CentOS - May 2009 - CentOS 5.3 installation on HP DL380 R05 server

Hi All

 

I will need to install CentOS 5.3 on HP DL380 R05 server with RAID-1
required. I am a newbie to CentOS / HP servers, need your help:

 

-          Does CentOS 5.3 work smoothly with HP DL380 server especially
recognizing SAS disks and hardware RAID-1 features? From you experience, do
you have to use HP Storage Drivers provided for RedHat Enterprise Linux 5?

-          How is HP hardware RAID-1's performance? Should I use HP's
hardware RAID or software RAID in this case?

 

Thanks a lot and looking forward to your answers.

 

Chau

 

My server configuration:

 

HP DL380R05 E5420 2GB Base AP Server
(1) Quad-Core IntelR XeonR Processor E5420
Two Embedded NC373i Multifunction Gigabit / 2 GB (2 x 1 GB) PC2-5300 Fully
Buffered DIMMs (DDR2-667)/HP Smart Array P400/256MB Controller /Rack
(2U)/Hot Plug Fully Redundant Fans Standard
Two HP 146GB 10k 2.5 SAS HP SP HDD
HP 1000W IEC C14 Cord RPS Kit

 

 

 

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>- Does CentOS 5.3 work smoothly with HP DL380 server especially
>recognizing SAS disks and hardware RAID-1 features? >From you
>experience, do you have to use HP Storage Drivers provided for
>RedHat Enterprise Linux 5?
I have a few of those G5's and they will work fine, CentOS has
the needed drivers. You currently can't even use the PSP for updated
block device driver as it doesn't support anything other than the
base kernel AFAIK. The PSP will allow System Management and SNMP
but I doubt you are using these features.
>- How is HP hardware RAID-1's performance? Should I use HP's
>hardware RAID or software RAID in this case?
Yeah, it works well. Use it, it's far less trouble than software raid
and that controller will have fairly good performance.

HTH,
jlc

Nguyen Hai Chau wrote:
> Hi All
>
>
>
> I will need to install CentOS 5.3 on HP DL380 R05 server with RAID-1
> required. I am a newbie to CentOS / HP servers, need your help:
The specs look like a DL380 G5, perhaps that is the same as the
"R05". As another poster mentioned it should work fine. I used
CentOS 4.4 on DL380G5s about a year and a half ago without issue
either.

My only suggestion is to either install over a serial connection
with the iLO or configure a serial console after you install as
the iLO 2 standard license does not allow VGA connectivity after
the bios POSTs, unlike previous iLOs. Remote serial console
is unrestricted however. Of course this is a non issue if you
don't use iLO or have an advanced license key. You can get free
30 day iLO license keys from HP's website. Also at least at
the time remote VGA console was not available via SSH, only
remote serial console. iLO 1 provided limited remote VGA in
text modes via SSH. So that's another reason to stick to serial,
faster to get to the console via ssh than it is via a web browser
typically.

And by all means stick to the HP hardware RAID, especially if
you have the battery backed cache, much better than software
raid.

The DL380G5s are great boxes, I do miss mine(had them at my
previous company, new company is Dell..)

nate

Thanks to Joseph and Nate for helpful answers. 

 A stupid question: I do not receive your mails although already subsribed
to this list. I read your answers on mail archive. I set up my account to
receive email from list but it seems not work.

 

Chau

 

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