Building Out XenServer 6.5 with USB Boot and Software RAID 10

[Romo]

We can also use the whole disk, without the need to create partitions in them, don't really know if this is better but it is a possibility.

This is the screenshot of the raid array created with 4 disks using the whole disks.

[Romo]

@DustinB3403 Yes, I couldn't create the md10 device in my setup without loading the modules into the kernel

[scottalanmiller]

@Romo correct, that's part of the purpose of the new guide, to use the whole disk rather than to partition it first. Fewer steps, better results.

[Romo]

This shows the file system added to our raid array

[Romo]

Automounting

[Romo]

mdadm.conf

[Romo]

Checking filesystems present in our system, at the bottom theres our array.

[Romo]

And finally the status of our array

[dafyre]

@Romo -- sd[b-e]... Is this your boot drive, or just the data stores for XenServer ?

[DustinB3403]

That is the data store.

sda would be the boot device.

sd[b-e] would be every other disk in the system available.

[DustinB3403]

Without anyone outcrying (@scottalanmiller and @Romo) are we settled on providing the above process to configure mdadm on a USB XenServer?

[scottalanmiller]

Yes, just need to compile it into a step by step "one place" list.

[scottalanmiller]

And it would be handy to know what his device list was going to look like.

[dafyre]

And preferably test it as you go, lol.

[DustinB3403]

Does anyone know how to select the VM storage in xenserver, outside of the ISO installation process. We probably need that as well.

[scottalanmiller]

@dafyre said:

And preferably test it as you go, lol.

Testing is for wimps.

[Romo]

@DustinB3403 I am actually trying to do exactly that just right now on my test setup. It thought that with this command:
xe sr-create type=ext device-config:device=/dev/md10 shared=false host-uuid:fba59a9c7e6db5a2d21e40343b415cfd name-label="Array storage"

It would get added as local storage to xencenter, but I am getting this error :
The SR operation cannot be performed because a device underlying the SR is in use by the host.

Don't really know why, I haven't used xenserver before. Any ideas @scottalanmiller

[DustinB3403]

OK so without the specific target device I believe this command will work.

xe sr-create content-type=user type=ext device-config:device=/dev/cciss/c0d0p3 shared=false name-label="Local storage"

We simply need to determine his device path

[DustinB3403]

@Romo said:

@DustinB3403 I am actually trying to do exactly that just right now on my test setup. It thought that with this command:
xe sr-create type=ext device-config:device=/dev/md10 shared=false host-uuid:fba59a9c7e6db5a2d21e40343b415cfd name-label="Array storage"

It would get added as local storage to xencenter, but I am getting this error :
The SR operation cannot be performed because a device underlying the SR is in use by the host.

Don't really know why, I haven't used xenserver before. Any ideas @scottalanmiller

The reason your target device is in use is you have it mounted. Try dismounting the array and try again.

[DustinB3403]

Romo when you run

xe sr-list 

What's listed?