Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On Sat 13 Oct 2012 at 15:57:06 +0530, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:

> On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 3:52 PM, Lisi <lisi.reisz@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > They need binary blobs?
>
> Not sure i understand about binary blobs.

You would if you looked to see what the Installer Manual has to say
about firmware.


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Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On 10/13/2012 5:06 AM, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:

> I am installing Debian 6.0.0 squeeze with kernel version
> 2.6.32-5-amd64 on Dell R720 2U server(
> http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pedge/dell-poweredge-r720-spec-sheet.pdf),
> the installer is unable to detect the RAID Controller and NIC Card.
> Details of lspci -> http://paste.debian.net/199820/ Any clue to this
> issue?
> Please let me know if anyone needs any further information.

A quality sysadmin would have checked and ironed out OS compatibility
issues before ever ordering the hardware. Keep that for future
reference. You'll need to do that legwork now:

Check Dell's website for Debian Stable and Testing support. Also check
the minimum Linux kernel version required to support the H series RAID
cards and Broadcom 5720/5800 series embedded NICs. I don't keep up with
Dell, but this appears to be relatively new hardware: PCIe 3.0, embedded
10GbE NICs, hot swap PCIe SSD, etc. 2.6.32 was released Dec 2009,
almost 3 years ago. I'm guessing the latest 2.6.32-5 Squeeze kernel
doesn't include the necessary drivers and/or firmware blobs for these
devices.

And yes, there is a reason (many actually) why Dell only officially
supports SLES and RHEL. One of those is that they back port drivers for
new enterprise hardware to their (old) current kernels. Another is that
they gladly include non-free code, which is common for such hardware.
Debian is draconian in this regard.

In the future, do your homework *before* you buy, saving yourself from
these headaches.

Good luck. Let us know what you find.

--
Stan


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Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 4:45 PM, Stan Hoeppner <stan@hardwarefreak.com> wrote:
> On 10/13/2012 5:06 AM, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
>
>> I am installing Debian 6.0.0 squeeze with kernel version
>> 2.6.32-5-amd64 on Dell R720 2U server(
>> http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pedge/dell-poweredge-r720-spec-sheet.pdf),
>> the installer is unable to detect the RAID Controller and NIC Card.
>> Details of lspci -> http://paste.debian.net/199820/ Any clue to this
>> issue?
>> Please let me know if anyone needs any further information.
>
> A quality sysadmin would have checked and ironed out OS compatibility
> issues before ever ordering the hardware. Keep that for future
> reference. You'll need to do that legwork now:
>
> Check Dell's website for Debian Stable and Testing support. Also check
> the minimum Linux kernel version required to support the H series RAID
> cards and Broadcom 5720/5800 series embedded NICs. I don't keep up with
> Dell, but this appears to be relatively new hardware: PCIe 3.0, embedded
> 10GbE NICs, hot swap PCIe SSD, etc. 2.6.32 was released Dec 2009,
> almost 3 years ago. I'm guessing the latest 2.6.32-5 Squeeze kernel
> doesn't include the necessary drivers and/or firmware blobs for these
> devices.
>

Hi Stan,

What is the difference between drivers and firmware blobs.

Thanks and Regards,

Kaushal


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Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On 10/13/2012 6:42 AM, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
> On Sat, Oct 13, 2012 at 4:45 PM, Stan Hoeppner <stan@hardwarefreak.com> wrote:
>> On 10/13/2012 5:06 AM, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
>>
>>> I am installing Debian 6.0.0 squeeze with kernel version
>>> 2.6.32-5-amd64 on Dell R720 2U server(
>>> http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pedge/dell-poweredge-r720-spec-sheet.pdf),
>>> the installer is unable to detect the RAID Controller and NIC Card.
>>> Details of lspci -> http://paste.debian.net/199820/ Any clue to this
>>> issue?
>>> Please let me know if anyone needs any further information.
>>
>> A quality sysadmin would have checked and ironed out OS compatibility
>> issues before ever ordering the hardware. Keep that for future
>> reference. You'll need to do that legwork now:
>>
>> Check Dell's website for Debian Stable and Testing support. Also check
>> the minimum Linux kernel version required to support the H series RAID
>> cards and Broadcom 5720/5800 series embedded NICs. I don't keep up with
>> Dell, but this appears to be relatively new hardware: PCIe 3.0, embedded
>> 10GbE NICs, hot swap PCIe SSD, etc. 2.6.32 was released Dec 2009,
>> almost 3 years ago. I'm guessing the latest 2.6.32-5 Squeeze kernel
>> doesn't include the necessary drivers and/or firmware blobs for these
>> devices.
>>
>
> Hi Stan,
>
> What is the difference between drivers and firmware blobs.
>
> Thanks and Regards,
>
> Kaushal

Drivers are Linux kernel code that executes on the host CPU,
facilitating communication with a hardware device. Firmware is code
that is executed on the device itself. To save money by reducing
components, and to make code updates easier, some hardware makers do not
include firmware in the device itself, but make it available to the OS
vendors bundled with the driver code. When the driver is initialized by
Linux, the firmware is uploaded to the device. Same with MS Windows
drivers for the same devices.

The term "blob" is irrelevant. If you really want to understand it,
read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blob

and/or watch the movie.

--
Stan


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Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On Sat, 2012-10-13 at 15:57 +0530, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
> > They need binary blobs?
>
> Not sure i understand about binary blobs.

Driver software


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Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On Saturday 13 October 2012 12:42:52 Kaushal Shriyan wrote:


> What is the difference between drivers and firmware blobs.





I actually said "binary blob". I would not have used the term "firmware blob". In fact, that is the first time that I have seen it used. Firmware is just firmware! (And no, I am not challenging people ot come up with the maximum possible of other ways of saying it.)





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_blob





Lisi

Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

Am Samstag, 13. Oktober 2012 schrieb Kaushal Shriyan:
> Hi,

Hi Kaushal,

> I am installing Debian 6.0.0 squeeze with kernel version
> 2.6.32-5-amd64 on Dell R720 2U server(
> http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pedge/dell-poweredge-r720
> -spec-sheet.pdf), the installer is unable to detect the RAID Controller
> and NIC Card. Details of lspci -> http://paste.debian.net/199820/ Any
> clue to this issue?
> Please let me know if anyone needs any further information.

I am a bit surprised that you install a server without knowing to look for
hardware drivers issues beforehand. And that you seem to be a bit
helpless. Is this your first server you install? Then I suggest for some
reading in Debian documentation. It might be good if you look for some
experienced Debian GNU/Linux admin around your place to help you.


Paste output of lspci -n into:

http://kmuto.jp/debian/hcl/

(I just search for "debian driver check page" in case I forgot the URL:)

When you are lucky you see minimum version of kernel for PCI id of the
card. And with some luck its below <= 3.2.

If system is already installed and you are only using the raid controller
for data disks, then install 3.2 backport kernel for Squeeze. There won´t
be any newer official backport kernel for Squeeze, as 3.2 will also be the
kernel for Wheezy.


If system is not yet installed I see two relatively easy choices:

1) Get an installer with newer kernel for Squeeze:

http://kmuto.jp/debian/d-i/

Note: these are no official images. My experience is that they work well.
But I do not use them regularily.


2) Use Wheezy. Its partly frozen now, but you still better bring some
experience with you in case of problems during upgrades and so. So I only
recommend this when you gathered some Debian experience beforehand,
especially with package management. And when the workload isn´t too
important or critical.

Both at your own risk of course.


It might also be possible to use Wheezy installer to install Squeeze, but
I am not sure of that and have not tested it.

Ciao,
--
Martin 'Helios' Steigerwald - http://www.Lichtvoll.de
GPG: 03B0 0D6C 0040 0710 4AFA B82F 991B EAAC A599 84C7


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Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On 10/13/2012 8:12 AM, Lisi wrote:
> On Saturday 13 October 2012 12:42:52 Kaushal Shriyan wrote:
>> What is the difference between drivers and firmware blobs.
>
> I actually said "binary blob". I would not have used the term "firmware blob". In fact, that is the first time that I have seen it used. Firmware is just firmware! (And no, I am not challenging people ot come up with the maximum possible of other ways of saying it.)

See the "Device firmware" section of the Wikipedia article you cited:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_blob
That's a "firmware blob".

Though the OP's problems are not related to binary blobs as mainline
Linux has drivers for both of the devices causing problems.

The Dell PERC cards are OEM LSI MegaRAID HBAs with Dell specific BIOS
and slightly different firmware. As with the LSI HBAs, oldere PERCs
will use the mainline megaraid_sas driver, while newer models will need
the megaraid_newgen mainline driver. The latter driver is labeled as
NEW in vanilla 3.2.6. If the PERC model the OP has is one of the newer
models, this may tend to explain why the 2.6.32-5 kernel in the Squeeze
installer doesn't work with his PERC.

In the case of the Broadcom 5720 based 4 port daughter card, it's either
a firmware blob issue, an old driver issue, or maybe both, as the
Broadcom NetExtreme II GbE ASICs are supported by the mainline bnx2
driver, at least as of 3.2.6. Again, I can't can't confirm this for
2.6.32-5 as I don't have that source available.

As Martin suggested, the OP should try the Testing installer as it
should at least have the drivers needed by his PERC, as well as the
driver for his Broadcom NICs, if not the Broadcom firmware blob, if one
is required. I don't know if the Broadcoms use external firmware files.
Given the cost of a quad port NIC I wouldn't think they'd skimp on the
cost of a flash chip. Then again, firmware updates are much easier
using the blob approach.

--
Stan


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Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

Am 13.10.2012 um 13:15 schrieb Stan Hoeppner:On 10/13/2012 5:06 AM, Kaushal Shriyan wrote:

I am installing Debian 6.0.0 squeeze with kernel version
2.6.32-5-amd64 on Dell R720 2U server(
http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pedge/dell-poweredge-r720-spec-sheet.pdf),
the installer is unable to detect the RAID Controller and NIC Card.
Details of lspci -> http://paste.debian.net/199820/ Any clue to this
issue?
Please let me know if anyone needs any further information.

A quality sysadmin would have checked and ironed out OS compatibility
issues before ever ordering the hardware. *Keep that for future
reference. *You'll need to do that legwork now:

Check Dell's website for Debian Stable and Testing support. *
That's not 100% reliable.
Also check
the minimum Linux kernel version required to support the H series RAID
cards and Broadcom 5720/5800 series embedded NICs. *I don't keep up with
Dell, but this appears to be relatively new hardware: PCIe 3.0, embedded
10GbE NICs, hot swap PCIe SSD, etc. *2.6.32 was released Dec 2009,
almost 3 years ago. *I'm guessing the latest 2.6.32-5 Squeeze kernel
doesn't include the necessary drivers and/or firmware blobs for these
devices.

Right.*
I run R510s with PERC H700 and as a minimum an instaalation with non-free firmware is needed. I used this image:http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unofficial/non-free/cd-including-firmware/6.0.0/amd64/iso-cd/firmware-6.0.0-amd64-netinst.iso
I know that R510 does not compare to R720. But even on R510 I have problems with outdated drivers.
- the current OMSA 7 makes problems wit the old 2.6.32 kernel- megaraid_sas (the kernel driver for the PERC) should be upgraded to a newer version- inserting a second PCIe Intel GB NIC with dual head causes heavy packet loss on the first Intel NIC, this is AFAIK a PCIe kernel problem solved in newer versions

In the future, do your homework *before* you buy, saving yourself from
these headaches.

Subscribing*linux-poweredge@dell.com is a must.

Helmut Wollmersdorfer

Debian 6.0.0 squeeze unable to detect RAID Controller and NIC Card on Dell R720 2U Rack Server
 

On Mon, 2012-10-15 at 09:44 +0200, Helmut Wollmersdorfer wrote:
> That's not 100% reliable.

!!! Very important. Especially grey and white lists for Linux compatible
hardware only provide coarse information. !!!
More safe are blacklists.

I owned and still own white listed gear that doesn't work. Sometimes a
white list ignores that some revisions of hardware can't be used with
Linux and sometimes they ignore that the hardware only does work for
special cases, e.g. a special Linux version is needed or not all options
can be used or using this hardware with Linux does work for the task
it's made for, but it has got negative impact to other tasks.

A note regarding to "tasks". We can own a Swiss Army knife and we can
glue the knife to a washing machine, that would add functionality to the
pocketknife, but also hinder the usage of the original functionality.

Regards,
Ralf


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