Apparently someone really doesn't want me to have a server! - Page 4

Burble · 06-07-2008, 22:28

Nope, it's dead Jim.

Mark · 06-07-2008, 22:36

Looks like the web server is down/crashed. The server itself is alive. Might be some maintenance going on, perhaps.

LeperousDust · 07-07-2008, 21:40

Well next problem, so i've got 7 hard drives and not enough standard on board controllers to cope (obviously). I've got a rocketraid 1540 and an on board promise RAID controller on the motherboard (Asus P4C800e). Which give me an extra 6 sata ports. After installing the driver (no the array software) for the 1540 windows is happy to see the card itself but refuses to play nice with the hard drives. Is this a windows server thing? I don't want to use the card as anything RAIDy at all, i just want it to interface with hard drives so windows can add them to its storage pool. Similar problem with the promise controller except i even found "official Win2003" drivers for this, but it "fails to start" according to device manager and i get a "some services cannot be started" error as well as a "windows recovered from a serious error". So something is not right here, but all i want to be able to do is "talk" to these drives, nothing fancy!

Mark · 07-07-2008, 22:04

Device/IRQ conflict perhaps?

Or just hard disk overload.

Daz · 07-07-2008, 22:23

Not familiar with the controller, but it might need some configging before it presents the disks - if that's the case you'd be looking for a JBOD option

It's common thing with proper hardware RAID controllers anyway - they need to be told what to do with the disks, they wont assume that everything needs presenting (because that's not their common purpose).

Burble · 07-07-2008, 22:35

I think Alex is wanted the controller to present the discs, rather than an array, to the OS, in which case I don't think a RAID controller is the way to go.

Daz · 07-07-2008, 22:46

Would JBOD not do that then? Never used it myself, always assumed that was what it's for

LeperousDust · 07-07-2008, 22:51

Yeah thats the idea Burble, Daz i haven't looked into it, but JBOD is still an array isn't it? I want to see 'x' hard drives instead of one logical one that is made up of 'x' physicals ones. I understand using a RAID controller probably isn't by the book. But its just a software RAID card, so essentially its a slightly more fancy I/O but thats it. In ubuntu the drives are detected and thats that. I'm thinking this might be a weird WHS thing, since i've read in a few places it really doesn't like nor want RAID (for obvious reasons to stop n00bs adding RAID to the storage pool).

Bloody problem after problem i tell thee!

Daz · 07-07-2008, 22:53

If the Linux kernel is seeing the disks and Windows isn't then it's definitely something in the controller config - either they're configured in an array already (unlikely by the sounds of it), or if you cant see anything, then they need to be for the driver to show something to Windows.

Softraid cant fool the *nix kernel. Not unless you tell it to anyway.

Burble · 07-07-2008, 22:54

JBOD = Just a Bunch of Discs. Basically take all the discs and present the sum of the volumes of them to the OS as a single volume. Fault tolerant is isn't!

I dunno if it's a WHS thing, I've never used it but I'd be looking to use a PCI SATA controller rather than a RAID controller since effectively you're wanting to RAID controller to do a job it wasn't designed for. I know software RAID controllers are just SATA controllers with software RAID, but the software is going to be there getting in the way.

07-07-2008, 21:40	#33
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	Well next problem, so i've got 7 hard drives and not enough standard on board controllers to cope (obviously). I've got a rocketraid 1540 and an on board promise RAID controller on the motherboard (Asus P4C800e). Which give me an extra 6 sata ports. After installing the driver (no the array software) for the 1540 windows is happy to see the card itself but refuses to play nice with the hard drives. Is this a windows server thing? I don't want to use the card as anything RAIDy at all, i just want it to interface with hard drives so windows can add them to its storage pool. Similar problem with the promise controller except i even found "official Win2003" drivers for this, but it "fails to start" according to device manager and i get a "some services cannot be started" error as well as a "windows recovered from a serious error". So something is not right here, but all i want to be able to do is "talk" to these drives, nothing fancy! __________________

07-07-2008, 22:23	#35
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	Not familiar with the controller, but it might need some configging before it presents the disks - if that's the case you'd be looking for a JBOD option It's common thing with proper hardware RAID controllers anyway - they need to be told what to do with the disks, they wont assume that everything needs presenting (because that's not their common purpose). __________________ apt-get moo

07-07-2008, 22:46	#37
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	Would JBOD not do that then? Never used it myself, always assumed that was what it's for __________________ apt-get moo

07-07-2008, 22:51	#38
LeperousDust Bananaman Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Liverpool/Edinburgh Posts: 4,817	Yeah thats the idea Burble, Daz i haven't looked into it, but JBOD is still an array isn't it? I want to see 'x' hard drives instead of one logical one that is made up of 'x' physicals ones. I understand using a RAID controller probably isn't by the book. But its just a software RAID card, so essentially its a slightly more fancy I/O but thats it. In ubuntu the drives are detected and thats that. I'm thinking this might be a weird WHS thing, since i've read in a few places it really doesn't like nor want RAID (for obvious reasons to stop n00bs adding RAID to the storage pool). Bloody problem after problem i tell thee! __________________

07-07-2008, 22:53	#39
Daz The Stig Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Swad! Posts: 10,713	If the Linux kernel is seeing the disks and Windows isn't then it's definitely something in the controller config - either they're configured in an array already (unlikely by the sounds of it), or if you cant see anything, then they need to be for the driver to show something to Windows. Softraid cant fool the *nix kernel. Not unless you tell it to anyway. __________________ apt-get moo

06-07-2008, 22:28	#31
Burble Rocket Fuel Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 7,826	Nope, it's dead Jim.

06-07-2008, 22:36	#32
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Looks like the web server is down/crashed. The server itself is alive. Might be some maintenance going on, perhaps.

07-07-2008, 22:04	#34
Mark Screaming Orgasm Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Newbury Posts: 15,194	Device/IRQ conflict perhaps? Or just hard disk overload.

07-07-2008, 22:35	#36
Burble Rocket Fuel Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 7,826	I think Alex is wanted the controller to present the discs, rather than an array, to the OS, in which case I don't think a RAID controller is the way to go.

07-07-2008, 22:54	#40
Burble Rocket Fuel Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 7,826	JBOD = Just a Bunch of Discs. Basically take all the discs and present the sum of the volumes of them to the OS as a single volume. Fault tolerant is isn't! I dunno if it's a WHS thing, I've never used it but I'd be looking to use a PCI SATA controller rather than a RAID controller since effectively you're wanting to RAID controller to do a job it wasn't designed for. I know software RAID controllers are just SATA controllers with software RAID, but the software is going to be there getting in the way.