what I need to do?

   +-----------------------------------------------------+
    |                                                     |    :
    |  500GB          500GB        500GB          500GB   |    :
    |    |              |            |              |     |    :
    |    +-500MB-MIRROR-+            +-500MB-MIRROR-+     |    : RAID Controller
    |           |                           |             |    :
    |           +---------1TB-STRIPE--------+             |    :
    |                         |                           |    :
    +-------------------------|---------------------------+
                              |
    +-------------------------|---------------------------+
    |                         |                           |    :
    |                  OPERATING SYSTEM                   |    :
    |                         |                           |    : Software
    |                    APPLICATION                      |    :
    |                                                     |    :
    +-----------------------------------------------------+

Here's my server:

Manufacturer: SuperMicro
Model / Part Number: 6015P-TR
Processor(s): Dual (2x) Intel Xeon 2GHz 5130 Dual Core 64-Bit Processors - 4MB Cache, 1333MHz FSB
Memory: 4GB RAM (4x 1GB PC2-5300) - 8 slots on motherboard
Hard Drive(s): Four (4) Hitachi 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drives
Optical Drive: DVD-ROM
Floppy Drive: Included
Network Interface: Dual 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet
RAID: On-Board Intel ESB2 RAID controller - 0,1,5,10 SATA RAID
Power Supplies: 2 (Redundant) - 700W each
Form Factor: Rack Mount - 1U

Best Answer

You don't have a real RAID controller, the integrated chipset RAIDS is what I usually call RAID F (for fake). It performs all the RAID operations on the main CPU, with only a little bit of assistance from the chip, via a driver. Problem with these controllers it that they are known to be really, really unreliable and I am not sure about Linux support. Also, if you have to switch mainboards, it's not guaranteed that the next generation of chipsets can operate with the setup of current models, so a broken mainboard could mean lost data (or extended downtime to get it back from the backup).

My advice would be to set the ESB2 to SATA only mode and use the md software raid from Ubuntu. It's not slower than the RAID F, it's very reliable and you can read it back on any modern Linux distribution, regardless of the controller.

Only better, but more expensive solution would be to invest in a real RAID controller (from 3Ware, Adaptec, Areca or others).

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