Dedicated Servers and Bare Metal Servers: Using netboot.xyz to install Ubuntu 24.04 and set up software RAID 1 and 6

This article guides you through installing Ubuntu 24.04 LTS via netboot.xyz, and configuring software RAID 1 or software RAID 6 on a Dedicated Server or Bare Metal Server. In this example, we use the first two SSDs for a redundant system RAID 1. Afterward, we explain how to set up a RAID 6 for the remaining four hard drives.

RAID 6 requires at least 4 hard drives. It uses block-level striping with double parity. The major advantage over RAID 5 is increased fault tolerance: the system remains operational even if two hard drives fail simultaneously.

The storage capacity is calculated as follows: (Number of storage drives - 2) x Capacity

Caution

Creating a software RAID 6 requires advanced knowledge of Linux server administration. Follow the described sequence of steps exactly. Otherwise, you risk data loss!
This process will delete all existing data on the target hard drives.

Note

The creation and configuration of the software RAID 6 is not included in the standard scope of support. An overview of the included services can be found on the following page: Scope of support for server products

Requirements

A Dedicated Server or Bare Metal Server with 2 SSDs and at least 4 unused hard drives of the same size.
You have noted down the sizes of the SSDs and hard drives.
There are no existing partitions on the hard drives.

Install the operating system via netboot.xyz

Log in to your IONOS account.
Click on Menu > Servers & Cloud in the title bar.
Optional: Select the desired Servers & Cloud contract. The Cloud Panel opens.
Click on the desired server in the Infrastructure > Server area of the Cloud Panel.
Click the Console button. To establish a connection with the VNC console, select VNC Console. The VNC console will open in a new tab, and the connection to the server will be established. This may take a few moments.
Select the option Continue with Self installation Here. The menu will load.
In the Distributions section, select GNU/Linux as the installation method.
Select the Linux distribution Ubuntu.
Select the version Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
Optional: If you have an AMD server, a Select kernel type menu will appear. Choose Generic Kernel (default) and press Enter.
Select Install.
In the Welcome window, select English (or your preferred language).
Optional: If there is an installer update, you will be prompted to Update to the new installer, or Continue without updating. Choose the option you prefer. If you choose to update, you will be brought to the Keyboard configuration window in the next step after a brief update.
Select your language in the Layout and Variant lists.
Select Done and press the Enter key. The Choose type of installation screen will open.
Select the Ubuntu Server option if it's not already selected, and then select Done. The Network configuration screen will open.
Select the network interface (e.g., enp35s0). Usually it is the first entry.
In the menu that opens, select Edit IPv4.
Select Automatic (DHCP) in the menu. To confirm the selection, select Save.
Confirm your selection in the Network configuration screen by selecting Done. The Proxy configuration screen will be displayed.
Select Done. The Ubuntu archive mirror configuration window appears.
Select Done. The Guided storage configuration screen will appear.
Enable the Custom storage layout option and select Done. The Storage configuration screen will open.
Select the first SSD and press Enter. A selection menu will open.
Select the option Use As Boot Device. This will automatically create a small partition for the bootloader.
Select the free space entry on the SSD and choose the option Add GPT Partition.
To use the remaining space, leave the Size field blank. In the Format list, select the option leave unformatted.
Select Create.
Repeat this process for the second SSD, selecting the option Add as another boot device.
For the first hard drive, select the free space entry and choose the option Add GPT Partition.
To use the remaining space, leave the Size field blank and select Leave unformatted from the Format list.
Select Create.
Repeat this process for the remaining hard drives: select the respective free space for each of the remaining hard drives.
Select the option Add GPT Partition.
Create a partition across the entire size and select the option Leave unformatted.

Create RAID 1 for the operating system (SSD 1 & 2)

On the Storage configuration screen, select the option Create software RAID (md).
Assign a name. By default, the name md0 is assigned.
Select RAID Level: 1.
Under Devices, mark the partitions of the SSDs. In this example, it is Partition 2.
Select Create to establish the array.

Create RAID 6 for data storage

Select the Create software RAID (md) option again. The name will automatically be set to md1.
Select RAID Level: 6.
Under Devices, mark the partitions of the remaining hard drives.
Select Create.

Assign file systems and mount points

Once the RAID arrays are defined, they must be formatted and mounted into the system.

Look for the entry for md0 in the Available Devices list.
Select the free space on md0 and choose Add GPT Partition.
Select ext4 or xfs as the format, and select the root directory / as the Mount Point.
Select Create.
Find the entry for md1.
Select the free space on md1 and choose Add GPT Partition.
Select ext4 or xfs as the format.
Under Mount, select the option Other and assign an appropriate mount point, for example, /data or /var/lib/mysql.
Click on Create.
Review the entries in the FILE SYSTEM SUMMARY section. Make sure that / is on md0 and your data mount point is on md1, and correct them if necessary. The Confirm destructive action window will be displayed.
To write the partition tables, select Continue.

Continue with the installation

Select the option Continue. The Profile configuration screen will be displayed.
Enter your desired name in the Your name field.
Enter the server name in the Your server's name field.
Enter the desired username in the Pick a username field.
Enter your desired password in the Choose a password field and repeat it in the Confirm password field.
Select Done. The Upgrade to Ubuntu Pro screen will open. The Skip for now option is selected by default.
Select Continue. The SSH configuration screen will be displayed.
To be able to access your server via SSH, enable the option Install OpenSSH server.
Select Done. The Featured server snaps screen will open.
Optional: Select any desired server snaps and select Done. Ubuntu 24.04 will be installed, and RAID 1 and RAID 6 will be configured.
Once the installation is complete, select Reboot Now.

Check the status of the software RAIDs

To check the status of your software RAID setup, complete the following:

Log in to the server via SSH as an administrator.
To check the status of the software RAIDs, enter the following command:
user@server:~$ cat /proc/mdstat
To check the available disk space, enter the following command:
user@server:~$ df -h

Notes

Please note that after creating a RAID 6 array, an initial synchronization of the data (resync) takes place. Because double parity is calculated for RAID 6, this process is resource-intensive.

Performance: During initialization, system performance (CPU load and disk I/O) may be noticeably impacted.
Duration: Due to the double parity calculation and large volumes of data, this process can take several days for hard drives larger than 2 TB.
Fault tolerance: The server is fully operational during the resync. However, full fault tolerance (protection against the simultaneous failure of up to two hard drives) is only fully guaranteed once the synchronization is complete.

Content

Install the operating system via netboot.xyz
Create RAID 1 for the operating system (SSD 1 & 2)
Create RAID 6 for data storage
Assign file systems and mount points
Continue with the installation
Check the status of the software RAIDs
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