ASUS P5GD2: onboard SATA RAID support

[Samuel Clements]

> The only disks in the system are two identical SATA drives which I
> want to make into a RAID1 array.  How can I bootstrap into this setup
> using the atacontrol approach?  I've installed onto ad4, but just
> doing 'atacontrol create RAID1 ad4 ad6' isn't going to replicate this
> disk over to ad6 and make the resulting array bootable, is it?  Do I
> need a temporary third disk to boot from, set up the array and then
> install onto that?
> 
> I don't mind waiting a while until this code:
> 
> http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-current/2005-February/046006.html
> 
> makes it into STABLE.  But even then, to proceed without a temporary
> boot disk would require installing from something like a STABLE
> snapshot ISO, wouldn't it?  (Does anyone still make those?)


I just completed an install on a machine with similar limitations. I did 
it like this:

Configured disks to SATA RAID mode (in the BIOS) with no RAID configured 
(left the disks JBOD)
Installed FreeBSD 5.3 from CD/FTP to drive ad4
cvsupped to stable
applied patches
compiled kernel
rebooted to make sure my kernel worked
changed ad4 to ar0 in fstab
rebooted and went into the RAID BIOS
Created ARRAY_1 (mirror) and when it asked me how I wanted to create it, 
I chose "BUILD" instead of "QUICK" or "INIT" and chose drive #1 as the 
source
This copied drive ad4 (with the good kernel that supports the ar0) to 
drive ad6
rebooted and it came up and "just worked"


The dmesg I just posted from the SE7210TP was achieved this way. I don't 
know if this way is sanctioned or approved (or even a good idea) but it 
seemed to work. The RAID BIOS is the Adaptec one, so yours may or may 
not include the "BUILD" option.
   Good luck!  Let us know if it goes for you!
   -Sam