Hi,
I’ve been using SUSE for quite a while now, but still am a newbe.
Now that I set up a 4x750GB OnBoard RAID 10, I’d like to install my 11.2 Suse (w/ GRUB dual boot)
from BIOS, I’ve partitioned my HDD so I have:
- Array1 = 30GB HTFS, 30GB XFS, 30GB Solaris, then extended part. for all (each OS) swap, temp, etc …
- Array2 = 30 GB HTFS (D:\My Documents); 30 GB (/home); 30 GB (unformated) and then a big part for game install and VMware partition (Win98 for my old games, winXP32, etc …)
As a (sad) matter of fact, instal WinXP64 and/or Vista64 works perfectly. I see the array as partitioned by BIOS, and everything works.
But I can’t have my 11.2 (64) SUSE installed on the drive, I have -for now- a VMware for it running … on Windows :s
(while I’d prefere the opposit)
When I start w/ Suse11.2 DVD (downloaded), it says it can’t install as there is NO HDD !!
ok, fine, I plug back a PATA HDD, then I start the install, then I move the partition to the SATA
BUT, even so, I can’t start the Suse …
I then lauch the repare/recovery on the install DVD, but it says that there is no root partition, no SUSE partition to fixe … 
I’m …
well, I’m puzzled !
What I may easily do is to get ride of the BIOS RAID10 and set up a soft. SUSE RAID and then install win on suse-base VMware, but it would be a pity not to use the material RAID while the MB (Asrock ALiveXFire-eSATA2 R3.0) offers it
looks like this might be an idea of answer (from the other thread about having SUSE on a RAID)
I have to check my MB to see if it’s actualy physical RAID or hybrid soft/material RAID
Am I right ?
I’m guessing that this is a Fake BIOS RAID. not a real hardware card. Right?
If so it simply will mot work. Back up everything wanted and zap the drives. You may need to use something like gparted. Then install Suse and use the software RAID.
ouch !
I was fearing such answer …
I can’t find anything about MB soft vs hard RAID information.
What I know is that on Win, I have to load SB600 (South Bridge) drivers to manage RAID, while within BIOS, I don’t have to load anything to set up my RAID10 (but I guess that doesn’t mean it is not an hybrid soft/hard RAID)
If I do SUSE Soft RAID, then my Win part. won’t be RAID ?
I’ll try to remove 30GB (on each HDD) out of bios RAID to install SUSE -then do Soft RAID- but keep Win on bios RAID
I’ll post result (finger crossed)
Eric
Got it !
(http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/amd-ahci)
=> AMD SB600 South Bridge — fakeraid. Supports the standard AHCI driver interface.
So …
Either have to install my RAID on a RAID-card, or change my MB, or forget about installing SUSE on my MB Bios RAID
have tryed …
Linux is on the first of my 4 HDD non-RAID
If I install Win on a non-RAID part I won’t be able to make it soft-RAID later.
So I have to choose either SUSE or Windoz being RAID
right now I still have the SUSE on and a win on VMware. Seams to have some difficulties to handle the 4 display thing.
I’ll go for a
On my box (mostly games): Windoz boot (4x HDD BIOS RAID) and a VMware SUSE 11.2
Laptop (mostly serious stuff): SUSE boot and a WinXP VMware
let’s do it !
Do you have a good reason to have RAID or are you doing it just because? If you have a good reason get a real RAID card and don’t use Fake RAID. The fact that you need to load propritary drivers into Windows to make it work says something, right?
lol
yeeaaahhh right
I get it ! you kinda don’t like win-fake material, do you ?
It reminds me of the time when you had win-modem on your box and pple where asking why it doesn’t work with any OS than windows …
yeah, ok, I see, I’m out ^^
Do I have any reason for RAID ?
Well, I have 4 HDD (out from my QNAP NAS which now have 4 bigger ones) and don’t have the use of all that room, indeed, because of the NAS being 4TB
And since my MB is doing RAID,
And since that box is mean to mainly do games,
then …
But I can’t say that I “need” RAID. It’s just that I like the idea of gaining some access speed and miroring protection
8 GB of RAM and an auto back-up would do quite the same I guess
Oh !
and I’ve tryed to install Vista ultimate directly on the HDD (not in a VMware part)
It crashed all the same
need SB600 drivers, done.
Start … ok … then corrupted.
It sounds -to me- a stupid question but …
Since only XP32 worked fine on these (fake)RAID10 drives, and since either SUSE64 and VISTA64 crashed, does this has anything to do with the 64-bits ?
I know, I know, I’m a newbe 
Fake raid is not a full hardware solution. It relies on software to do the full work needed to do RAID. Ergo it needs some sort of driver. I doubt that 64 bit has any direct problems other then maybe the driver is not available. If you install from the OEM disk supplied by the computer maker it probably has the drivers. If from a vanilla Windows disk it most likely does not. With real RAID the hardware does all the work and it is transparent to the OS ie the OS just sees a disk and partitions and does not really know that they are part of an array.
Linux provides pure software RAID but is thus not compatible with Windows.
If you plan on dual booting it is best to forget RAID. Just too many incompatibilities between OS’s
:’(