Linux Storage - RDAC installation commands

category: solutionz · date: 2010-09-30 · updated: 2026-10-03 · author: LALA

Linux Storage Solution · Config document · referenced from RDAC installation and operation

noteThe /proc/mpp listing after the reboot shows three virtual LUNs (virtualLun1–virtualLun3) and is dated 13 August; every other listing in the notes, from 7 September on, shows two LUNs per array. The notes do not explain the difference.

The command set that built the IBM/LSI RDAC (MPP) driver 09.03.0B05.0331 from source on mppsrv01, added a GRUB entry with the MPP initrd, rebooted, and checked that the modules were loaded and the LUNs of DS5300-SITEA mapped. The notes keep no output for the build and no Readme.txt of the package.

Item	Value
Run as	`root` on `mppsrv01`
Host	Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 4, kernel `2.6.9-89.0.9.ELsmp`, two QLogic HBAs (`qla2xxx`)
Package	`rdac-LINUX-09.03.0B05.0331-source.tar.gz`, unpacked to `linuxrdac-09.03.0B05.0331/`
Produces	the modules `mppUpper` and `mppVhba` and the initrd `/boot/mpp-2.6.9-89.0.9.ELsmp.img`; the tools `mppUtil`, `mppUpdate`, `mppBusRescan` (`hot_add`), `/opt/mpp/lsvdev`, `/opt/mpp/mppSupport` and the init script `/etc/init.d/mpp` exist afterwards, and I take it they came from the same `make install` (the notes list them but do not say what installed them)
Needs	a non-failover HBA driver and AVT disabled on the array (host type `LNXCL`), per the vendor documentation quoted in the notes; neither step is in the notes
Edits	`/boot/grub/menu.lst`, see GRUB menu.lst stanza for the MPP initrd
Array	`DS5300-SITEA`, controllers A and B, seen through `host0` and `host1`

The commands

The driver source was unpacked:

bash

$ tar -xvzf ./rdac-LINUX-09.03.0B05.0331-source.tar.gz

Then built and installed in the unpacked directory. The notes keep no output of make and do not say what make install prints; as I understand it, this step also writes the MPP initrd into /boot:

bash

$ cd linuxrdac-09.03.0B05.0331/
$ make clean
$ make
$ make install

GRUB got a new entry for the kernel with the MPP initrd. menu.lst was immutable on this host, so the attribute was removed for the edit and set again. The stanza typed into nano is in GRUB menu.lst stanza for the MPP initrd:

bash

$ chattr -i /boot/grub/menu.lst
$ nano /boot/grub/menu.lst
$ chattr +i /boot/grub/menu.lst

The server was rebooted:

bash

$ reboot

After the boot, the first check was that the MPP kernel modules were loaded:

bash

$ lsmod | grep mpp

output 3 lines

mppVhba               138656  0
mppUpper              139132  1 mppVhba
scsi_mod              145297  8 mppVhba,usb_storage,cciss,qla2xxx,scsi_transport_fc,mppUpper,sg,sd_mod

The second check was that the LUNs were mapped, by listing the driver's /proc tree:

bash

$ ls -lR /proc/mpp

output 45 lines

/proc/mpp:
total 0
dr-xr-xr-x  4 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 DS5300-SITEA

/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA:
total 0
dr-xr-xr-x  4 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 controllerA
dr-xr-xr-x  4 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 controllerB
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 virtualLun1
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 virtualLun2
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 virtualLun3

/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA/controllerA:
total 0
dr-xr-xr-x  2 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 qla2xxx_h0c0t0
dr-xr-xr-x  2 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 qla2xxx_h1c0t0

/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA/controllerA/qla2xxx_h0c0t0:
total 0
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN1
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN2
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN3

/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA/controllerA/qla2xxx_h1c0t0:
total 0
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN1
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN2
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN3

/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA/controllerB:
total 0
dr-xr-xr-x  2 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 qla2xxx_h0c0t1
dr-xr-xr-x  2 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 qla2xxx_h1c0t1

/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA/controllerB/qla2xxx_h0c0t1:
total 0
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN1
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN2
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN3

/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA/controllerB/qla2xxx_h1c0t1:
total 0
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN1
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN2
-rw-r--r--  1 root root 0 Aug 13 15:56 LUN3

The notes close the installation with FINITO and ;-), the author's "done".

Command or line	What it tells
`tar -xvzf`, `make clean`, `make`, `make install`	the usual build of an out-of-tree driver against the running kernel's headers; the notes keep no output and no package `Readme.txt`
`chattr -i`, `chattr +i`	the immutable attribute on `menu.lst` was this host's protection against stray edits; it has to come off for the edit
`mppVhba 138656 0`	the virtual HBA module, used by nothing above it in module terms (disks hang off it through the SCSI mid-layer, not through a module reference)
`mppUpper 139132 1 mppVhba`	the upper driver, referenced by `mppVhba`
`scsi_mod … mppVhba,…,qla2xxx,…,mppUpper,sg,sd_mod`	both MPP modules, the QLogic driver and the disk and generic drivers all sit on the SCSI mid-layer; `cciss` is the local HP Smart Array controller, `usb_storage` the usual USB disk driver
`/proc/mpp/DS5300-SITEA`	one directory per array the driver knows, named after the array
`controllerA`, `controllerB`	one directory per controller of the array
`virtualLun1`–`virtualLun3`	the LUNs the virtual HBA presents to the system, one entry per LUN
`qla2xxx_h0c0t0`, `qla2xxx_h1c0t0`	the physical paths to controller A: low-level driver, host, channel, target. Controller A is target 0 on both HBAs, controller B (`qla2xxx_h0c0t1`, `qla2xxx_h1c0t1`) target 1
`LUN1`–`LUN3` under each path	the LUNs seen on that path; three LUNs times four paths here

The listing shows the shape of the tree that the notes describe in the abstract as /proc/mpp/<array>/controller<A/B>/<low-level-driver><HCT#>. Only DS5300-SITEA appears: the standby array DS5300-SITEB had not been seen on 13 August, or was found later with mppBusRescan (see mppBusRescan commands); the notes do not say which.

Checked against NetApp SANtricity 12.10, the Linux kernel 7.2 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10

As built	Today
`rdac-LINUX-09.03.0B05.0331-source.tar.gz` built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 4	The build was released on 15 June 2010 for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 7 and 8, SLES 9 SP4 and SLES 10; its readme points users of SLES 11 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 to `09.03.0C05.0331`. The last builds were `09.03.0B05.0439` (December 2010, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 8 only) and `09.03.0C05.0642` (Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and 6, SLES 10 and 11). Nothing exists for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 or SLES 12
an out-of-tree multipath driver with its own initrd	NetApp discontinued RDAC with SANtricity OS 11.25; already the SANtricity 11.20 multipath guide (2015) called it "not the recommended failover driver for the Linux operating system". The replacement is DM-Multipath with the in-kernel device handler `scsi_dh_rdac` ("Multipath LSI/Engenio/NetApp E-Series RDAC driver"), which `scsi_dh.c` attaches by itself for `IBM 1818` and the other DS and E-Series product IDs; Fedora and Red Hat kernels build it (`CONFIG_SCSI_DH_RDAC`)
`/etc/init.d/mpp`, `reboot`	Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 was retired on 29 February 2012 and left extended life-cycle support on 31 March 2017
the arrays, DS5300	Withdrawn from marketing on 23 October 2012, end of support 31 January 2018. The product line continues as NetApp E-Series with SANtricity System Manager 12.10