Re: Linux mdadm superblock question.

[John Robinson]

On 16/02/2010 14:37, Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
> On Dienstag 16 Februar 2010, John Robinson wrote:
> > On 14/02/2010 19:13, Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
> > > On Sonntag 14 Februar 2010, you wrote:
> > > > On 14/02/2010 18:40, Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
> > > > > On Sonntag 14 Februar 2010, you wrote:
> > > > > > In other words, 'auto-detection' for 1.x format devices is using an
> > > > > > initrd/initramfs.
> > > > > which makes 1.x format useless for everybody who does not want to deal
> > > > > with initrd/initramfs.
> > > > True, but afaik every distro uses an initrd/initramfs and bundles tools
> > > > making it easy to manage and customise them, so what's the problem?
> > > and distros do it because of all the drivers they have to ship. But for
> > > example I am not bound by such limitations. Why should I deal with that?
> > > It is hard enough not to forget 'make modules_install'. And now add
> > > initrd. Autodetecting just works - but if you use an initrd an it
> > > doesn't. Where do you start?
> > >
> > > Initrd's maybe great for distro packagers, but are they really usefull
> > > for anybody else?
> > Not just for distro packagers, they're useful for distro users, which
> > are presumably 99% of Linux users these days, including the vast
> > majority of enterprise users who like tested, supported systems.
> >
> > But even for people building their own kernels, initrd/initramfs are
> > useful if you're using LVM, or indeed trying to boot off anything that's
> > not a simple device.
>
> so assume you have an initrd and metadata 1.x without auto assembling.
>
> You do some changes to the raid and screw up something else. Next boot nothing 
> works. Mostly because the mdadm.conf in your initrd is not correct.
>
> You whip out your trusty usb stick with a resuce system - and you are stuck. 
> If autoassembling would work, you would have working md devices you could 
> mount and edit the files you have to. But you don't and the mdadm.conf in the 
> initrd is outdated.
>
> Sounds like 'you are screwed'.

No; mdadm can assemble arrays without needing a conf file (at least 
arrays which have superblocks).

And if you have otherwise screwed something up with the RAID, no amount 
of in-kernel autoassembly is going to help, in fact it's more likely to 
get it wrong and make things worse; you need a command line and mdadm to 
sort it out.

Cheers,

John.

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