Notes on the operation of Intel Storage RAID Controllers under LINUX ==================================================================== Date: May/07/2001 We have tested LINUX from: Caldera Corel Linux OS Debian DLD LST RedHat S.u.S.E. 1) Available Drivers and Tools 2) Updating the driver using the driver sources 3) RAID Storage Console - monitoring tool 4) src driver parameters 5) Further interesting information 1) Available Drivers and Tools: ------------------------------- gdth.tgz RAID Storage RAID driver sources for intel and alpha systems storcon-2.00.gz Intel(R) Storage Console for i386 systems, version 2.00 srcd-1.09-suse.tgz Remote RAID Configuration Service with start/stop script for S.u.S.E. Linux, version 1.09 srcd-1.09-redhat.tgz Remote RAID Configuration Service with start/stop script for Red Hat Linux, version 1.09 2) Updating the driver using the driver sources: ------------------------------------------------ a) Copy the driver sources to /usr/src/linux/drivers/scsi (for a DOS disk for example with 'mcopy -b a:gdth.tgz') b) Unpack the archive with 'tar xvfz gdth.tgz c) Compile a new Kernel (procedure depends on the Linux distribution, 'make config', 'make dep', 'make clean' may become necessary before) 3) Storage Console - Monitoring Tool ------------------------------------ storcon-2.00.gz (intel) unpack the gz-file: 'gunzip storcon-2.00.gz' rename it 'mv storcon-2.00 storcon' install it: 'install storcon /usr/sbin' start it: 'storcon' For the usage of storcon a src driver version 1.26 or higher is required. To check the current gdth driver version simply type: 'grep Driver /proc/scsi/gdth/0' (/proc/scsi/gdth/1, /proc/scsi/gdth/2, etc.) 4) gdth driver parameters ------------------------- Driver versions older than 1.05 do not support driver parameters. From driver version 1.05 to 1.07 it is necessary to add driver parameters directly in /usr/src/linux/drivers/scsi/gdth.c . From version 1.10 on you may use for the parameters the LILO boot prompt (gdth=...") or in /etc/lilo.conf the append command (append = "gdth=..."). Reservation of SCSI devices: The reservation of SCSI devices becomes necessary if you wish that so-called 'Direct Access Devices' (e.g. hard disks, removable hard disks like IOMEGA or SyQuest, some MOs) are directly controlled by Linux and not the Storage RAID Controller's firmware (i.e., they are not configured as Host Drives). This is also called "raw-service". In this case the Storage RAID Controller does not cache the data to/from the reserved SCSI device. This reservation is important for removable hard disks. If they are controlled by the Storage RAID Controller and are a Host Drive, a media change is very difficult. 'Non Direct Access Devices' like CD-ROMs, Streamers, DATs, etc. do NOT require a reservation. IMPORTANT: The reservation is only possible with not-initialized SCSI devices. (Use GDTSETUP to de-initialize an already initialized device). As already mentioned a reservation for driver versions 1.05 to 1.07 has to be made directly in the driver sources. Look for 'gdth_reserve_str' in '/usr/src/linux/drivers/scsi/gdth.c' . You'll find a non-active sample entry, which you can change according to the coordinates of the device you want to reserve (enter Adapter, Bus, ID and LUN). Save the file and compile a new kernel. From driver version 1.10 on you can add the parameters for the reservation with the LILO append command: Excerpt of /etc/lilo.conf: # End LILO global section # Linux bootable partition config begins image = /boot/vmlinuz root = /dev/sda2 label = Linux append = "gdth=reserve_list:1,0,6,0" # Linux bootable partition config ends This gdth driver parameter reserves the SCSI device which is connected with Storage RAID Controller 1 (second Storage RAID Controller), SCSI Bus 0 (channel A), ID 6, LUN 0 for Linux (raw service). After each change in /etc/lilo.conf , lilo must be loaded once. Driver parameters may also be entered at the LILO boot prompt. (e.g.: gdth=reserve_list:1,0,6,0). Further driver parameters: irq1,irq2, etc. Only for Storage RAID EISA Controllers with disabled BIOS (irq1, irq2, etc. correspond with the IRQs of the Storage RAID Controllers) disable:Y deactivates the Storage RAID driver disable:N activates the Storage RAID driver reserve_mode:0 reserves no SCSI devices [*1] reserve_mode:1 reserves all not-initialized removable hard disk [*1] reserve_mode:2 reserves all not-initialized SCSI devices [*1] reserve_list:h,b,t,l,h,b,t,l,... reserves SCSI devices at the corresponding coordinates with h=Hostadapter, b=SCSI Bus, t=Target ID, l=LUN reverse_scan:Y reversed scanning order of the PCI controllers reverse_scan:N normal scanning order of PCI Controllers according to the system BIOS max_ids:x x = number of target IDs per SCSI channel (accelerates the boot process) rescan:Y rescan all SCSI channels / IDs rescan:N scan only those SCSI devices found during system power up [*1] [*1] The driver parameters reserve_mode and rescan:N require Storage RAID Controllers with firmware version FW 1.23.00/2.23.00 or higher. The current default settings of the driver are: "gdth=disable:N,reserve_mode:1,reverse_scan:N,max_ids:127,rescan:N" If gdth is loaded as a module, these parameters can also be added with a special syntax. IRQ parameters are entered as 'IRQ=' (e.g. IRQ=10). Several parameters are not separated with a comma (',') but a space (' '). All ':' are substituted with '=', all 'Y' with '1' and all 'N' with '0'. Default: "modprobe gdth disable=0 reserve_mode=1 reverse_scan=0 max_ids=127 rescan=0" 5) Further interesting information: ----------------------------------- /proc-Support: Read of /proc/scsi/gdth/0, /proc/scsi/gdth/1, .. : Displays the Storage RAID Controller/SCSI busses, firmware version, driver version (e.g.: cat /proc/scsi/gdth/0) Write to /proc/scsi/gdth/0, .. : gdth flush Flush all Host Drives of the Storage RAID Controller gdth flush drive Flush the Host Drive with the number drive gdth wbp_off Disable Write-Back permanently gdth wbp_on Enable Write-Back permanently gdth wb_off Disable Write-Back for this session (from Firmware version 1.15/2.15) gdth wb_on Enable Write-Back for this session (from Firmware version 1.15/2.15) - End of file -