Installation guide

Chapter 5.
Software RAID Configuration
Read Chapter 4 first to learn about RAID, the differences between Hardware and Software
RAID, and the differences between RAID 0, 1, and 5.
Software RAID can be configured during the graphical installation of Red Hat Linux or
during a kickstart installation. You can use fdisk or Disk Druid to create your RAID con-
figuration, but these instructions will focus mainly on using Disk Druid to complete this
task.
Before you can create a RAID device, you must first create RAID partitions, using the fol-
lowing step-by-step instructions.
Tip
If you are using fdisk to create a RAID partition, remember that instead of creating a partition as
type 83, which is Linux native, you must create the partition as type fd (Linux RAID). Also, for best
performance, partitions within a given RAID array should span identical cylinders on drives.
• Create a partition. In Disk Druid, choose New to create a new partition (see Figure 5-1).
Figure 5-1. Creating a New RAID Partition
• Choose software RAID from the Filesystem Type pull-down menu.
• You will not be able to enter a mount point (you will be able to do that once you have
created your RAID device).