linux software raid 5 quick guide

Here will create a raid 5 setup with three drives for redundant storage using mdadm (not raidtools). This example does not include putting your O.S. root partion on the raid device. It is only for a volume to be mounted by Linux which boots off of another device.

Number of drives: 3 Number of spare drives: 0 All drives same size All space used on all drives

kernel config

Check for support If your system has RAID support, you should have a file called /proc/mdstat. If you do not have that file, maybe your kernel does not have RAID support. For more info on configuring your linux kernel for software raid, go here

prepare disks

# fdisk -l /dev/sd[bcd]

Disk /dev/sdb: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa9c961d6
  
Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

Disk /dev/sdc: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xfff8a252
  
Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

Disk /dev/sdd: 1000.2 GB, 1000204886016 bytes, 1953525168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa2e90880
  
Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

create three raid partions of equal size on 3 disks

Links

this guide is recommended by the linux kernel help... [Software RAID HOWTO]