PST(4)

📦 version 12.2, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

🎀 NAME 🎀

pst — bestie, it's the device driver for the Promise Supertrak SX6000, and yes this is from the Kernel Interfaces Manual, section 4, iykyk 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

Okay so if you wanna bake this driver into the kernel (main character energy, no modules), you drop this line into your kernel configuration file:

device pst

Or, if you'd rather just load it as a module at boot time like a chill normal person, put this in loader.conf(5):

pst_load="YES"

Both work, pick your fighter 🫶

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So this driver is for the Promise Supertrak SX6000 ATA hardware RAID controller, and it is literally doing the most (affectionate).

It supports — in hardware, not fake software vibes — these RAID levels:

  • 0
  • 1
  • 0+1
  • 3
  • 5
  • JBOD

...on up to 6 ATA disk drives. Not five. Not seven. Six. Slay.

And it's giving:

  • automatic rebuild 🔥
  • hotswap 🔥
  • signalling disk status on the LEDs of Promise Superswap disk enclosures 🔥
Heads up though: the Supertrak line of controllers does not support non-disk devices. So don't come for it with your weird little peripherals, it's not the moment 🙈

🦋 HARDWARE 🦋

The pst driver supports the Promise Supertrak SX6000 ATA hardware RAID controller. That's the one. That's the icon, that's the legend, and that's the whole list 💖

💜 NOTES 💜

Okay important tea, bestie — listen up:

The pst driver does not support manipulating the RAID from the OS. Nope. Not happening. Your RAIDs need to be set up from the onboard BIOS, periodt. That's just the rules 🎀

BUT. The good news, and it is good news:

  • hot swap — supported ✨
  • hot spare — supported ✨
  • automatic rebuilds — supported ✨

...and all of that works without a reboot. No cap. 🙌

🌈 HISTORY 🌈

The pst driver first appeared in FreeBSD 4.7. A true veteran. Respect the elders 👑

🫶 AUTHORS 🫶

The pst driver and this man page were written by Søren Schmidt <sos@FreeBSD.org>. Certified genius behaviour, honestly 💅

And that's a wrap, bestie!! This page is from the Debian fam, dated December 14, 2004, and it lives at PST(4) — go forth, set up your RAID in the BIOS, and stay iconic 🌸✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from