How do you setup a raid 5 server?

[Kevin Brown]

tickticker wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> 
> I bought a decent server from a client and want to put linux on it.  It's a 
> dual intel 1ghz, 1 gig ram, dual power supply, an ide drive and a SCSI RAID 
> array (4 drives, 54 gig available in raid 5).
> 
> I've never had to do an install on a raid set before.
> 
> I wanna put mandrake on it ( it's my flavor of choice), and just haven't the 
> foggiest notion of how to go about installing this.  Knoppix saw the ide but 
> not the raid set.  started a mandrake install, and it has a heart attack when 
> it's loading and says something about destroying the data on a hard drive, 
> this is after i see the ide drive detect and load so i'm just assuming it's 
> the raid set that's making throw this hairy fit.  
> 
> question:  what are the down and dirty steps to starting this setup, or do you 
> know a great reference somewhere to help me do this?  
> 
> I would really like to keep the raid card (adaptec 2100) and the drives in 
> raid 5 configuration.  I will be sure to post my notes or a how to: when I am 
> successful.

The install depends on if the RAID config is hardware or software.  If it is a 
hardware RAID configuration, then all of it is handled by the controller and 
will be transparent to the operating system (doesn't matter which OS).

I've successfully installed RH onto hardware RAID volumes with only minor issues 
(namely was the card supported or not).

Only down and dirty steps I can think of is make sure you have the RAID volume 
setup and ready before you begin the OS install.