SOLVED Avoid flashing of SAS card?

[QWeelon]

Hello World!

I'm fairly new to the TrueNAS scene after running raid disks in windows. Consider me an idiot when it comes to Linux, DOS or general coding, I just want something that works with minimal maintenance.

I've got my rig up and running now with 4 disk connected to the motherboard and is now in need of increasing the amount of available SATA ports to connect the remaining drives. I've been looking into using a SAS card, namely the LSI SAS9211 8i controller card as I've seen many post recommending it for similar setups. The concern I see here is regarding possible need for flashing of the card to get it in IT mode.

I see a risk here as it's not really straightforward for me how to proceed with, even with a Guide there seems to be possible risks and problems. Preferably, I would like to avoid this procedure and as far as I've understood the card might be working without flashing to IT mode or it might even be in IT mode from the start.

What I'm wondering is,

• How do I determine, preferably through TrueNAS WebGUI, if the controller card is in IT mode and what version it is running?
• Are there any other recommended SAS HBA cards where flashing isn't needed?
• Are there any other options that might be worth looking into? Would a regular sata controller card work, any recommendations?

 

[jgreco]

there seems to be possible risks and problems.

Yes. We've done dozens, maybe hundreds, here in the shop over the years. It's a bit of a PITA, even when you have all the right toolsets available.

might be working without flashing to IT mode

You don't want that. You are then afoul of issues mentioned in

What's all the noise about HBAs, and why can't I use a RAID controller?

1) An HBA is a Host Bus Adapter. This is a controller that allows SAS and SATA devices to be attached to, and communicate directly with, a server. RAID controllers typically aggregate several disks into a Virtual Disk abstraction of some sort...

www.truenas.com

because if it isn't in IT/IR mode, then it's in MFI RAID mode.

preferably through TrueNAS WebGUI, if the controller card is in IT mode and what version it is running

The GUI will not warn you if it isn't in IT mode. iXsystems has been reluctant to warn people away from using RAID controllers and uncommon HBA's for FreeNAS, which is unfortunate, since most of them don't work well. The GUI will warn you if it is in IT mode with significantly outdated firmware, because this can cause problems and potentially even corruption.

From the command line, you can run sas2flash or sas2ircu to identify the firmware.

Code:

# sas2flash -list
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                    : 00:03:00:00
        SAS Address                    : 590b11c-0-138c-dd00
        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                   : 07.31.00.00
        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.
#

IT mode, 20.00.07.00, good to go.

other recommended SAS HBA cards where flashing isn't needed?

No. However, you can definitely get cards pre-flashed on eBay. There are a number of vendors who charge a few extra bucks for this. I am not endorsing any of them, since over here we just buy raw HBA's and flash them, but there's an eBay seller, "Art of Server" IIRC, who many forum participants have reported positive experiences with. Searching the forum to research this is left as an exercise for the reader. These cards will typically claim to be "FreeNAS" and "ZFS" compatible.

Some random eBay buying wisdom:

Hardware Buying Guide - some tips for not getting ripped off

jgreco submitted a new resource: Hardware Buying Guide - some tips for not getting ripped off - Buying used gear means you can get amazing stuff for a fraction of its original value I've been giving this information out piecemeal for years, and should maybe have it summarized in one place...

www.truenas.com

Would a regular sata controller card work, any recommendations?

This is generally problematic, because there is so much crap-grade PC hardware out there. Please do read the following resource:

Multiply your problems with SATA Port Multipliers and cheap SATA controllers

In the last year or two, we've had a resurgence of users asking about SATA Port Multipliers and cheap SATA controllers. Please, do NOT use port multipliers, and use cheap SATA controllers only after extensive research. SATA controllers and SATA...

www.truenas.com

and listen carefully when I say:

If you find a supported chipset that is NOT a knockoff chipset, made by a major manufacturer, does not contain a SATA PM, and has sufficient PCIe capacity, it's got a good chance of working, but you'll still be limited to just a few extra ports.

 

[QWeelon]

Wow, I couldn't had asked for a better and more thorough reply, thank you very much for your time and effort!

From the command line, you can run sas2flash or sas2ircu to identify the firmware.

Is # sas2flash -list the input? As I said, I'm very new to this! :)

No. However, you can definitely get cards pre-flashed on eBay. There are a number of vendors who charge a few extra bucks for this. I am not endorsing any of them, since over here we just buy raw HBA's and flash them, but there's an eBay seller, "Art of Server" IIRC, who many forum participants have reported positive experiences with. Searching the forum to research this is left as an exercise for the reader. These cards will typically claim to be "FreeNAS" and "ZFS" compatible.

This. Just the tip I needed. Was reluctant to buy the card from ebay at first but will most likely get i from this seller, especially after a 5 min forum search. Thanks.

Thanks again for a solid answer!

 

[jgreco]

thorough reply, thank you very much for your time and effort!

Well, most questions have been asked and answered before, but there's an overwhelming amount of stuff to know, especially with fiddly stuff like needing magic firmware on cards that don't normally take it. You may notice that I spend a lot of time shoving linked articles at people. Indeed, a lot of time and effort has been put into those. It makes it soooo much easier when people bother to read them.

sas2flash -list

If you go to the GUI, go to "Shell", and at the prompt, type "sas2flash -list"...

The "#" sign is a classic way to denote a root prompt on a UNIX system, so the entire like "# sas2flash -list" is an old-timer's notation for "type 'sas2flash -list' at a root prompt".

will most likely get i from this seller, especially after a 5 min forum search.

Not an endorsement, but numerous positive mentions of this particular seller over the past few years, including where people have had trouble, bad cards, incompatible mainboards, ... well... as someone who also buys, flashes, and sells these to my clients, I've been kinda impressed because I understand the relatively small profit margin and the sheer amount of work and risk involved in eBay sales of this sort of thing. I suppose if I had a hundred of these purchased in bulk and assembly-line crossflashed, I could make good beer money selling them too.

 

[QWeelon]

I figured a similar question had been asked already, but I wasn't quite able to find the answers I was looking for. Linking or writing, I'm still very grateful that you took your time to help! :)

I've ordered the card now, the shipping and import fees cost about as much as the card itself :S - but it's still a no brainer for me if I can reduce the risk and hair-pulling to get it working.

Card ordered:
Dell H310 6Gbps SAS HBA w/ LSI 9211-8i P20 IT Mode for ZFS FreeNAS unRAID

Now all that remains is a pair of cables, anything I should consider? I'm looking in the buying these from DeLock.

Once again, thank you very much - and a happy new year! :)

 

[QWeelon]

Well, most questions have been asked and answered before, but there's an overwhelming amount of stuff to know, especially with fiddly stuff like needing magic firmware on cards that don't normally take it. You may notice that I spend a lot of time shoving linked articles at people. Indeed, a lot of time and effort has been put into those. It makes it soooo much easier when people bother to read them.



If you go to the GUI, go to "Shell", and at the prompt, type "sas2flash -list"...

The "#" sign is a classic way to denote a root prompt on a UNIX system, so the entire like "# sas2flash -list" is an old-timer's notation for "type 'sas2flash -list' at a root prompt".



Not an endorsement, but numerous positive mentions of this particular seller over the past few years, including where people have had trouble, bad cards, incompatible mainboards, ... well... as someone who also buys, flashes, and sells these to my clients, I've been kinda impressed because I understand the relatively small profit margin and the sheer amount of work and risk involved in eBay sales of this sort of thing. I suppose if I had a hundred of these purchased in bulk and assembly-line crossflashed, I could make good beer money selling them too.

Just installed my new card, everything works like a charm so far!

Thanks for your help! :)