Motherboard for Fedora server

[James Wilkinson]

Timme Tvede wrote:
> I'm planning on upgrading my internet server that runs under Red Hat 9.0
> to Red Hat Fedora Core 2. I have bought the Intel S875WP1-E but
> unfornunately there is no raid driver available for Fedora and it will
> not be available before February-marts 2005. I therefore will buy a new
> motherboard.
> Can anyone recommend a good, stable and fast motherboard with onboard
> graphic, ethernet and raidcontroller for running Red Hat Linux Fedore
> Core.

You should be aware that very few motherboards have real hardware RAID.
Most of them have software RAID implemented in the BIOS and in Windows
drivers: for Windows PCs, this is all that is needed.

Linux's software RAID is equivalent to the RAID on these motherboards,
and probably better tested: it's just more honest about where the RAID
happens.

What is happening is the development of programs that can detect that
two drives have been set up to look like they're RAIDed to the BIOS and
Windows, and then set up Linux's software RAID to read and write to them
correctly.

To the best of my knowledge, to get real RAID on a motherboard, you'll
have to get one with on-board SCSI. This means a server class
motherboard, and lots of expense (probably Xeons or Opterons, registered
memory, possibly a larger case). And not all the ones with on-board SCSI
will do RAID without an add-in card (this surprised me when I checked it
out).

If you want hardware RAID, I'd get an add-in card: I understand the
Adaptec cards do real hardware RAID.

James.
-- 
E-mail address: james | Went to see the Rugby. Swansea are still sponsored
@westexe.demon.co.uk  | by EDS. They are still dropping the ball, fumbling
                      | every opportunity and making idiots of themselves
                      | in public. Is this co-incidence?  -- Alan Cox