Promise Fastrack 376 Scsi Raid Driver Crack
Lindsey Cynthia
UPDATE. I found how to access RAID: smartctl -d scsi sdb (because I also have a SATA drive). But in this case I just get an information about just raid controller though I wantto get information about drives itself. Is it possible? Promises's control panel provides information only about their healthy status (boolean) and I want more. Mostly now I need information about temperature.
Optionally, on top of drivers/ide block-device (generic mass storage access) drivers, one can load drivers to provide software-level suport for BIOS services enabling various types of manufacturer-specific software RAID (called "fakeraid", below):
For 2.4 kernels, Linux's software-RAID (fakeraid) driver collection is called "ataraid", which has subdrivers for the various manufacturers' different software RAID schemes. Using ataraid results in your partitions being addressed using a /dev/ataraid/d0p1 (etc.) device-naming convention. Note: Support greatly improved circa-2.4.23.
For 2.6 kernels, Linux's software-RAID (fakeraid) driver collection is called "dmraid" (Device Mapper RAID). So far (Sept 2004), Promise Fasttrack, HighPoint 37X, Intel ICH5/6, LSI, and SiI 3112A/Medley are supported: gerte/gen2dmraid/ I'm pretty sure manufacturers' proprietary drivers, where available, are designed to fit the above framework.
libata causes each SATA port appear as a new SCSI bus. There are individual low-level drivers for the individual SATA chipsets, e.g., ahci, pdc_adma, ata_piix, sata_nv, sata_mv, sata_promise, sata_qstor, sata_sil, sata_sil24, sata_sis, sata_sx4, sata_uli, sata_svw, sata_via, sata_vsc.
Intel ICH5-R, ICH6-R, and perhaps some others perform RAID0 disk-spanning via a BIOS trick, which is thus OS-independent. That mode of Intel fakeraid (Intel Software RAID) can be supported in 2.4.x on ICH5/6 with ataraid subdriver iswraid atop libata's ata_piix (not atop drivers/ide): -traffic/kt20031201_243.html#16, -traffic/kt20040331_255.html#16. (The iswraid patch will be merged into kernel 2.4.28; it and related patches/info are available at )
An i386 binary (ataraid?) subdriver (megaide) for this fakeraid ("IDEal RAID") scheme can be retrieved from Steve Hardy's Web site, from , or from LSI Logic. The driver is a GPLed wrapper around proprietary library megaide_lib.o. I'd recommend using (instead) Linux's own open-source "md" software-RAID driver, unless/until LSI Logic (like HighPoint, Nvidia, Promise, and VIA) gets a clue about open source.
ataraid support for SiI's Medley fakeraid is available from 2.4.21 or later's silraid (Arjan van de Ven's) subdriver or its superior 2.4.26 and later replacement, medley (by Thomas Horsten). Note: So far, medley supports only Medley's RAID0 "striped" mode, and not its RAID1 "mirrored" or RAID1+0 (AKA "RAID10") modes. Alternatively, you can use Linux's "md" software-RAID driver.
Linux often cannot read existing fakeraid volumes on such host adapters, unless you're willing to use proprietary fakeraid drivers (where available). But unless you're dual-booting MS-Windows, you shouldn't care, because Linux's software RAID (kernel "md" driver) is much faster and more reliable. You're advised to blow away fakeraid volumes, use SATA drives as straight block devices, and enable Linux software RAID instead, during Linux installation.
Debian installation using Scott Kveton's unofficialDebian 3.0 woody 5 MB netinst image: This image uses a 2.4.23kernel, meaning it's useful for owners of Intel ICH5 chipsets (standardATA driver), Adaptec AAR 24x0 chipsets (aacraid driver), LSI LogicMegaRAID 150-4/150-6 SATA chipsets (megaraid2 driver), and the SiS964 South Bridge. (Please let me know. My thanks to Martin McClure for confirming SiS 964 support.) And of course 3Ware card owners can use almost any 2.4.x-based installer. Kveton's image does not include Garzik's libata set, andso doesn't cover other SATA chipsets. However, Kveton's instructions pagealso details how you can create your own custom netinst, e.g., one with 2.4.27 (and later) or a 2.6 kernel (either of which includes libata):
kveton/debian/ or -netinst/kveton/
