I'm setting up new linux boxes, hoping to install whatever OS I choose
to a software RAID array.
I've got 4 identical SATA drives, and would ideally like to use RAID-10.
I've read a bunch of slightly stale How-To docs, and have a few questions.
(1) Can Linux boot from /boot on RAID-10? Oldest info I found said no
boot from RAID at all, then more recent docs said boot from RAID-1
works. I found nothing on RAID-10. What's the latest sccop on this?
(2) As far as I can tell, none of the installers in Centos, Ubuntu or
Opensuse are RAID-10 aware. Seems like the sanest way to get setup
would be to boot from SystemRescueCD, do the partitioning and RAID
creation, then re-boot from an installer disk using the pre-setup
disks.
Am I missing some other, simpler approach?
(3) Assuming that I'll have to boot from RAID-1 (Just suspect that
RAID-10 is not yet an option for /boot, but willing to be shown
wrong!), I'm considering 3 partitioning/raid_config options,
(a)
DISK1 DISK2 DISK3 DISK4
[ RAID-1 /boot ]
[ RAID-1 swap ]
[ RAID-10 LVM, /root & 'other' parts ]
(b)
DISK1 DISK2 DISK3 DISK4
[ RAID-1 /boot ] [ RAID-1 swap ]
[ RAID-10 LVM, /root & 'other' parts ]
(c)
DISK1 DISK2 DISK3 DISK4
[ RAID-1 /boot ]
[ RAID-10 LVM, /root, swap & 'other' ]
Are there any clear benefits/concerns of one config over the other?
(4) In setting up the RAID arrays, I've got a choice of metadata
versions. It seems that the distros' installers default to "1.0", but
that "1.1" & "1.2" are both available, too.
Should I just use the newest, 1.2? Any problems if I do?
(5) In whatever config is "best" in (3), above, is it still good
advice to install the bootlader into multiple MBRs? For example, if I
extend the RAID-1 over all 4-disks, then, I install the loader into
all four MBRs?
I think these are the last details I need to iron out before getting started.
Thanks for any help!
Ben
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-raid" in
the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
