[wplug] Server install

[Alexandros Papadopoulos]

On Wednesday 01 December 2004 21:46, Arnaud Loos wrote:
> I find myself installing Debian on a server for the first time and
> I'm having a problem. The server is a Dell 1650 with a perc 3/Di
> controller. Through the Adaptec config util I've setup the three
> disks (36 GB) as a RAID5 set. I boot off the Debian sarge netinstall
> cd and get through the disk partitioning (correctly recognized a 72
> GB volume) and base install but I'm having a problem with the grub
> install. I first tried to install Grub to the MBR but that failed. I
> then tried installing to /dev/hda1, /dev/sda1, /dev fd0 (windows
> formatted, FAT16), but all these fail. I thought at least the floppy
> would work. Any idea what I'm doing wrong?

Unfortunately no. Check out debian list archives and the link provided 
below for any hints.

> I'd also like to better understand where the problem is. In the
> windows world, during the OS install the fact that I'm installing to
> a RAID5 set has always been transparent to the OS. 

Since you mention that the debian installer only sees one 72GB volume, 
it seems that this is indeed the case. The only issue seems to be 
correct installation of GRUB on the array.

> Windows is able to 
> write the boot info to what it believes is the MBR of a single disk
> without a problem. How is Debian different?

Hrmf, far-from-perfect vendor support?

Check out http://linux.dell.com/ for relevant hints.

-A