Howto_Windows_Ubuntu_AMD-RAID
Table of Contents
- 1. How to dual-boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux from AMD-RAID
- 1.1. Step 1: Setup USB stick with Ubuntu and AMD-RAID drivers
- 1.2. Step 2 (Optional): Create Windows 10 installation DVD
- 1.3. Step 3: Backup and/or convert your running Linux/Windows installation
- 1.4. Step 4: Setup UEFI and create AMD-RAID array(s)
- 1.5. Step 5: Install Windows 10 64-bit on AMD-RAID
- 1.6. Step 6: Install Ubuntu on AMD-RAID
1 How to dual-boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux from AMD-RAID
Running both Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux on one AMD-RAID array does not work out of the box. If you do not know how to set up the UEFI correctly, you will probably end up in a system that is not using AMD-RAID at all, or if you are lucky runs AMD-RAID with Windows only. It took me two months to figure out how to make it work, trying out several recipes and failing numerous times. I only was able to get it working after contacting ASUS support, AMD support, the Linux kernel developers and the AMD community support forum.
This guide helps you to avoid all the mistakes I made and will enable you to finally dual boot both Windows 10 and Ubuntu Linux from AMD-RAID. If you have problems or questions, please write to this thread about AMD-RAID on Linux Ubuntu in the AMD community support forum community support forum.
WARNING! DISCLAIMER! Backup all of your data. Several steps in this guide can and/or will potentially lead to data loss. If you follow this guide, do it at your own risk. I will not be responsible for any damage to your system, data loss, loss of time, or whatsoever complications, annoyance or anything else that may happen.
If you have already Windows 10 installed on your AMD-RAID and want to add Linux to it, this guide will tell you how to do it even without the need to reinstall Windows.
What you need:
- A mainboard supporting AMD-RAID. I have tested this guide with the ASUS PRIME B350plus, but it may work as well for the ASUS PRIME X370-PRO and the ASUS PRIME A320, since AMD offers the same Linux driver for all three platforms. Let me know if it works or not.
- A USB Stick with 2 GB or more space (will be erased completely, be sure to backup data) for Linux, RAID drivers etc.
- A Windows 10 64-bit installation DVD or USB stick. If you do not have one already, have an empty DVD ready and follow the guide below to create an installation DVD.
- A running PC with either Ubuntu or Windows for setting up the USB stick and creating the Windows 10 64-bit installation DVD, if necessary. This PC can be different from the PC where you want to use the AMD-RAID, it is not being used after initializing the USB stick and burning the Windows install DVD.
- Internet access to download software and drivers during install.
- Optional: The Motherboard Support DVD. Alternatively you can download drivers and software from the ASUS web site directly, which is the preferred way since the drivers on the support DVD might be outdated.
1.1 Step 1: Setup USB stick with Ubuntu and AMD-RAID drivers
This step can be performed on any PC with a recent running version of Linux or Windows, a DVD drive and internet access. You do not need to do this on the machine where you want to use AMD-RAID.
We will perform three actions in this step. The first action is to install a recent Ubuntu version on the USB stick, then to add the Windows 10 AMD-RAID drivers in the second action and the Linux AMD-RAID drivers in the third action.
1.1.1 Action 1: Install Ubuntu on the USB stick
Download the latest Ubuntu desktop version from the Ubuntu download page. At the time of writing this, there is Ubuntu 16.04.4 LTS and Ubuntu 17.10.1 available. If you want newest features and software, choose Ubuntu 17.10. However, this version will be superseeded and you will need to upgrade to Ubuntu 18.04 LTS latest by July 2018. Contrary to that, Ubuntu 16.04 will be supported until April 2021.
Personally, I prefer Kubuntu over Ubuntu since it uses the KDE desktop environment which has a look and feel similar to Windows. I like it more than the Dash desktop from Ubuntu, and I am a great fan of the Kontact Personal Information Manager which combines mail, calendar, contacts, news feeds and much more and is included in Kubuntu. Besides from the choice of desktop, Kubuntu and Ubuntu are almost identical. For this guide, I have been using Kubuntu 17.10.1. I tested the Linux AMD-RAID driver with Ubuntu 16.04.1 and it worked, and this is probably true for later Ubuntu versions, too. Maybe this guide also works with Xubuntu or other Ubuntu flavours.
On both Linux and Windows, you can use the tool UNetbootin to create a bootable Ubuntu USB-Stick (not tested). Just follow the instructions on the UNetbootin web page and use the previously downloaded Ubuntu ISO image. On Windows I recommend to use Rufus. Again, just follow the instructions on the Rufus web page and use the previously downloaded Ubuntu ISO image. Be sure to use partitioning for UEFI only or both BIOS and UEFI.
1.1.2 Action 2: Copy Windows 10 AMD RAID drivers to USB stick
You can either use the drivers that came with your mainboard (ASUS Mainboard support DVD) or download a fresh version from the ASUS support web site. I recommend to download from the web, these are the most recent drivers.
- Alternative 1: Download Windows AMD-RAID drivers from ASUS web page
Go to the ASUS download center and select your product (Product Type: "Motherboards", Product Series: "ASUS Prime", and Product Model: "PRIME B350-PLUS"). This will lead you to the ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS support page. Select "driver and utility" and "Windows 10 64-bit" as your OS. This will show a long list with all drivers available (Graphics, BIOS, Audio, LAN, …, SATA, …). If the list does not show up, try with a different browser (I had problems with one version of Firefox). From the list, download the "SATA" driver. This will start the download of a ZIP file. Extract the downloaded ZIP file to your USB stick. This will create two directories on your USB stick:
SATA
andRAID
. Make sure that the directoryRAID
contains the two subdirectoriesRAID_bottom
andRAID_driver
.Optional: Once you are on the ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS support page, you can also download the latest BIOS updates. Download the "BIOS" and the "BIOS-Utilities" ZIP files and store them on your USB stick. Extract both files on the USB stick. This yields an executable file named
BRenamerI
and one file namedPRIME-B350-PLUS-ASUS-3806.CAP
where 3806 is the version number and might be different for you. Run theBRenamerI.exe
. It will rename the filePRIME-B350-PLUS-ASUS-3806.CAP
toPRB350PS.CAP
. That's all. But you need this renamed file when patching the BIOS. IfBRenamerI
tells you it cannot find the file, make sure both the executable and the.CAP
file are stored in the same directory on the USB stick. - Alternative 2: Copy Windows AMD-RAID drivers from ASUS Mainboard Support DVD to USB
Open your DVD drive (drive letter "E" in this paragraph) and navigate to the directory
E:\Drivers\RAID
. (The drive letter "E:" may need to be exchanged depending on your setup). In this directory you will find two directories: TheAHCI
and theRAID
directory. The latter contains the drivers you need. Copy this directory,E:\Drivers\RAID\RAID
to your USB device (drive letter G: in this guide). Make sure that the copied directoryG:\RAID
contains the two subdirectoriesRAID_bottom
andRAID_driver
.
1.1.3 Action 3: Copy Linux AMD RAID drivers to USB stick
Go to the AMD support center and manually select your driver. In step 1,
product type, choose "Chipsets". In step 2, product family, select "AMD
socket AM4/Ryzen processor". In step 3, product, select "B350" or "X370" or
"A320". In step 4, operating system, choose "Linux x8664". In step 5, push
the button "Display results". This will update the current page. Scroll
down to "AMD Socket AM4 RAID Driver" or search for it. You will find an
entry "Linux" with a link named "64-bit" next to it. By clicking on the
link, you will be taken to the AMD RAID driver for Linux page. There is a
manual on this page, but it contains incomplete and outdated
instructions. If you are desperate, you may take a look. Otherwise just
download the driver package by clicking on the "Download" link. Save the
file raid_linux_driver_8_01_00_039_public.zip
. Extract the ZIP file to
your USB stick and make sure that your USB stick now contains a directory
named driver_sdk
.
1.1.4 Summary
After having performed actions 1 to 3, you have a bootable Ubuntu/Kubuntu
USB stick with additional directories driver_sdk
and RAID
on it, and
optionally a BIOS patch file named PRB350PS.CAP
or similar, depending on
your mainboard type. Do not forget to safely remove your USB stick and take
it with you.
1.2 Step 2 (Optional): Create Windows 10 installation DVD
If you do not have a Windows 10 64-bit installation DVD or USB stick and need to install Windows 10 from scratch, you will need a Windows 10 64-bit installation DVD.
1.2.1 Alternative 1: Create Windows 10 installation DVD/USB stick with Linux
First of all, go to the Microsoft "Download Windows 10" page. This will redirect you to the Download Windows 10 Disc Image (ISO File) page. As edition, choose "Windows 10" and confirm. Then choose your favourite language and confirm. Click on "64-bit Download" and start the download of the ISO image.
After the file has been downloaded, use an ISO image burning tool, e.g. K3b. With K3b, open the "Tools" meny entry and click on "Burn Image". Choose the downloaded file and burn it on a DVD.
1.2.2 Alternative 2: Create Windows 10 installation DVD/USB stick with Windows
Go to the Microsoft "Download Windows 10" page and follow the instructions on this page to create a bootable Windows 10 64-bit installation DVD. This involves downloading and running the Media Creation Tool. Be sure to choose the option to create an installation DVD/USB stick for another computer and proceed.
1.3 Step 3: Backup and/or convert your running Linux/Windows installation
Now get back to the PC where you want to use AMD-RAID. This step is only necessary (and at the same time possible) to perform if you have already Ubuntu and/or Windows 10 installed on your PC. If not, you can skip this entire step (all actions) and continue with the next step. If you have a Windows 10 installation already running on AMD-RAID, you can keep it and convert it without the need of a new installation which is very nice! Just follow all the actions below.
1.3.1 Action 1: Backup all your files
Needless to say, all data on disks that are not yet used in an AMD-RAID array but will so in the future are lost. Additionally, if anything goes wrong you might end up with unforeseen data loss. Therefore, make a backup of all your files on all attached disks.
1.3.2 Action 2: Change MBR to GPT on any disks you want to boot from
The Linux AMD-RAID driver only works in UEFI boot mode. Therefore we will change to UEFI boot mode in the next step. By that, any device that you have booted from in BIOS mode will not be able to boot any more, unless you convert the partition tables on the disks. BIOS uses MBR partition tables, while UEFI uses GPT partition tables.
Honestly, I do not know how to convert MBR to GPT on Linux. I hope there is a tool out there that can do it, but I cannot assist you in this step. Please let me know if you have successfully done it, and I will include it in this guide.
In recent Windows 10 builds there is a tool named mbr2gpt
included that not
only changes the partition tables but also adjusts the Windows boot setup to
make UEFI boot possible. You can either try this in a running Windows 10
installation or from a Windows 10 installation environment (Windows 10 install
DVD).
- Convert your existing Windows 10 installation from MBR to GPT
WARNING! The conversion cannot be undone. Once you have switched from MBR to GPT, you can only boot with UEFI enabled.
You can either try this in a running Windows 10 system or from the Windows 10 installation DVD. This recipe is derived from this article of John Savill from ITProToday.
- Alternative 1: Convert from within a running Windows 10 MBR system
You can try to convert your system from MBR to GPT even when Windows 10 is already installed on the disk. To do this, open a command line as administrator (Tap Windows key, type
cmd
and the command line should appear on top of the search list, right-click on the item and select "Run as Administrator"). Confirm that you allow system changes. In the command line, typembr2gpt /validate /allowFullOS
. If the validation is successful, issuembr2gpt /convert /allowFullOS
.If the validation is not successful, mbr2gpt may indicate what has gone wrong in its error log. Please have a look at the file
%WINDIR%\setuperr.log
(usually%WINDIR%
isC:\WINDOWS
, so look at the fileC:\WINDOWS\setuperr.log_
. In my case, an unused partition was too close at the end of the disk, so I had to delete that partition with the disk manager and try again.After conversion has finished successfully, reboot and enter UEFI setup (hit DEL or F2 during reboot). Change to UEFI boot mode, i. e. disable the CSM (Compatibility support module). In the ASUS UEFI you have to switch to "Advanced mode" (press
F7
), select the "Boot" menu category, and click on the CSM (Compatibility Support Module) entry. Switch the "Launch CSM" from "Auto" to "Disabled", confirm, save with F10 and reboot.Depending on your drive setup, you need to change the boot order of your devices or invoke the boot menu. Windows will show up in the boot menu as "Windows Boot Manager (AMD-RAID)".
- Alternative 2: Convert your existing Windows 10 installation from Windows 10 installation DVD
Reboot your machine and enter setup by pressing DEL or F2. If in EZ-Mode, switch to Advanced Mode (F7) and select the "Boot" category. Change the Compatibility support module from "Auto" to "Disabled". Confirm the notice that you are aware that you need the correct UEFI boot loaders. Save and reboot by pressing F10 and confirm.
Press F8 during reboot to enter boot menu and boot from your Windows 10 installation DVD. Select the correct language, confirm.
If you have Windows 10 already installed on the AMD-RAID, you will need to load the AMD-RAID drivers before changing the disk from MBR to GPT. Select "install". Setup will complain that drivers are missing. Choose the drivers from the USB drive where you did copy them before. The drive letter probably changed, in my case it was drive
C:
now.Open the folder
C:\RAID\RAID_bottom\WT64A
and click OK. Make sure that only drivers are shown that match your hardware (the check box needs to be ticked). Choose the topmost driver from the list (rcbottom.inf
) and click on Continue.Windows complains again that a driver is missing. Now open the folder
C:\RAID\RAID_driver\WT64A
and click OK. Choose thercraid.inf
driver on top of the list and the installation will continue and ask you for a product key. Choose "I do not have a product key".At the next possible opportunity cancel the installation, e. g. when Windows asks whether you want to keep your files or overwrite them. After confirming that you really want to interrupt the installation, this brings you back to the screen where you can choose to install Windows or repair the computer.
Choose to repair the computer and start a command line.
Now you have to find out which drive letter corresponds to your Windows 10 installation. In my case, it was drive F:. Try to enter the drive by typing e.g.
F:
, hit enter, and typedir
. From the amount of free space you should be able to tell whether it is your USB stick (typically 2-32 GB free), your DVD drive (0 free) or your harddisk (several 100 GB to some TB free space).Issue the command
mbr2gpt /validate /disk:f
. (Be sure to replacef
with your corresponding drive letter). If validation is successful, issue the commandmbr2gpt /convert /disk:f
If the validation is not successful, mbr2gpt may indicate what has gone wrong in its error log. Please have a look at the file %WINDIR%\setuperr.log (usually %WINDIR% is X:\WINDOWS, so look at the file X:\WINDOWS\setuperr.log), fix the problem and try again.
After conversion has finished, reboot and enter UEFI setup. Change to UEFI boot mode, i. e. disable the CSM (Compatibility support module). In the ASUS UEFI you have to switch to "Advanced mode" (press F7), select the "Boot" menu category, and click on the CSM (Compatibility Support Module) entry. Switch the "Launch CSM" from "Auto" to "Disabled", confirm, save with F10 and reboot.
Depending on your drive setup, you need to change the boot order of your devices or invoke the boot menu. Windows will show up in the boot menu as "Windows Boot Manager (AMD-RAID)".
- Alternative 1: Convert from within a running Windows 10 MBR system
1.4 Step 4: Setup UEFI and create AMD-RAID array(s)
Now with your USB stick prepared in step 1, we are now going to setup (and optionally patch) the UEFI. This includes enabling UEFI boot, activating the AMD-RAID controller and creating an array.
1.4.1 Action 1 (Optional): Patch UEFI
WARNING! All UEFI settings will be lost in this step and you have to redo the settings (see actions 2 and 3).
Reboot your Computer and enter setup by pressing DEL
or F2
. If UEFI starts
in "EZ Mode", enter "Advanced Mode" by pressing F7
. In the menu, choose the
"Tool" entry and invoke the "ASUS EZ Flash 3 Utility". In the dialog that
appears, choose "via Storage Device(s)" and click on "Next".
In the file dialog that opens, select the USB stick and on the USB stick
select the file PRB350PS.CAP
that was created in an earlier step. Confirm
you want to update the BIOS and watch the progress bar. After a few minutes,
the update has finished, a message appears and the system will automatically
reboot.
After the reboot, a boot message appears that tells you to press the F1
key
to setup UEFI. Due to patching the UEFI, all settings are now back to defaults
and you will have to setup your UEFI again (see next actions). Press the F1
key to enter UEFI and continue with the next action.
1.4.2 Action 2: Enable UEFI boot
If not yet in UEFI, reboot your Computer and enter setup by pressing DEL
or
F2
. If UEFI starts in "EZ Mode", enter "Advanced Mode" by pressing F7
. In
the menu, choose the "Boot" entry and click on the CSM (Compatibility Support
Module) entry. Switch the "Launch CSM" from "Auto" to "Disabled" and confirm
in the next dialog box.
1.4.3 Action 3: Enable AMD-RAID in UEFI
In the UEFI Advanced Mode, choose the "Advanced" menu entry an select "SATA
configuration". Then, change the "SATA mode" from "AHCI" to "RAID". Press
F10
to save and exit.
In the dialog box that opens, make sure that both "Launch CSM" has been set to "Disabled" and "SATA Mode" is changed to "RAID". Confirm and reboot.
1.4.4 Action 4: Create AMD-RAID
WARNING! When you create or delete RAID arrays, all data on the disks are lost. Therefore, make sure you have a backup of all your files!
- Which RAID to choose?
I have been using two identical 2 TB disks and RAID1 (mirror), such that if one disk fails I can still work with the other disk without any data loss. I am very happy with that. In my previous system, I had a similar setup and it saved me twice from severe data loss due to corrupt disks. As I am a bit lazy with backups (about once a month) I did not loose a single byte of data. Of course, depending on your needs, you might want to choose a different setup.
Enter UEFI by rebooting and hitting either
DEL
orF2
during reboot. In the UEFI EZ mode, have a look at the UEFI BIOS version (see top left, under "Information". - Alternative 1: UEFI version earlier than 3806
With UEFI versions earlier than 3806 there is a separate ROM that is not integrated in the UEFI Utility but rather uses its own tool to manage RAID. It announces itself with a separate screen during boot. In order to manage RAID, you need to enter this utility by pressing
Ctrl-R
as the displayed text tells you. With this tool, create a RAID array. Once you are done, save the changes and exit the tool, which will reboot your computer. - Alternative 2: UEFI version 3806 or later
Starting with UEFI BIOS version 3806, the configuration is integrated in the UEFI utility. If in "EZ Mode", change to "Advanced Mode" by hitting
F7
. Select the "Advanced" menu entry and click on "RAIDXpert2 Configuration utility" at the bottom. By selecting "Array Management", you can create RAID arrays, manage their properties or delete them. PressF10
to exit and save changes once you are done, which will reboot your computer.
1.5 Step 5: Install Windows 10 64-bit on AMD-RAID
Insert the Windows 10 installation DVD/USB stick in your system. Make sure
that UEFI boot is enabled. Reboot your system and press F8
to enter boot
menu. Boot the Windows 10 installation medium.
Windows setup will complain that drivers are missing. Choose the drivers from
the USB drive where you did copy them before in step 1. The drive letter of
the USB drive did probably change, in my case it was drive C:
now.
Open the folder C:\RAID\RAID_bottom\WT64A
and click OK. Make sure that only
drivers are shown that match your hardware (the check box needs to be
ticked). Choose the topmost driver from the list (rcbottom.inf
) and click on
Continue.
Windows complains again that a driver is missing. Now open the folder
C:\RAID\RAID_driver\WT64A
and click OK. Choose the rcraid.inf
driver on
top of the list and the installation will continue. Finish the
installation.
Congratulation! You are now using Windows 10 64-bit on AMD-RAID in UEFI boot mode.
1.6 Step 6: Install Ubuntu on AMD-RAID
In order for this step to be successful, you need to have the "CSM
(Compatibility Support Module)" disabled in UEFI, set the SATA mode to "RAID"
and created an AMD-RAID array with help of the UEFI or AMD-RAID BIOS (see step
4). You also need a bootable USB stick with Ubuntu and to have added the
driver_sdk
directory of the Linux AMD-RAID drivers to it (see step 1).
Reboot your PC and press F8
during reboot in order to open the boot
menu. Choose the USB stick as boot medium. Watch Ubuntu booting and once the
Welcome screen opens select "Try Kubuntu". Do not press "Install Kubuntu" yet,
we first have to compile and insert the AMD-RAID kernel module before you will
be able to install!
1.6.1 Action 1: Compile and insert AMD-RAID kernel module, install Ubuntu
Open a Terminal (e. g. "Konsole" on Kubuntu). Probably your boot device is
mounted as /cdrom
. You can check this by issuing the command lsblk
and
check for the "MOUNTPOINT" column. Ignore the loop
file system and take what
is left.
On Kubuntu, you first need to install the package build-essential
in order
to be able to use make
, gcc
and other development tools. Therefore, issue
sudo apt-get install build-essential
. On Ubuntu, this package is already
installed.
Copy the driver_sdk
directory to your home directory by typing cp -ap
/cdrom/driver_sdk ~
. Change to the directory with cd ~/driver_sdk
.
Next, you will need to edit one source file and add a missing include file to it, because otherwise you will not be able to compile the driver. However, the driver license that you accepted by downloading the driver forbids any derivative work. Is adding a missing line a derivative work? As I am no lawyer, I do not have an answer to that. Please judge on your own whether the license allows you to make this change. I will not take any responsibility if you decide to do so, do it own your own risk!
If you come to the conclusion that you still want to edit, edit the file
e. g. by issuing sudo nano ~/driver_sdk/src/rc_mem_ops.c
and add the line
#include "linux/signal.h" = before the first =#include
you find in the
file. Save the file by typing Ctrl-X
and confirm.
Back to the shell, issue the command sudo ./install
. This will compile the
kernel module, copy it to the kernel modules directory and run depmod
.
Remove the AHCI module with the command sudo rmmod ahci
and insert the
freshly built AMD-RAID kernel module by entering sudo modprobe rcraid
.
Check that the module got inserted and the RAID array has been detected by
looking at the kernel messages: dmesg | tail -50
. The output should look
similar to the following:
rcraid: loading out-of-tree module taints kernel. rcraid: module license 'Proprietary' taints kernel. Disabling lock debugging due to kernel taint rcraid: module verification failed: signature and/or required key missing - tainting kernel <5>AMD, Inc. rcraid raid driver version 8.1.0 build_number 8.1.0-00039 built Mar 30 2018 <5>rcraid built on kubuntu by root on Fri Mar 30 13:58:58 UTC 2018 <5>rcraid: cmd_q_depth 512, tag_q_depth 16, max_xfer 448, use_swl 0xffffffff <5>rcraid_probe_one: vendor = 0x1022 device 0x43bd <5>rcraid_probe_one: vendor = 0x1022 device 0x7916 <5>rcraid_probe_one: Total adapters matched 2 <5>rcraid: rc_init_adapter 64 bit DMA enabled <6>### rc_init_adapter(): RC_EnableZPODD = 0 <3>rcraid:0 request_threaded_irq irq 297 <5>rcraid: card 0: AMD, Inc. AHCI <5>rcraid: rc_init_adapter 64 bit DMA enabled <6>### rc_init_adapter(): RC_EnableZPODD = 0 <3>rcraid:1 request_threaded_irq irq 308 <5>rcraid: card 1: AMD, Inc. AHCI <6>rcraid: rc_event: config change detected on bus 0 scsi host0: AMD, Inc. AMD-RAID scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access AMD-RAID Array 01 8.1 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5 scsi 0:0:24:0: Processor AMD-RAID Configuration V1.2 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5 scsi 0:1:0:0: CD-ROM HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GH22NS50 TN03 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 sd 0:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0 sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] 3905925120 512-byte logical blocks: (2.00 TB/1.82 TiB) sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 00 06 00 00 sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA scsi 0:0:24:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 3 sr 0:1:0:0: [sr0] scsi-1 drive cdrom: Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.20 sr 0:1:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr0 sr 0:1:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg3 type 5 sdb: sdb1 sdb2 sdb3 sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI disk sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] tag#1 FAILED Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] tag#1 Sense Key : Illegal Request [current] sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] tag#1 Add. Sense: Invalid message error sd 0:0:0:0: [sdb] tag#1 CDB: ATA command pass through(16) 85 06 20 00 05 00 fe 00 00 00 00 00 00 40 ef 00Congratulations! You now have access to the AMD-RAID system from Ubuntu Linux and can continue the install process. Press the "Install Kubuntu" icon on your desktop and install Kubuntu.
But wait - do not reboot after installation has finished! Although you could
install Ubuntu now, you have to be aware that the driver still needs to be
loaded when Ubuntu starts. This means that the kernel module rcraid.ko
needs
to be inserted into the initial ram disk (initrd
) before you can boot your
system. And always when you update the kernel, you need to install the
rcraid.ko
driver anew.
1.6.2 Action 2: Chroot to installed Ubuntu and add AMD-RAID driver to initrd
Let's assume for this section that you installed Ubuntu on /dev/sdb5
. Now we
have to prepare the installed system in order to compile the AMD-RAID kernel
module on it.
First, mount the device such that you can access it: sudo mount /dev/sdb5
/mnt
. Before using chroot
to enter the system, we need to provide it with
some essential information. To do so, enter
for dir in /dev /dev/pts /proc /sys /run; do sudo mount --bind $dir
/mnt/$dir; done
,
then sudo cp /proc/mounts /mnt/etc/mtab
,
and finally sudo mount -o bind /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/etc/resolv.conf
.
Copy the AMD-RAID Driver SDK to the system: sudo cp -a ~/driver_sdk
/mnt/root
.
Now enter the system by typing sudo chroot /mnt /bin/bash
. Again, for
Kubuntu you have to install the build-essential package: apt install
build-essential
.
Then, compile the driver with the following commands: cd /root/driver_sdk ;
./install
. This will compile and insert the driver in the initial ram disk
(initrd) for all kernels on the system.
After the install script finishes, you can leave the chroot
system by typing
exit
in the shell and reboot.
While rebooting, you may prefer to enter UEFI by hitting DEL
or F2
in
order to check and adjust the boot order to your liking. You should arrange
the order such that Ubuntu boots first; from the Ubuntu boot loader you can
still start Windows Boot Manager if you like. Otherwise, if Windows Boot
Manager is first, you cannot start Ubuntu from it. Therefore, keep Ubuntu
first.
1.6.3 Action 3: Add KDE backport to Kubuntu 17.10
Kubuntu 17.10 has a very early version of the KDE Plasma Desktop with lots of bugs that lead to unexpected crashes of KDE programs. I strongly recommend to install the latest KDE backports, otherwise your Kubuntu experience might end with a disappointment. In your freshly installed Kubuntu system, execute the following commands:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade
This will pull over 100 packages and install them on your system. My experience is that KDE Plasma runs very well afterwards.
1.6.4 Action 4: Keep the system up to date
Every time you install a new kernel, you need to add the AMD-RAID drivers to
the initrd
. This involves the following step (after a new kernel is
installed and Ubuntu asks you to reboot):
sudo -u root -- sh -c "cd /root/driver_sdk; ./install
"
If you forgot to do this, boot an older kernel where you had AMD-RAID support
added and run the above command. This should almost always work. If also this
fails, get back to action 2 of this step: Boot from the Ubuntu USB stick,
chroot
to the installed system and fix errors this way.