booting installation to hardware raid

[deesto]

I've just finished booting my system via Live CD, and installing 10.04-1 to existing partitions on a hardware RAID. The install went fine but when I rebooted I didn't get past the BIOS output screens.

I used four existing partitions for the install: /home (MyRAID3, which was kept as-is), / (MyRAID2, which was reformatted) , /boot (MyRAID1, also reformatted) and swap.


ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ ls -l /dev/mapper/
total 0
crw-rw---- 1 root root 10, 59 2010-09-13 20:06 control
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 252, 0 2010-09-13 20:40 isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 252, 1 2010-09-13 20:38 isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID1
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 252, 2 2010-09-13 20:06 isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID2
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 252, 3 2010-09-13 20:06 isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID3
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 252, 4 2010-09-13 20:06 isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID5
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 252, 5 2010-09-13 20:06 isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID6

ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ sudo fdisk /dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID

WARNING: DOS-compatible mode is deprecated. It's strongly recommended to
switch off the mode (command 'c') and change display units to
sectors (command 'u').

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID: 1500.3 GB, 1500299395072 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 182401 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0003e2da

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID1 * 1 64 512000 83 Linux
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID2 64 26173 209715200 83 Linux
/dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID3 26173 39227 104857600 83 Linux
/dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID4 39228 50454 90180847 5 Extended
/dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID5 39228 40011 6291456 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID6 40012 50454 83883366 83 Linux
ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ cat /myraid/grub/grub.cfg
#
# DO NOT EDIT THIS FILE
#
# It is automatically generated by /usr/sbin/grub-mkconfig using templates
# from /etc/grub.d and settings from /etc/default/grub
#

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/00_header ###
if [ -s $prefix/grubenv ]; then
load_env
fi
set default="0"
if [ ${prev_saved_entry} ]; then
set saved_entry=${prev_saved_entry}
save_env saved_entry
set prev_saved_entry=
save_env prev_saved_entry
set boot_once=true
fi

function savedefault {
if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then
saved_entry=${chosen}
save_env saved_entry
fi
}

function recordfail {
set recordfail=1
if [ -n ${have_grubenv} ]; then if [ -z ${boot_once} ]; then save_env recordfail; fi; fi
}
insmod ext2
set root='(hd2,2)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 10946159-42ff-4fca-a24e-76ae337ca5f3
if loadfont /usr/share/grub/unicode.pf2 ; then
set gfxmode=640x480
insmod gfxterm
insmod vbe
if terminal_output gfxterm ; then true ; else
# For backward compatibility with versions of terminal.mod that don't
# understand terminal_output
terminal gfxterm
fi
fi
insmod ext2
set root='(hd2,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 93733999-1ed6-4daa-a78d-d6bec9909629
set locale_dir=($root)/grub/locale
set lang=en
insmod gettext
if [ ${recordfail} = 1 ]; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=10
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/00_header ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###
set menu_color_normal=white/black
set menu_color_highlight=black/light-gray
### END /etc/grub.d/05_debian_theme ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.32-24-generic' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd2,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 93733999-1ed6-4daa-a78d-d6bec9909629
linux /vmlinuz-2.6.32-24-generic root=UUID=10946159-42ff-4fca-a24e-76ae337ca5f3 ro quiet splash
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.32-24-generic
}
menuentry 'Ubuntu, with Linux 2.6.32-24-generic (recovery mode)' --class ubuntu --class gnu-linux --class gnu --class os {
recordfail
insmod ext2
set root='(hd2,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 93733999-1ed6-4daa-a78d-d6bec9909629
echo 'Loading Linux 2.6.32-24-generic ...'
linux /vmlinuz-2.6.32-24-generic root=UUID=10946159-42ff-4fca-a24e-76ae337ca5f3 ro single
echo 'Loading initial ramdisk ...'
initrd /initrd.img-2.6.32-24-generic
}
### END /etc/grub.d/10_linux ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd2,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 93733999-1ed6-4daa-a78d-d6bec9909629
linux16 /memtest86+.bin
}
menuentry "Memory test (memtest86+, serial console 115200)" {
insmod ext2
set root='(hd2,1)'
search --no-floppy --fs-uuid --set 93733999-1ed6-4daa-a78d-d6bec9909629
linux16 /memtest86+.bin console=ttyS0,115200n8
}
### END /etc/grub.d/20_memtest86+ ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###
if [ ${timeout} != -1 ]; then
if keystatus; then
if keystatus --shift; then
set timeout=-1
else
set timeout=0
fi
else
if sleep --interruptible 3 ; then
set timeout=0
fi
fi
fi
### END /etc/grub.d/30_os-prober ###

### BEGIN /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###
# This file provides an easy way to add custom menu entries. Simply type the
# menu entries you want to add after this comment. Be careful not to change
# the 'exec tail' line above.
### END /etc/grub.d/40_custom ###



I've read through some tutorials on getting the raid picked up on boot, but I keep getting stuck:


ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ sudo apt-get install dmraid
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
dmraid is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
ubuntu@ubuntu:/$ sudo dmraid -ay
RAID set "isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID" already active
RAID set "isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID1" already active
RAID set "isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID2" already active
RAID set "isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID3" already active
RAID set "isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID5" already active
RAID set "isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID6" already active


What else do I need to do in order to get grub to boot from my RAID-ed boot partition?

Thanks!

[ronparent]

You didn't say where you wanted the grub bootloader. Unless you have another hd on the computer, in your case it would have to go on /dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID. Often, with 10.04, even if you know where to put it and select that location in step 8 of 8 during the installation will fail anyhow. This is fixable. See this reference: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2#Reinstalling GRUB 2

The easiest way and the one that usually works ins to start the live cd and open a terminal. In the terminal, on your system, you would enter in order:


sudo mount /dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID1 /mnt
or ...MYRAID2 if that was your install if you hadn't used a boot partition.

sudo grub-install --root-directory=/mnt/ /dev/mapper/isw_eagjcbhhdi_MyRAID

On reboot everything should boot fine. Good luck.):P

[deesto]

Thanks ron! This got me started, and the grub install completed without errors from the live CD, but rebooting brought me directly to the grub rescue shell. I see this in the wiki page you linked:

Grub shows rescue prompt (and does not continue to boot)
You may have a buggy bios and the location of your /boot/* files is not under the 1024 cylinder boundary. Create a small partition on the beginning of the disk, ... and here I think I'm stuck, as I can't repartition the RAID.

Also played around with the shell, and saw that (hd0,1)/ contains boot/, grub/, and the kernel and image files, where I think grub expects to find them instead in (hd0,1)/boot/grub/. When I do a `set prefix=(hd0,1)/boot/grub/` and then `ls boot` the results are empty, but `ls (hd0,1)/boot/grub/` returns a list of many modules and files, so maybe I just have the syntax wrong?

[ronparent]

(hd0,1)/ is the /boot for your system. Therefore what would normally be /boot/grub in a normal install, in your case becomes /grub on (hd0,1).

It would have been simpler in your case to have not had the /boot in a separate partition since there is no particular reason you need it.

And I do think I errored. The instruction to mount the filesystem to MyRAID1 I think resulted in /boot/grub being written to (hd0,1). As a simple remedy you might try copying all the files in /boot/grub to /grub on that drive. If I am correct, that should allow you to boot to the grub menu.

[v1ad]

sounds like a fake raid. google fakeraid howto

[ronparent]

V1ad - Last I checked, the fakeraid howto had not been updated for 10.04 and wasn't much help. Your right, it is a fakeraid.

[deesto]

(hd0,1)/ is the /boot for your system. Therefore what would normally be /boot/grub in a normal install, in your case becomes /grub on (hd0,1).
OK; thanks. But something still isn't right:

> ls
(hd0) (hd0,6) (hd0,5) (hd0,3) (hd0,2) (hd0,1) (fd0)
> ls (hd0,1)/grub
[... lots of output]
> ls (hd0,2)/
[... lots of output]
> set prefix=(h0,1)/grub
> set root=(h0,2)
> ls /boot
[empty output]
> ls /
[... lots of output]

It would have been simpler in your case to have not had the /boot in a separate partition since there is no particular reason you need it.Quite possible. But after raiding the disks, I installed Fedora, and thus eventually ended up with a separate /boot partition, as their installer requires a bit more space than usually needed in boot in order to install/upgrade. I don't want to lose my current /home partition. But maybe I should re-install and let Ubuntu's installer delete /boot and install everything in `/`?


And I do think I errored. The instruction to mount the filesystem to MyRAID1 I think resulted in /boot/grub being written to (hd0,1). As a simple remedy you might try copying all the files in /boot/grub to /grub on that drive. If I am correct, that should allow you to boot to the grub menu.Will try that; thanks. Perhaps that's why the above grub instructions aren't working.

Edit: unfortunately, that didn't work: I copied both /boot and /boot/grub from the boot partition to the root partition, but both times a reboot ended up back at the grub console.


sounds like a fake raid. google fakeraid howto
Yes, that's here (and one of the articles from which I'd started before posting to the forum):
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FakeRaidHowto


V1ad - Last I checked, the fakeraid howto had not been updated for 10.04 and wasn't much help. Your right, it is a fakeraid.
Right: last update was for that how-to was for 9.10, and I got stuck while using it yesterday.

[deesto]

I gave in: re-installed Ubuntu, during which I deleted the /boot and / partitions on the raid and created a new / in their place. It boots just fine now, no problems. Would be nice to understand why the grub edits didn't work, but certainly not critical now. Thanks.

[ronparent]

Glad to hear that the immediate problem is solved. I'll have to look into implications of how the separate boot works - could need it someday.

Have fun.

[deesto]

Glad to hear that the immediate problem is solved. I'll have to look into implications of how the separate boot works - could need it someday.Me too, and with my luck, I'll need it sooner than later ;) Thanks.