Module Installation

Linux Migration to Promise RAID Card HOWTO
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# 2. Module Installation

## 2.1. What?

You will need an existing Red Hat Linux Install, and you will need to obtain the correct driver from the Promise website.

Choose your card type, and then choose FastTrak Family Red Hat Linux Driver Uniprocessor.

## 2.2. How?

Put the RAID Card into the computer, but leave the hard drive(s) on the motherboard. Boot up into Linux. Login as root. You should have the tar file from the Promise site, if not, see "What?" section above.

### 2.2.1. Extracting the module

- Put the tar file into `/tmp`.

- Issue this command: tar vxf ftrhup_120b9.tar

- Now we have access to the `modules.cgz` file. Issue the following:

            # gzip -dc modules.cgz > modules.cpio
            # cpio -idumv < modules.cpio

  A few directories will be created, so move to the correct directory, depending on your kernel version. You can get your kernel version, by issuing: uname -r

- You will see the `ft.o` file. Copy this file to the `/lib/modules/kernel-version/kernel/drivers/scsi` directory.

### 2.2.2. Creating the Initial RAM Disk

The Fasttrak module, ft, needs scsi_mod. To use the card as a RAID Card, you will also need sd_mod.

To boot off the card, we will need to create a ramdisk, with the required modules, so that linux can see the hard drive(s).

    # /sbin/mkinitrd --preload scsi_mod --preload sd_mod --with ft initrd-kernel-version.img kernel-version

If your kernel version is 2.4.2-2, you would issue the command:

    # /sbin/mkinitrd --preload scsi_mod --preload sd_mod --with ft initrd-2.4.2-2.img 2.4.2-2

Now move the newly created ramdisk image to `/boot`. Its time to edit `lilo.conf`.

Before we edit `lilo.conf`, its best to make a floppy boot disk with the ft module included.

### 2.2.3. Creating the Boot Disk

This is very important, as something may go terribly wrong. If LILO stops working, then we just put the disk in and fix the problem. You will need the mkbootdisk program.

    # /sbin/mkbootdisk --device /dev/df0 --mkinitrdargs '--preload scsi_mid --preload sd_mod --with ft' kernel-version

If your kernel version is 2.4.2-2, then issue the following

    # /sbin/mkbootdisk --device /dev/df0 --mkinitrdargs '--preload scsi_mid --preload sd_mod --with ft' 2.4.2-2

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