Intel SRCMR, User Manual

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Installing Linux 57
GDT Driver Parameters
Reservation of SCSI Devices
The reservation of SCSI devices becomes necessary if you want Direct Access Devices (for
example, hard disks, removable hard disks like IOMEGA or SyQuest, some MOs) to be directly
controlled by Linux and not the Intel RAID Controller SRCMR’s firmware (for example, they are
not configured as host drives).
Reservation of SCSI devices is also called raw-service. In this case the Intel RAID Controller
SRCMR does not cache the data to/from the reserved SCSI device. This reservation is important
for removable hard disks. If they are controlled by the Intel RAID Controller SRCMR and are a
host drive, a media change is very difficult.
Non Direct Access Devices like CD-ROMs, Streamers, DATs, etc. do NOT require a reservation.
CAUTION
The reservation of SCSI devices is only possible with not-initialized SCSI devices. (Use StorCon to
de-initialize an already initialized device).
From driver version 1.10 on you can add the parameters for the reservation with the LILO append
command:
Excerpt of /etc/lilo.conf:
# End LILO global section
# Linux bootable partition config begins
image = /boot/vmlinuz
root = /dev/sda2
label = Linux
append = “gdth=reserve_list:1,0,6,0”
# Linux bootable partition config ends
This gdth driver parameter reserves the SCSI device that is connected with Intel RAID Controller
SRCMR 1 (the second Intel RAID Controller SRCMR), SCSI Bus 0 (channel A), ID 6, LUN 0 for
Linux (raw service).
After each change in /etc/lilo.conf lilo must be loaded once.
Driver parameters may also be entered at the LILO boot prompt. (for example:
gdth=reserve_list:1,0,6,0).