[Linux-HA] Linux mail cluster with IBM serveraid 4Lx's in xseries 232's

[Alan Robertson]

Farrell McGovern wrote:
> dragon wrote:
> 
>> I am trying to build a HA Mail cluster and was trying to follow the 
>> instructions i found in the archives. (http://www.softup.com.co/ha/ ). 
>> have encountered some issues that I need some help on.
>>
>> First, lets describe the situation
>> 2 ibm xSeries 232's
>>    each with 2 serveraid 4Lx's (single channel, one for OS, one for 
>> shared bus,     each on different PCI Bus.)
>>    OS 2 18GB drive mirrored
>>    2 Nic cards (onboard intel and added 3com)
>> 1 EXP300
>>    Shared 6 36GB drives in raid5, 1 partition
>>
>> OS Slackware 9.1 linux  (have tried both the 2.6.4 and the 2.4.25 
>> kernel with the IBM cd version 6.11 and 6.10)
> 
> 
> Hi!
> 
>     We run dozens of RAIDed systems on 232's and 235's...we use the 
> ServeRAID 5 cards, but here is what we have found, maybe it will help:
> 
>     Make sure that you have updated the ServeRAID Bios from the CD, and 
> then make sure that you have the latest kernel patch for the ServeRAID 
> cards...the kernel maitainers are somewhat slow to get the latest 
> patches in. The BIOS level and kernel patch need to match,otherwise you 
> get problems. The ServeRAID cards are actually made and maintained by 
> Adaptec,

Yeah.  IBM sold this division to Adaptec a couple of years ago.

 > I have the email of the maintainer somewhere...let me know if
> you need it.

This is all excellent advice. But, his situation is a little different 
since he wants to do ServeRAID clustering (which doesn't work with the 
ServeRAID 5 series).

Although this is quite a bit different from what you're doing, would you 
mind looking over and improving our directions on the Wiki?

http://wiki.trick.ca/linux-ha/GettingStarted_2fServeRAIDHardwareSetup
http://wiki.trick.ca/linux-ha/HeartbeatResourceAgent_2fServeRAID
http://wiki.trick.ca/linux-ha/InstallingIBMServeRAID
http://wiki.trick.ca/linux-ha/ServeRAID
http://wiki.trick.ca/linux-ha/ServeRAIDMergeGroup

-- 
     Alan Robertson <alanr at unix.sh>

"Openness is the foundation and preservative of friendship...  Let me claim 
from you at all times your undisguised opinions." - William Wilberforce