# Installing gentoo on ICH7R w/ RAID5 [Solved]

## gr0x0rd

Hello,

I'm attempting to install gentoo on a SuperMicro server with a PDSMP-i motherboard that has an ICH7R sata RAID controller. There are 4 disks in the array in a RAID5 configuration. I've installed gentoo on a number of different systems over the years so I'm somewhat familiar with the process.

After booting with the latest minimal install cd (20100217), I load gentoo using "gentoo dodmraid" as suggested by the wiki. During the load process, I notice 

```
ERROR: device-mapper target type "raid45" not in kernel
```

 Once I am up and running,

```
ls -la /dev/mapper
```

 only shows the control file, even after running 

```
modprobe raid5
```

I've been reading a number of threads in the forum and howtos, but I'm not sure how to proceed from here. Is there some way to get gentoo to recognize the array, or is a software RAID configuration my best option here?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

----------

## krinn

it's fakeraid, so finally, it's just software raid, that's why it bug everyone to death.

real raid: assemble the array (create the disk if you prefer) and manage the array (the access to the disks "with a s")

fake raid: assemble the array, and software manage the access to the disks by a driver (that's why you need dmraid)

software raid: assemble the array and also manage the access (this is done by mdadm).

So except an easier way to create the array with a menu from the "so-called" raid bios, it's software anyway, it's just the because your linux didn't assemble the array itself that you need a driver just to handle that (because they use also different implementation of their shitty raid, it wouldn't had been fun else)

You better give up and use plain software, that's the same, just more flexible and easier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID#Firmware.2Fdriver-based_RAID_.28.22FakeRAID.22.29

might gave a better answer than me

----------

## Mad Merlin

This topic comes up frequently enough that I wrote up an article on it: http://skrypuch.com/raid/

----------

## gr0x0rd

Thanks for the help and advice- the server is now humming along nicely with a software raid5 configuration. Even pulled a disk out and was very happy to see the system boot right up! Sa-weet.

Cheers,

----------

