Heads-up: Fake Intel i350 GbE adapters in the wild

[jgreco]

I'd chose B) but in the mean time I have a bricked product and if it's part of something important, like my business for example, I have downtime.

So, am I reading your answer correctly when I interpret this to mean that you feel it is fine to steal something if it means business continuity for you?

I don't want to put words that you didn't mean into your mouth here, so feel free to correct me.

No problem, as long as it doesn't brick my chassis if it doesn't match.

Since it's already installed, and it is refusing to run (whether intentionally or not), it is effectively bricked.

 

[Bidule0hm]

So, am I reading your answer correctly when I interpret this to mean that you feel it is fine to steal something if it means business continuity for you?

I don't want to put words that you didn't mean into your mouth here, so feel free to correct me.

No, I said I wasn't even aware that there was a counterfeit chip in the product I purchased so now I know just let me some time to correct this problem and don't instant brick my product.

Since it's already installed, and it is refusing to run (whether intentionally or not), it is effectively bricked.

It is not bricked because you can put another OS and run it without a problem.

 

[jgreco]

No, I said I wasn't even aware that there was a counterfeit chip in the product I purchased so now I know just let me some time to correct this problem and don't instant brick my product.

So you feel it is fine to be able to continue to use your counterfeit product in the meantime, is what you're saying?

It is not bricked because you can put another OS and run it without a problem.

And what other OS will allow you access to your TrueNAS pool, with replication features and all that?

 

[Bidule0hm]

Yep, a few days/weeks will not make a difference for the maker if you've used it for months/years before that... But that's why I use open source and free software for everything I can, it's worth it just to avoid these problems.

Ah, didn't think you had data on it. Then I'd say it's ok if you warn before doing the update that you'll not able to access the data after the update if the server is fake one.

 

[jgreco]

Yep, a few days/weeks will not make a difference for the maker if you've used it for months/years before that... But that's why I use open source and free software for everything I can, it's worth it just to avoid these problems.

As a software developer, I find the general attitude here offensive. I definitely read this as "it's okay to keep stealing because I didn't know at first".

If you're dead set on theft and use of FTDI's intellectual property, it is absolutely trivial to undo what they changed, and in fact people are doing so. http://hackaday.com/2015/02/08/unbricking-a-counterfeit-ftdi-chip/

The problem here is that you're still making illicit use of something you never paid for.

Ah, didn't think you had data on it.

For what purpose would you buy a (unknown-to-you counterfeit) TrueNAS server, wait a few months, get a firmware update from iX, and not actually bother to have put any data on the server in the meantime? *confused*

Then I'd say it's ok if you warn before doing the update that you'll not able to access the data after the update if the server is fake one.

So why aren't they doing that warning now? Because I can ABSOLUTELY build and ship TrueNAS clones. I'm just not willing to pirate some other developer's hard work that they're selling for a living.

 

[Bidule0hm]

The tool to unbrick it took several days (weeks?) to be released so before that there was a manual method (certainly not for the average user) and in the first few days there was just nothing to unbrick the chip.

Yes, I know it's border line but what else you can do if you really need the product?

For what purpose would you buy a (unknown-to-you counterfeit) TrueNAS server, wait a few months, get a firmware update from iX, and not actually bother to have put any data on the server in the meantime? *confused*

Misread, sorry.

 

[jgreco]

Yes, I know it's border line but what else you can do if you really need the product?

Well, that's a fair question. I think the answer is that you have to be prepared to own the problem.

Quite frankly, I've got a bin half full of fake Prolific PL2303's somewhere around here. We got them WAAAAAAYYYYY back in the day back when I was outfitting staff with WinXP laptops back in ~2006-2007. The new laptops didn't have serial ports and as a networking/server/etc company we're often hooking up to serial ports. I was specifically looking for something without a cable so I picked up something that are probably either the predecessor to these or were in fact these. They were just a little more expensive at the time So they worked great for many years, but in 2013 we refreshed into Win8 laptops, and they stopped working. Then I found out about the whole fake-Prolific thing while trying to figure out why they didn't work. I didn't blame Prolific. I didn't expect Prolific to make these work. I chalked it up to bad luck and the ones in the bin will probably be discarded as soon as someone here actually figures out that they're effectively useless. We have new (Prolific I think?) USB-RS232 adapters now. Life goes on.

Similarly, I didn't blame Intel or expect Intel to make fake Intel ethernet cards purchased through NewEgg work. NewEgg (sucks eggs) refused to allow us to return them because it had been a few months, but that's what happens when you need to deploy kit in a data center half a continent away. I can't justify a thousand dollar trip out just to collect fake cards.

 

[Bidule0hm]

I think the general conclusion is don't update if it's not broken because the update might just break it :)

 

[jgreco]

I thought the general conclusion was that counterfeiters should be slowly roasted atop a pile of their products, set on fire.

 

[Bidule0hm]

Yes, that too :)

 

[AliceWonderMiscreations]

Thank you for posting this. While not the same model of the card shown, I just bought a "refurb" Intel quad port that was an incredible deal, I was scared, but looking at some of the diagnostics shown (like the Delta lettering) it looks like my card is in fact genuine.

 

[jgreco]

"Refurb" can mean all sorts of things, including "we parts'ed up a server and blew the card off with some compressed air," which means the card is probably just dandy.

 

[AliceWonderMiscreations]

It came from a Newegg seller (but not newegg) who has a good reputation. There are two other cards listed there by other sellers that don't claim to be Intel but claim to be "compatible replacements" but the pictures show the fake delta chips. I notified newegg.

 

[LimeCrusher]

Apparently, the fakes are still available on the market.
BUYERS BEWARE!

 

[jgreco]

Don't expect the fakes to go away.