Compaq IDA driver and getting array state.

First off, sorry for the cross post, not sure where this should go.

I am looking at extending the driver for ida so that messages about failed
drives and the state of the array will make it into the syslog.  (If this
somehow already happens, can someone explain how?)

Also, I want to write an app that will give extended info about the logical
drive(s) and controller(s).

Aside from some packet driver programming on DOS a decade ago, I've never done
any hardware programming.  So I have a few questions.

1. Anyone with a Compaq Smart controller want to help/test?
2. Can I query a device directly without using the driver?  Or is the driver the
only thing allowed to talk to the hardware?
3. Debugging a kernel device driver, is there are HOW-TO?  (I've also not done
any Kernel programming before..)
4. For those that have FreeBSD machines running on Compaq hardware now, how do
you monitor the array?  Especially if it's in a rack somewhere?

The device driver looks simple enough, and I have a document that describes the
devices' features, so I don't think it's going to be mega-hard.  But
considering I'll be screwing with the device directly, and that it's a disk
device, I will need to be wary.

-D