Managing RAID on Linux - Derek Vadala [89]
This menu contains a list of all disks connected to the controller, organized by SCSI ID. Select the disk that you want to configure for JBOD mode (see step 3) by highlighting it and pressing the ENTER key. Then navigate to, and select, Save Array.
If there are other unconfigured disks connected to the controller, a dialog asking if you want to configure logical drives will appear. Choose yes, and then select the array that you just defined from the pop-up dialog that appears next.
The next screen displays information about your new JBOD array. Since only one disk was included in the array, JBOD is the only array type available. You can optionally change the write cache type and stripe size as needed.
Use the TAB key to activate the menu on the right side of the screen. Then select Add Disk. The array now appears in the dialog window at the bottom of the screen. Choose Apply to commit the array to the controller's memory.
Once you apply the configuration, a window appears indicating that the new array configuration is being stored in the controller. After a few seconds, you will be returned to the main menu, or to the array creation menu, if there are additional free disks connected to the system. You can now continue to define additional arrays or exit EzAssist and reboot the system.
When the system reboots, your original system disk (now a JBOD mode array) is accessible just like a normal disk, and the operating system boot prompt appears. If the kernel panics, or you encounter unrecoverable problems, simply boot into rescue mode from a floppy disk or CD-ROM and fine-tune /etc/lilo.conf and /etc/fstab. Don't forget that if you make changes to /etc/lilo.conf, you will need to rerun /sbin/lilo to update the boot sector. If all else fails, you will still be able to re-install your original disk controller and access the system, although you will have to use a rescue disk to restore the original settings to /etc/lilo.conf and /etc/fstab.
Converting an existing standalone disk to a mirror
Unfortunately, there is no simple, automatic way to create a new mirror and include a disk with existing data as one of its components. To accomplish the job, start by following the procedures outlined in the previous section. Once the system is working in JBOD with the new Mylex controller, follow these steps:
Reboot the system and use ALT-R to enter the EzAssist RAID configuration utility.
Select the controller to which your JBOD logical drive is connected.
From the main menu, choose Perform Administration On and then select Logical Drive.
A pop-up window appears that lists all your logical drives. Choose the drive that you wish to convert to a RAID-1.
Now select Advanced Options and Delete Logical Drive. There is a short delay while the RAID configuration is updated.
Use the ESC key to return to EzAssist's main menu. Then choose the first option: Configure RAID Drive.
A menu with three configuration methods will appear: Automatic, Assisted, and Custom. Choose Custom and then select Configure a New Disk Array from the menu that appears.
The next menu contains a list of all disks connected to the controller, organized by SCSI ID. First, select the disk that used to be the JBOD mode disk by highlighting it and pressing the ENTER key.
Now select another available disk. This will become the second mirror component. It's important to choose the former JBOD system disk first, since it contains the data. If you want to create a mirror that has more than two member disks, you can select additional disks now.
When you're done selecting disks, navigate using the TAB key and select Save Array.
If there are other unconfigured disks connected to the controller, a dialog will appear, asking if you want to configure logical drives. Choose yes and then select the array that you just defined from the pop-up dialog that appears next.
The next screen displays information about