Ubuntu dual boot and RAID

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Can Ubuntu work if you have a RAID?

I have a 500gb RAID with windows and a 80gb drive.

I though I could put Ubuntu on the 80gb, then install the bootloader on the 80gb, and then point the Windows Bootloader to it with EasyBCD, but I can't get it working.

I have written over my Windows bootloader a few times and had to recover it, and also with EasyBCD I have pointed it to where I thought I had installed GRUB but it doesn't find it.

So can I do the following:

Load into Ubuntu with the Live CD and then install GRUB onto the 80gb drive from there, and then point to it from EasyBCD. The bootloader installation in Ubuntu isn't very helpful.

Problem being which drive do install grub too? Is the RAID (2 x 250gb) hd0 or hd0 and hd1, so my 80gb disk is hd2? Or is it hd1?

Although it is more likely (hd1,0) - disc 2 partition 1..

so confusing.
 
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I use the Intel RAID controller feature on the Asus P5WDH, don't know if that is hardware or software based.
 
Ah well, no Ubuntu for me then I guess, unless I remove the RAID.

Any other Unix distros I could try that work with raid? Fedora 7?
 
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raid should work - but you would need to build it in linux and if it's software, you won't be able to use it on both windows and linux: it's one or the other.
 
I imagine that both drives are part of the Intel RAID. Setting up another RAID on them would involve destroying the current setup. That's not practical. Perhaps you could dig up an old hard disk and install it for use with Linux. I'm no bootloader expert but IIRC the MBR is only on one of the RAID pair as its on a lower level. Ubuntu would install on the old disk and write GRUB to the disk with the MBR. I wouldn't expect that this would break the array.
 
BillytheImpaler said:
Perhaps you could dig up an old hard disk and install it for use with Linux. I'm no bootloader expert but IIRC the MBR is only on one of the RAID pair as its on a lower level. Ubuntu would install on the old disk and write GRUB to the disk with the MBR. I wouldn't expect that this would break the array.
Click to expand...

This is what I have done, I bought the 80gb disk to install Ubuntu onto, the 80gb disk is not in the RAID.

I install Ubuntu onto the 80gb drive, then in the advanced option during installation tell it to install the bootloader (GRUB) onto hd2,0 which is the first partition on the 80gb drive, I think. Then using EasyBCD you are supposed to be able to add Ubuntu to the Windows bootloader by pointing it to where you installed GRUB. Doesn't work though.
 
can you not just boot to the 80gb drive with ubuntu on and put an entry into grub that will kickstart the windows bootloader when required?
 
I have been trying, just got to figure out where to install GRUB.

I don't know which drive the 80gb is in terms of numbering. I think it is hd2 but that hasn't worked.

A complication could be that the 80gb drive is on the JMicron controller not the Intel one. As I have 3 SATA ports on the Intel controller, and these are taken up by 2 hard drives and my DVD drive.
 
if you do a clean Ubuntu install on the 80GB drive ubuntu should automatically stick grub on that drive provided it can't detect a win install (which hopefully it won't thanks to the raid array). Make sure you set the 80GB to be first in the boot order just in case that affects the installer's decision.
 
Yup, got it working now. By default it boots into windows, if I want to get to Ubuntu at the moment I press F8 to get the boot menu and boot from the 80gb disk.

Didn't work at first I had to edit grub, changing Root from (HD3,0) to (HD0,0).

Now the funny thing is I am sure I downloaded the 64bit version but I can't find anyway to confirm that I have the Ubuntu 64bit installed. I tried to install the beta 64bit drivers for my X-Fi card and it said "This product only supports 64 bit OS"..

Checked the ISO I downloaded and it is the AMD64 one. Annoying really as I was pleased Creative finally released some drivers and thought I would give Unix another go.
 
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