The CERC SATA 2S RAID controller is a combination BIOS and driver-based software RAID solution, which uses the system motherboard's SATA controllers. It is not a hardware RAID solution such as the aacraid and megaraid controllers listed above.

Systems with this controller include the PowerEdge 800, SC1425, and 420SC.

Under Windows and Netware, there are special device drivers which operate in conjunction with the system BIOS to present the system SATA disks as a RAID volume.

Under Linux, the disks should be treated as two independent disks, which use the standard Linux "MD" software RAID layer for RAID 0 or 1 operation (if you so desire). System Documentation on support.dell.com describe how to configure the system BIOS to either disable the RAID mode, or to set up the disks as two independent RAID volumes (effectively disabling the BIOS software RAID feature).

I think you missed the entire "w/ SCSI"- i.e. NO SATA- SCSI RAID I Solutions(I bellive that would be PERC) and it should be a HARDWARE solution - not SOFTWARE

If you have a standard PERC controller, then you should be fine with hardware RAID.  Red Hat has native kernel modules to support the PERC SCSI RAID controllers.

Just so you know, the SC1425 does NOT have a floppy drive, so if you need a driver (like the aic79xx U320 driver for the SCSI card that comes with it), you can't install Linux ES 3.0 - or at least the older versions.

This is a real issue. The only way I have it working is to install it on another box,
and then transplant the drives into the SC1425 with the proper SCSI card drivers.

I can't believe that the SC1425 doesn't even have a floppy drive controller so that you could plug a floppy into it...but it's got the cage in it which is labeled FDD!

-jkk

I tried all of that...I've been fighting with it for the past 2 days because we run a custom install of Red Hat ES 3.0 - stock Red Hat code, just different system layout.

The only way I got it to install was to take the SCSI card out, stick it in another box (still attached to the drive in the SC1425 as I didn't feel like pulling it out), power both on (the SC1425 to power the drive only) and the install using a different motherboard, floppy, CD, etc.

I know I could probably roll a custom Red Hat install CD with the right drivers on it, but that would take me longer than my timeline. I am a little suprised that Dell doesn't provide such a CD with the 1425 seeing that it does NOT have a floppy drive on it.

Why you would not put a floppy in a Linux box is beyond me.

-jkk

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@jklossner wrote:
Just so you know, the SC1425 does NOT have a floppy drive, so if you need a driver

-jkk

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hmmm.. Well thats good to know - unfortunately I already ordered the things, and I have to install a custom rolled version of RH 8 which will wont require a floppy drive - but the software which runs on top of it will -- maybe I can copy the floppy to a cd and mnt it, or mnt it from a network share after the OS is installed ....

I just double checked my quotes/confirmations - and both of my 1420 boxes are supposed to have 1.44mb floppies and be Linux compat... I specifically asked my sales guy for linux compatible hardware and was assured that these would fly - no problem.

I wish dell would just go ahead and start "really" supporting *nix boxes

Justed received My Machine - And the 2.4.22 Kernel Is NOT recognizing the Adaptec 39320 SCSI RAID Controller (Dell Part 341-1032)

hAS ANYONE OUT THERE GOTTEN THIS TO WORK?

Yes, I've gotten it to work, and built a new kernel to make it work as well.

However, the box should have come installed - did you reinstall Red Hat? If so and you have no way to boot the box, you will need to cobble together some kind of system. I took another PC I had laying around which HAD a floppy in it, removed the drive and SCSI card from the 1425, put it in my extra PC and loaded Red Hat and used the U320 39320 drivers which I put on a floppy that Dell has on their support pages. When the install was finished I put the card and drive back in the 1425 and booted normally.

Then if you want to update your kernel down the road, I recommend getting the latest U320 39320 drivers from Adaptec (I used release 2.0.15 as I couldn't get the 2.0.8 drivers that Dell supplies with the aformentioned floppy above to work right).

-jkk

Did that also support RAID 1? or Just recognize the disk?

Just downloaded the adaptec Drivers (even had a disk image) and specific to RH8

I'll Let you know if it works

Jkosner - I would love to talk to you for a couple of minutes if you don't mind - please send me your email address to -NO SPAM - tracerrx -NOSPAM- AT gmail.com and I will email you back my contact info....

I haven't played with raid - only 1 disk :)

However, I think Adaptec has the software for mangling your RAID on that box...

-jkk

Now Im Getting:

Kernel Panic: VFS unable to mount root fs on 2:00

Maybe the driver disk is bad medium? Doubtfull at best

No, it means it's not using the driver and can't read the disk. What driver disk did you use and how did you use it?

-jkk