Linux and hpt370

Preamble

Quite a while ago, nearly I year now, I installed Debian GNU/Linux onto a hpt370 software raid array. Yes even though it's a piece of hardware it's still software raid. IIRC the driver was version 0.01 and I think I was using 2.4.18 linux kernel. I haven't really got the time to write a proper mini-HOWTO on the subject but hopefully this will help you installing linux onto it.

I've recently had an email telling me that this page has been useful for getting a Suse 9 system to work with the hpt372

My System

Hardware

The rest of the system doesn't really matter

Software

Configuring the Kernel

Code maturity level options

ATA/IDE/MFM/RLL support ---> IDE, ATA and ATAPI Block devices

Hopefully I haven't forgetten anything.

Mount points

To mount your array you should use the mount point /dev/ataraid/dXpY. For example 'mount -t ext2 /dev/ataraid/d0p2 /mnt/hpt'

You might not have the mount points, so to make them....

Make the system bootable

When I installed my system, I did a basic install onto a small hard drive. Then copied my whole filesystem to the hpt370 raid array in single user mode. It is possible to install the system straight onto the raid array, although it's a little more compilcated and I haven't done it. Then tricky bit was finding a lilo config that would boot. In the process or working it out I got lots or error on booting. Usually "L 01 01 01 01 01...." or "L 04 04 04 04 04...." or something similar.

My working /etc/lilo.conf file is....
# /etc/lilo.conf
lba32
boot=/dev/ataraid/d0
install=/boot/boot.b
map=/boot/map
delay=20
vga=normal

disk=/dev/ataraid/d0
bios=0x80
sectors=63
heads=255
cylinders=14594
#start=63
default=Linux

image=/vmlinuz
root=/dev/ataraid/d0p2
label=Linux
read-only
#restricted
#alias=1

image=/vmlinuz.old
root=/dev/ataraid/d0p2
label=LinuxOLD
read-only
optional

You should note that you'll need different information for your hard drive, unless it's the same as mine. ie the number of cylinders etc...

Once upon a time I did have a couple of lines to make MS Windows boot. It was something like.....
other=/dev/ataraid/d0p1
label=Win2k

But I may as well cat /dev/urandom > /dev/ataraid/d0p1

As I was going to be booting off a different root filesystem I had to do a chroot with lilo, with the command 'lilo -r /dev/ataraid/d0p2'

Remember to RTFM, as it was ages ago since I did this.

How I did it

When I installed Debian onto the hpt370 there were no doc about it that I could find. At least now there some hints about now when doing a google search. It took me a painful six days on and off to finally crack it, hopefully with this small guide it'll take you less time. Although when I first did this I'd only been seriously using linux for about two months, so I was still a newbie.

HOWTO's I used

Guru's help

A lot of my linux knowledge was first gained from guru's. Who have given me the time of day so that I could learn various linux stuff. I'd like the thank them for all the help they have given me, not just with the hpt370 raid controller but other stuff as well. They are...


Dan Walrond