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Root RAID HOWTO cookbook

Michael A. Robinton, michael@bzs.org

v1.13, July 17, 2000

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This document only applys to the OLD raidtools, versions 0.50 and under. The workarounds and solutions addressed in this write up have largely been made obsolete by the vast improvment in the 0.90 raidtools and accompanying kernel patch to the 2.0.37, 2.2x and 2.3x series kernels. You may find the detailed descriptions useful, particularly if you plan to run root raid or use initrd. Check these links for a reference to set up of Boot Root Raid using conventional LILO and accompanying initrd working scripts. What follows is the description of the now OBSOLETE Root RAID HOWTO. This document was originally written to provide a cookbook for creating a root mounted raid filesystem and companion fallback rescue system using linux initrd. There are complete step-by-step instruction for both raid1 and raid5 md0 devices. Each step is accompanied by an explanation of it's purpose. Included with this revision is a generic linuxrc initrd file which may be configured with a single three line /etc/raidboot.conf file for raid1 and raid5 configurations.

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1. Introduction

• 1.1 Where to get Up-to-date copies of this document.
• 1.2 More up-to-date Boot Root Raid with LILO howto
• 1.3 Bugs
• 1.4 Acknowledgements
• 1.5 Copyright Notice

2. What you need BEFORE YOU START

• 2.1 Required Packages
• 2.2 Other similar implementations.
• 2.3 Documentation -- Recommended Reading
• 2.4 RAID resources

3. Quick Start for ROOT RAID

4. initrd Cookbook for root mounted RAID

• 4.1 Security Reminder
• 4.2 Build the Kernel and Raid Tools
• 4.3 Build the initrd Rescue and Boot filesystem
• 4.4 Start the STEP by STEP instructions
• 4.5 Install the distribution - Slackware Specific
• 4.6 Install linux pthreads
• 4.7 Install Raid Tools
• 4.8 Remove un-needed directories and files from new filesystem.
• 4.9 Create /dev/mdx
• 4.10 Create a bare filesystem suitable for initrd
• 4.11 Making 'initrd' boot the RAID device - linuxrc
• 4.12 Modifying the rc-scripts for SHUTDOWN
• 4.13 Configuring RAIDBOOT - raidboot.conf
• 4.14 Kernel 'loadlin and lilo' variables for RESCUE and RAID

5. Configuring the Production RAID system.

• 5.1 System specs.
• 5.2 Partitioning the hard drives.

6. Building the RAID file system.

• 6.1 /etc/raid5.conf
• 6.2 /etc/raid1.conf
• 6.3 Step by Step procedures for building production RAID file system.

7. One last thought.

8. Appendix A. - Bohumil Chalupa's md0 shutdown

9. Appendix B. - Sample SHUTDOWN scripts

• 9.1 Slackware - /etc/rc.d/rc.6
• 9.2 Debian bo - /etc/init.d/halt and /etc/init.d/reboot

10. Appendix C. - other setup files

• 10.1 linuxrc
• 10.2 loadlin -- linux.bat file - boot.par
• 10.3 linuxthreads Makefile.diff
• 10.4 raid1.conf
• 10.5 raid5.conf
• 10.6 raidboot.conf
• 10.7 rc.raidown

11. Appendix D. - obsolete linuxrc and shutdown scripts

• 11.1 Obsolete working - linuxrc
• 11.2 Obsolete working - shutdown scripts

12. Appendix E. - Gadi's raid stop patch for the linux kernel

13. Appendix F. - rc.raidown

14. Appendix G. - linuxrc theory of operation

15. Appendix H. Setting up ROOT RAID on RedHat

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