Oracle Enterprise Linux installation can't see local disks on HP ProLiant DL360e Gen8

linux hp hp-proliant hp-smart-array fakeraid

9,955

Solution 1

You need the equivalent of EL5.7 or 5.8 in order to have an installer that supports the newest generation of Smart Array controller.

Please see the footnotes on the HP/OEL technical exceptions matrix.

You need Oracle Linux/UEK 5.8. That's the minimum-supported installer version.

What version is your OEL installer?

Edit:

This was an issue with multiple elements. First, the OS the original poster was installing was too old for the server hardware. That was resolved by viewing the technical exceptions matrix from HP for Oracle Enterprise Linux. The same applied for RHEL and CentOS.

Second, I assumed the OP was using a proper Smart Array RAID controller. The P420i is the right controller for this setup. Instead, he is using a "Dynamic Smart Array B320i", which is a fakeraid controller. See these notes from the CentOS forum. It uses a software-side closed-source driver to enable RAID functionality. Terrible.

Red Hat explains that the servers with this controller are shipped in a bad default configuration that will prevent installation.

Resolution: Systems with these controllers will ship from HP with the Software RAID mode enabled by default. You can either load a driver disk/USB key at installation for your OS or disable the RAID...

This mode requires a closed source driver that is not shipped or supported by Red Hat. In order to install RHEL on these systems without the closed source driver and RAID support, the Software RAID mode must either be disabled (B320i controller) or switched to SATA AHCI support mode (B120i SATA controller).

For systems with the B320i SAS controller:
1. Boot the server into System Options
2. Navigate to HP Smart Array B320i Raid Configuration
3. Change to DISABLED

Solution 2

I had the same issue with but with a diffrent distro. For the installer, no disk existed in hardware since P420i was not enabled properly. To solve it, add "hpsa.hpsa_allow_any=1" as a kernel boot parameter to call the HPSA module at boot. The disks will be recognized as /dev/sdX depending on your RAID configuration (and the card itself as /dev/sg0). After install, please make sure you add the hpsa parameter in Grub to boot automatically (I did not tested in LILO but it should work too). As a note, the kernel version I used for this test was 2.6.39.

9,955

Zango

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Zango almost 2 years

I am installing Oracle Enterprise Linux 5 on HP ProLiant DL360e Gen8. There are 2 300GB disks and they are configured in RAID 1 from ACU. During the installation installator can not see local hard drive (Which i mentioned).

There are external hard drives that installer is able to detect. But OS must be installed on local disks. External drives are for data storage.

Does anyone have some experience about it to help me?

Thanks in advanced for replay.

UPDATE: The same for Oracle Enterprise Linux 6.2 and 6.4
- James O'Gorman about 11 years
  
  I'm running the same OS on the same hardware and not encountered this issue. In EL5, the internal disks appear as /dev/cciss/cXdX, not /dev/sdX. This changed in EL6.
- Zango about 11 years
  
  Thanks. but I can not install os at all. because while installing in "Select the drive(s) to use for this installation." is blank. There are no local disks listed. Maybe i've misleaded some config in ACU (from where i created RAID 1 and by the way RAID 0 doesn't work too.)
- Zango about 11 years
  
  @JamesO'Gorman doesn't Oracle Enterprise Linux need any driver software?
- James O'Gorman about 11 years
  
  In ACU, you have to configure an array and then a logical drive on the array. Did you do this second step?
- Zango about 11 years
  
  @JamesO'Gorman Yes, I did it.
- Zango about 11 years
  
  In ACU i also set it as Primary Boot Logical Drive/Volume. Did you used some drivers except that is on cd?
- ewwhite about 11 years
  
  What is the specific version of your OEL installer?
- Zango about 11 years
  
  I'm installing Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.5
- Zango about 11 years
  
  I tried 6.2 and also 6.4. Neither of them can see local smart array RAID 1. It can only see multipath disk. Is some configuration needed other than done from ACU?
- Zango about 11 years
  
  I aslo tried fedora 18 and it can not see local drive too! I do not know if i am missing some configuration... I create Smart Array of 2 disks in ACU and then logical volume of RAID 1.
- Zango about 11 years
  
  @JamesO'Gorman Can you tell me please if your servers have HP Dynamic Smart Array B320i Controller? or older one?
- James O'Gorman about 11 years
  
  I believe it's the P410i in ours.
- ewwhite about 11 years
  
  P420 controller.
Zango about 11 years

I've Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.5 I will download and try 6.4. Then I will write what will happen.
ewwhite about 11 years

You either need 5.8... or 6.x. These days, I'd use the 6.x series unless you have a specific need to run 5.x.
Zango about 11 years

OK. I will try 6.4 and see if it will work.
James O'Gorman about 11 years

Ah, that's interesting. I believe my machines were installed at 5.7 (and subsequently upgraded) which explains why they worked. Thanks for that bit of info @ewwhite. Good to know.
Zango about 11 years

I tried 6.2 and also 6.4. Neither of them can see local smart array RAID 1. It can only see multipath disk. Is some configuration needed other than done from ACU?
ewwhite about 11 years

I think you're doing something wrong. The smart array controller will be /dev/sda under EL6.x
Zango about 11 years

/dev/sda is shown as Multipath device not smartarray. smartarray is nowhere...
Zango about 11 years

also /dev/sdb /dev/sdc and /dev/sdd are Multipat device
ewwhite about 11 years

Disconnect your external storage during the installation.
Zango about 11 years

When i disconnect external storage then nothing appears in device list while installation ...
Zango about 11 years

My server has HP Dynamic Smart Array B320i Controller. While searching i found the link ubuntu.com/certification/hardware/201203-10850 where is written that ubuntu 12.04 server doesn't supports that controller. I did the same steps as described in the link and now I can install OEL 6.4 but on one 300GB disk I can't use RAID 1 for two 300GB disks. But on HP's official site there is not writter this.
Zango about 11 years

I found this link h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/General/… and maybe it will help me too. I will try and write reulst.
Zango about 11 years

Thank you very much. By the way I've downloaded drivers for RHEL 6.2 where is HP Smart array B32i driver included. Loaded them during installation of OEL 6.2 and OS installed successfully. But When i start the system Kernel Panic - not syncing attempted to kill init happens. Then i changed kernel version from grub and booted successfully. Let's see if i will configure everything normally.
ewwhite about 11 years

This shouldn't be necessary for a P420i controller, as it is in the kernel. What distribution are you speaking about?