On Wed, 2009-11-25 at 22:20 +0300, Andrew Junev wrote: > Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 9:30:03 PM, you wrote: > > > On Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:44:04 +0300 > > Andrew Junev <a-j@xxxxxx> wrote: > > >> I can see in the log files it detects my disk as /dev/sda, but then it > >> says: > >> > >> wrong # of devices in RAID set "pdc_eceihagjh" [1/2] on /dev/sda > >> > >> So the installer probably rejects an idea to install Fedora on a > >> degraded array - am I right? Is there a way to force it? > >> > >> I'd like to keep an old system on the spare drive for the time being. > >> It is actually accessible when booting from a Live CD and I think I > >> may need some configuration files from there to set up new system > >> correctly. > >> > > > I am not an expert in this, but my question would be, "Are you > > comfortable with using gparted or fdisk to change the drive so it is > > seen as empty?" Alternatively you could use mke2fs to create an empty > > ext? filesystem on it. That should take care of the anaconda issue. > > > By the way, it sounds like you are doing just fine in resolving this > > issue. > > Well, unfortunately I don't have much of experience in Linux. But I'm > trying to learn. :) > I probably could repartition a drive with fdisk - shouldn't be a big > deal. But I don't see the point. I do not use a software RAID > (dmraid). RAID1 is setup on my SATA controller card (Promise > FastTrak). While installing F12 onto a degraded RAID, anaconda does > not show /dev/sda at all - otherwise repartitioning should have been > possible right from the installer. Am I wrong? > > > I searched on the Net and found some old discussions on installing > Fedora onto a degraded RAID1. In short, it was not possible. > There may be a workaround in case a software RAID is used, but I found > nothing regarding a RAID setup on a controller card. > > There was an old bug report on this topic: > https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=105598 > It was closed with wontfix message. > Is it still the same in Fedora 12? > > > P.S. Personally I don't understand it. If I have a mirror and want to > do something risky (an upgrade) - I need to take one disk out while > the system is still fine, and then do the risky part. So that if it > doesn't work as expected - a fallback is always possible... Maybe > there's a different idea behind forbidding to install/upgrade a > system on a degraded array? ---- As I understand it, a Promise FastTrak RAID is what is known as 'fake raid' and not supported by out of the box installation unless you provide a 'driver module' at boot time. I suspect that this is something you did to get F8 installed originally. Without the additional driver module, anaconda (the installation software used when you boot the DVD or reboot from preupgrade) will never find the drives. Perhaps you can download the appropriate Linux module (it would have to be compiled for the exact kernel) for the Promise fake raid controller in a suitable format for installation. This is sort of in the category of major hassle to get right. The real Linux recommendation is to disable the 'fake raid' aspects of the FastTrak controller and just use the drives as normal SATA drives and create software RAID upon installation. It will be faster, more reliable and not create any portability issues later on. Then the other problem you have is that anaconda, as you have discovered does not support installation to a degraded RAID setup. It's not impossible to do, you just have to work around it. The idea would be to setup the degraded array manually and then choose the existing partitions for you installation within anaconda manually and don't let anaconda create the RAID partitions at all...just use what is existing. I think you are making this way too difficult on yourself. I would give up completely on 'upgrade' from F8 to F12. I would give up using Promise FastTrak 'fake' RAID, back up all of your files from your 'fake raid' installation and then use anaconda to do a clean install and set up the software raid for you and then you still have your files backed up on another drive. Craig -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. -- fedora-list mailing list fedora-list@xxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe: https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list Guidelines: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines
