SOLVED H310 crossflash and SAS - I think this is OK but would be good to get some confirmation...

[rwillett]

Hi,

I'm just setting up my FreeNAS server, I've had a little test system working with three SATA disks to kick the tyres and check how things work.

Since then I've got a H310 SAS card and reflashed it to work in IT-Mode, (or at least I think I have, no errors reported) I've got 6 x 3TB SAS Seagate Constellations and am now rebuilding the FreeNAS server.

After crossflashing the 310 card and installing the first of my SAS disks, I've restarted the server to check that the first disk can be seen and 'looks' OK.

I then realised that I have no real idea what success is, I think this looks correct but to be honest I don't know.

I checked the disk using FreeNAS and got the following. Does this mean that the H310 is in IT-Mode and the disk is being presented to FreeNAS correctly. It looks like it to me but I simply don't know.

Is this what is expected? Is there any test to check the H310 is working in IT-MODE or is the above confirmation?

I used the guide from https://tylermade.net/2017/06/27/ho...-lsi-9211-8i-firmware-hba-for-freenas-unraid/ to cross flash.

Thanks (and somewhat embarrassed).

Rob

 

[Chris Moore]

Thanks (and somewhat embarrassed).

Don't be embarrassed. Not asking is bad. If you are ever unsure of anything, please ask.

 

[jgreco]

You can't tell from what you've provided.

https://www.ixsystems.com/community/threads/confused-about-that-lsi-card-join-the-crowd.11901/

https://www.ixsystems.com/community...-sas-sy-a-primer-on-basic-sas-and-sata.26145/

The very first image in the LSI sticky shows you how to tell your card is in IT mode and what the firmware revision is. I suggest reading both stickies as there will be some helpful knowledge in there somewhere, even if you have a lot of it sorted out already.

 

[rwillett]

@Chris Moore @jgreco

Thanks for the links, I had looked through them before for my initial research but have never needed to get into the detail until now.

One issue I have found is that I no longer seem to have a control key sequence to get into the H310 card's BIOS at bootup. Since I have only ever booted once before with the card in before I reflashed it, I have no idea what the sequence is. Nothing appears on the boot screen now before it boots in FreeNAS. This meant I couldn't check it at the BIOS level.

However one of the threads talked about sas2flash and checking the HBA card config in a shell shows...

Code:

[root@freenas ~]# sas2flash -list -c 0
LSI Corporation SAS2 Flash Utility
Version 16.00.00.00 (2013.03.01)
Copyright (c) 2008-2013 LSI Corporation. All rights reserved

        Adapter Selected is a LSI SAS: SAS2008(B2)

        Controller Number              : 0
        Controller                     : SAS2008(B2)
        PCI Address                    : 00:01:00:00
        SAS Address                    : 590b11c-0-1ac5-e000
        NVDATA Version (Default)       : 14.01.00.08
        NVDATA Version (Persistent)    : 14.01.00.08
        Firmware Product ID            : 0x2213 (IT)
        Firmware Version               : 20.00.07.00
        NVDATA Vendor                  : LSI
        NVDATA Product ID              : SAS9211-8i
        BIOS Version                   : N/A
        UEFI BSD Version               : N/A
        FCODE Version                  : N/A
        Board Name                     : SAS9211-8i
        Board Assembly                 : N/A
        Board Tracer Number            : N/A

        Finished Processing Commands Successfully.
        Exiting SAS2Flash.
[root@freenas ~]#

My understanding is that the key line is Firmware Product ID and that 0x2213 (IT) is the firmware version and IT indicates that the card is indeed in IT-MODE. I have checked other posts and IR-Mode is indicated by (IR). The SAS number of the one I recorded before reflashing.

It does appear to me that the H310 card is flashed correctly and is in IT-Mode. If that is the case, it can see the disk drive correctly.

Have I read this right? It all looks correct to me, but what do I know :)

Rob

 

[jgreco]

Both IT and IR mode are acceptable as long as the disks are being passed through as raw disks. IT and IR use the same driver and both firmwares are solid. IR simply has "RAID card" features added, which mean it is a little slower than the IT stuff. There is also the possibility of misconfiguring devices into "JBOD" mode with the IR firmware, which'd be bad. Therefore we do not generally discuss the IR firmware as the IT is the better choice.

You may have followed crossflash instructions that tell you to omit the card BIOS. I generally feel this to be extremely foolish, because I like to catch issues before the system boots, especially catastrophic ones. You can flash the BIOS onto the card and then you can see it at boot time. The usual reason people don't do this is "because it takes so long to boot" (generally from impatient people who have tweaked their PC's to boot in 10 seconds or less). I don't see that as a serious issue because you shouldn't be rebooting your NAS every five minutes.

 

[rwillett]

I've read the site again and it never mentions that the BIOS is not loaded. I have no issue with loading the BIOS and agree that saving 10 secs on a boot is pointless.

I'll find a different site that shows me how to reflash with a BIOS this time.

<sigh>

Thanks

Rob

 

[jgreco]

Or, yes, fails to explain that you're omitting the BIOS, same end result. You're looking for the "-b" argument to whatever version of sas2flsh you're using. Also be aware that your server BIOS might prioritize add-on disk controllers before whatever boot source you're using, so be prepared to reorder the boot devices in the host BIOS.

 

[rwillett]

Yes, just rechecked the site I used to reflash and about a dozen other sites. Nobody likes flashing the BIOS which strikes me as wrong. Eventually found the command I needed...

Code:

sas2flsh.exe -o -f 2118it.bin -b mptsas2.rom

Will go back and do it again. I'll check the boot order as well. Suspect it's still USB first but no harm to validate.

Rob

 

[Chris Moore]

Nobody likes flashing the BIOS which strikes me as wrong.

Because you don't really need the BIOS installed in the SAS controller if you are not trying to boot from it. The only advantage of flashing the BIOS is that you can go into the card firmware and configure it, but there is nothing to configure if you are not trying to boot from it.

We do have a few additional guides regarding flashing these cards that are here in the forum. You might want to take a look at the many other resources also:

Detailed newcomers' guide to crossflashing LSI 9211/9300/9311 HBA and variants
https://www.ixsystems.com/community...shing-lsi-9211-9300-9311-hba-and-variants.54/

Resources:
https://www.ixsystems.com/community/resources/

 

[rwillett]

Chris,

Thanks. I've spent the last hour trying to find the right software to add the ROM image so I can look at the config. I accept that in my case I don't actually need access to the BIOS but I'm annoyed with everybody assuming I don't need it to actually now want it :)

I'll read the guide you provided and see if that has the ROM software I need for the card, mptsas2.rom. The firmware I downloaded doesn't have it in the zip file, well it does but there's lots of different ones and i can't work out whats needed.

It's annoying when I get the chimp on the shoulder :)

Rob

 

[jgreco]

The only advantage of flashing the BIOS is that you can go into the card firmware and configure it

That's simply incorrect. It's very helpful in identifying whether or not everything is up to snuff. When you want to know what the firmware revision is without actually booting into FreeNAS, it tells you. When you want to make sure all your drives are online before you boot up a system that could potentially freak out and start trying "repairs" because a device is offline, it lists that in a safe environment. This is especially important in large environments where you have things like external disk shelves.

 

[Chris Moore]

The firmware I downloaded doesn't have it in the zip

You can go direct to the LSI / Broadcom website:
https://www.broadcom.com/support/kn...mware-on-lsi-sas-hbas-upgraded-firmware-on-92

You can get the firmware directly from their site:
https://docs.broadcom.com/docs/12350530

 

[Mlovelace]

That's simply incorrect. It's very helpful in identifying whether or not everything is up to snuff. When you want to know what the firmware revision is without actually booting into FreeNAS, it tells you. When you want to make sure all your drives are online before you boot up a system that could potentially freak out and start trying "repairs" because a device is offline, it lists that in a safe environment. This is especially important in large environments where you have things like external disk shelves.

This is true. I've caught drives, after a rack move, that were out of position just enough not to be recognized because of the initialize screen on the LSI bios. It's worth the extra 20 seconds of post IMO.

 

[Chris Moore]

This is especially important in large environments where you have things like external disk shelves.

This is true.

It might help with troubleshooting.

 

[jgreco]

This is true. I've caught drives, after a rack move, that were out of position just enough not to be recognized because of the initialize screen on the LSI bios. It's worth the extra 20 seconds of post IMO.

It's that cold shiver you get when, after having run continuously for years, you have to interrupt operations and then it doesn't come back correctly. I am possibly overly paranoid, but having suffered that terrible feeling more often than I'd like, I have a strong tendency to err on the side of caution.

I also have a tendency to pull gear that might have been sidelined for a year or two back into service, and I'm always looking at firmware revisions to see if it jives with what I think it should be, especially for LSI RAID controllers and a few other prickly devices under ESXi...

It's fine with me if Chris Moore or anyone else wants to label me as paranoid. Truth hurts. ;-)

 

[Chris Moore]

It's fine with me if @Chris Moore or anyone else wants to label me as paranoid. Truth hurts. ;-)

"It’s Not Paranoia If They’re Really Out to Get You... "

Something like that. My memory isn't what it once was...

 

[rwillett]

I downloaded a copy of MPTSAS2.ROM from the LSI site you provided and upgraded the H310 card so it now boots with BIOS config settings. It adds about 20 secs so it's nothing in the grand scheme of things.

I did check that the H310 card was setup in IT mode it and it was. So thats nice :)

I now need to get the burn in on the disks done.

Thank you for all the help,

Rob