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Date: Wed, 08 Mar 2006 11:55:16 +0000
From: Alex Zbyslaw <xfb52@dial.pipex.com>
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To: Erik Norgaard <norgaard@locolomo.org>
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Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: Installing FreeBSD with hw SATA RAID-1
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Erik Norgaard wrote:

> Hi:
>
> I am new on RAID, I googled a bit on how to install freebsd with 
> RAID-1. But I found mostly references to software raid, and I have a 
> CERC SATA RAID controler (6 channel). Is this because hardware RAID-1 
> "Just Works (TM)"? or how do I make sure that my raid is actually used 
> and not just one of the disks?
>
> Sorry if this is a silly question.

*If* your RAID controller is supported by FreeBSD then when you boot you 
will see your RAID recognised as device ar0 or some other similar name, 
but not e.g. ad0.  r == raid, d == disk.  LSI MegaRaid, for example, 
show up as amrd0.  (You may see the individual disks and then some 
mention of them being RAIDed, or you may just see the RAID - it depends 
on the controller).

If the controller is supported, then it should "just work", but unless 
there is a CLI which works for FreeBSD then you won't be able to do 
things like rebuild the RAID from within FreeBSD, only from its BIOS.

It looks like the controller is supported by the aac driver so check the 
manpage for that.  It answers your last question ;-)

--Alex