How to build a cheap RAID controller

From a Promise Ultra DMA66 controller, it is surprisingly easy to make a Promise Fast Track IDE RAID 1 controller. It requires some soldering and a BIOSD flash.

The short version

If you know what all this is about, just read this. Otherwise, refer to the sources.

Steps involved

  • Download the RAID version of the BIOS from Promise.
  • Flash the card with the new BIOS
  • Reboot. You'll get an error that the PCI Device cannot be found
  • Remove the card, and solder a 100Ω resistor from pin 23 to ground, (or from pin 23 to 16).
  • Put everything back. Press CTRL-F at boot to configure your new RAID controller.

    • Where to solder
    This is how you do it. Before soldering, first flash the BIOS!

    Sources

    How i found this:

  • Storage Review
  • Slashdot article

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