SATA RAID 1 and Linux

[Kenazo]

I have a client who wants to run a little file server using Linux and run RAID 1 to give at least some protection against hardware failure. Do any of the motherboards that have onboard SATA RAID have Linux drivers? I have a DFI Lanparty Ultra-D and was just looking around on their site and see no mention of Linux support.

Will I be forced to look at a hardware solution in order to get this to work?

They've been running a Pentium 2 300mhz w/ a 20gig IDE hard drive as their file server until now.

 

[Kenazo]

anyone?

 

[phisrow]

Generally speaking, you are better off, when dealing with Linux, either getting a real hardware RAID card from a company that isn't an ass about drivers(People with *nix big iron experience can chime in here) or just using the native Linux software RAID. SATA chipset support is fine in Linux, and software RAID support is good, so there is rarely any need to muck about with the lousy motherboard softraid(which seems to exist primarily as a checkmark on the box, and to make up for the fact that MS only supports software RAID on their expensive server OSs).

 

[Kenazo]

So, does that mean Linux drivers don't exist for onboard SATA RAID controllers?

Oh, and they'll be running Red Hat (or whatever it's called these days. )

 

[Cerb]

NF4 is allegedly pretty good.

But, I wouldn't trust it, and would go for a cheap Silicon Image controller card. The SI chips have worked great in Linux for some time, now. The thing about newer chipsets, especially nVidias, is that the drivers are really under development. One of those cases where I'd not be concerned for a desktop machine.