Managing RAID on Linux - Derek Vadala [0]
Table of Contents
Preface
Overview of the Book
A Note About Architecture
Kernels
LILO
Prompts
Conventions Used in This Book
Comments and Questions
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
RAID Terminology
Redundancy
Striping
The RAID Levels: An Overview
RAID-0: Striping
RAID-1: Mirroring
RAID-4: Dedicated Parity
RAID-5: Distributed Parity
Linear Mode
JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks)
RAID on Linux
Hardware Versus Software
2. Planning and Architecture
Hardware or Software?
Software (Kernel-Managed) RAID
Hardware
The RAID Levels: In Depth
RAID-0 (Striping)
Linear Mode
RAID-1 (Mirroring)
RAID-4
RAID-5
Hybrid Arrays
RAID Case Studies: What Should I Choose?
Case 1: HTTP Image Server
Case 2: Usenet News
Case 3: Home Use (Digital Audio, Video, and Images)
Case 4: The Acme Motion Picture Company
Case 5: Video on Demand
Disk Failures
Degraded Mode
Hot-Spares
Hot-Swap
Hardware Considerations
An Organizational Overview
Motherboards and the PCI Bus
I/O Channels
Disk Access Protocols
The AT Attachment (ATA) and Integrated Disk Electronics (IDE)
SCSI
SCSI Versus ATA
Other Disk Access Protocols
Choosing Hard Drives
Cases, Cables, and Connectors
Making Sense of It All
3. Getting Started: Building a Software RAID
Kernel Configuration
A Brief History Lesson
Kernel 2.4
Patching Older Kernels
Summary of Kernel Upgrades
Working with Software RAID
raidtools
mdadm
The RAID Superblock
Examining Arrays Using /proc/mdstat
Existing Arrays
Creating an Array
Partitioning with fdisk
Linear (Append) Mode
RAID-0 (Striping)
RAID-1 (Mirroring)
RAID-4 (Dedicated Parity)
RAID-5 (Distributed Parity)
Hybrid Arrays
Finishing Touches
The Next Step
4. Software RAID Reference
Kernel Options
Deprecated Kernel Options
md Block Special Files
/proc and Software RAID
/proc/mdstat
/proc/sys/dev/raid
raidtools
The /etc/raidtab File
raidtools Commands
mdadm
/etc/mdadm.conf
5. Hardware RAID
Choosing a RAID Controller
Motherboard and System Compatibility
Controller Memory
JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks)
Software Considerations
Preparing Controllers and Disks
FreeDOS
General Configuration Issues
Controller Card BIOS
System Installation
RAID Autoconfiguration
Write Cache
Logical Drives
Controller Disk Spin-up
Mylex
The DAC960 Driver
Controller Setup
Managing Arrays
Adaptec
Adaptec I2O RAID Driver
The aacraid Driver
Adaptec RAID Setup Utility
The Adaptec Storage Manager
Promise Technology
Creating an Array
Installing Linux onto a Promise Array
Configuring the ataraid Driver
Converting an Existing Standalone Disk to a Mirror
Post-Installation Array Management
3ware Escalade ATA RAID Controller
Creating an Array and Installing Linux
Converting an Existing Standalone Disk to a Mirror
Kernel Configuration
3DM Disk Manager
LSI Logic (MegaRAID)
Creating an Array
Installing Linux Directly to a MegaRAID Controller
The MegaRAID Driver
Converting an Existing Standalone Disk to a Mirror
Managing Arrays
6. Filesystems
Basic Filesystem Concepts
Blocks and Inodes
Organization
Journaling Filesystems
The Linux Virtual Filesystem (VFS)
ext2
ext2 Organization
Creating an ext2 Filesystem
Tuning ext2 Filesystems
ext3 Extensions for the ext2 Filesystem
Patching the Kernel for ext3 Support
Compiling the Kernel with ext3 Support
Working with ext3
Creating an ext3 Partition
Converting an ext2 Filesystem to ext3
Tuning ext3 Features
Further Information
ReiserFS
Installing Directly