Confirmation please / LSI 9211-i8 flashing to P20

[BlazeStar]

Hi,

I'm about to flash cards.

One is a "INTEL RS2WC080 RAID SAS SATA 8PT WS PCIE CARD" which is the same as a IBM M1015 (rebranded LSI 9211), I had flashed it to P16 previously.
The other one I just bought is a "real" LSI 9211-i8, which came with P18 according the FreeNAS GUI warning.

I just want to get this right so I read around in the forum and I would just like a confirmation that this is right.

On both I can boot in UEFI.

Here are the steps I'm about to take :

1. sas2flash.efi -listall /show the controller and verify the current version
2. sas2flash.efi -o -e 6 / erase the BIOS
3. sas2flash.efi -o -f 2118it.bin -b mptsas2.rom / write the new firmware and BIOS
4. sas2flash.efi -o -sasadd 500605bxxxxxxxxx / add the card, where the XXXX are the numbers on the green sticker of the card
5. sas2flash.efi –listall / verify the updated card
6. Reboot and press Ctrl-C to get into the LSI BIOS and make sure you’re actually in Initiator Target (IT) mode.

QUESTION 1 : Are the above steps correct?

QUESTION 2 : Where the hell can I download the firmware and installer? LSI site is now "AVAGO" and I can't find anything on the new site.

QUESTION 3 : Is there a way to figure out the XXXX number of step 4 without opening the box?
Because the box is in a very inconvenient (yet very secure and well cooled) location.
I'd really enjoy NOT having to go get it ;)
I think I remember from my previous flashing that the sas2flash.efi -listall part will give me this number?

 

[BigDave]

http://www.avagotech.com/
support> support documents and downloads> select product family (click on that box and a drop down opens)
Choose the product type (6Gbs SAS Host Bus Adapters) etc. etc. etc.

 

[BlazeStar]

Alright I found the files, thanks!

What about the rest please?

 

[jgreco]

Actually if the card is already in IT mode, you just need the

sas2flash.efi -o -f 2118it.bin -b mptsas2.rom

or you can even use the built-in sas2flash in FreeNAS. Be sure to shut down, power down, and restart afterwards.

 

[jgreco]

And that specifically means you don't need to worry about reprogramming the SAS address if you are only boinking the firmware between IT versions.

 

[BlazeStar]

Actually if the card is already in IT mode, you just need the

sas2flash.efi -o -f 2118it.bin -b mptsas2.rom

or you can even use the built-in sas2flash in FreeNAS. Be sure to shut down, power down, and restart afterwards.

Very interesting !

1) How can I confirm that the card is in IT mode?

2) How can I use the sas2flash in FreeNAS ? any link to a how-to?


THANKS !

 

[BlazeStar]

So I was researching about this part :

or you can even use the built-in sas2flash in FreeNAS. Be sure to shut down, power down, and restart afterwards.

And I found this in documentation:
https://doc.freenas.org/9.3/freenas_alert.html?highlight=sas2flash

So if I download the firmware, put somewhere on the FreeNAS box and run this from CLI:

Code:

sas2flash -o -f firmwareimagename -b biosname -c controllernumber

It should work?? This one line replaces all the EFI commands in my first post?

And how can I find my controller number?

I tried finding it with " -listall " but here's the result and I don't think the controller number is in there:

Code:

[root@NAS] ~# sas2flash    -listall
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) 

Num   Ctlr            FW Ver        NVDATA        x86-BIOS         PCI Addr
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

0  SAS2008(B2)     16.00.00.00    10.00.00.06    07.27.00.00     00:05:00:00

    Finished Processing Commands Successfully.
    Exiting SAS2Flash.

And that specifically means you don't need to worry about reprogramming the SAS address if you are only boinking the firmware between IT versions.

What about this part, how can i know if I can afford not worrying about that?

One of the cards in one of the box is a brand new LSI 9211-8i... I guess I'll need to reprogram this one right?

 

[depasseg]

look up the sas2flash documentation. there is an upgrade option (it might be -r) which takes all the guesswork out for you.

 

[jgreco]

Controller number, column "Num". Your controller number is zero, which makes sense, as it's the first and only controller.

The complicated set of commands you give in your earlier post looks like dragging a card across from MFI mode. That shouldn't be necessary with an actual 9211, which should already be in IR (I believe) mode. I can't remember if there's a special set of steps to go from IR to IT mode, offhand, but yes, it's supposed to be a lot easier because you're not trying to coerce the hardware into things it wasn't meant to do.

 

[BlazeStar]

Controller number, column "Num". Your controller number is zero, which makes sense, as it's the first and only controller.

The complicated set of commands you give in your earlier post looks like dragging a card across from MFI mode. That shouldn't be necessary with an actual 9211, which should already be in IR (I believe) mode. I can't remember if there's a special set of steps to go from IR to IT mode, offhand, but yes, it's supposed to be a lot easier because you're not trying to coerce the hardware into things it wasn't meant to do.

Thanks very much!!

Just before I flash it, is there a way to verify it's in IT mode? Accessing the card BIOS maybe? Or from CLI?

 

[jgreco]

I usually just look for it in the BIOS during boot, or in the LSI setup menu, it should show "IT" in the firmware revision number. Doubtless there are other ways to tell, but I don't remember them offhand.

 

[cmh]

Reading through the docs that came with the download from BigDave's link, in the SAS2Flash_ReferenceGuide.pdf:

How to verify it's in IT mode? Use the FreeNAS native sas2flash utility to display the info on your controller:

Code:

44-NAS:~$ sudo sas2flash -list
LSI Corporation SAS2 Flash Utility
Version 16.00.00.00 (2013.03.01)
Copyright (c) 2008-2013 LSI Corporation. All rights reserved

    Advanced Mode Set

    Adapter Selected is a LSI SAS: SAS2008(B1)

    Controller Number              : 0
    Controller                     : SAS2008(B1)
    PCI Address                    : 00:02:00:00
    SAS Address                    : 500605b-0-herp-derp
    NVDATA Version (Default)       : 0f.00.00.05
    NVDATA Version (Persistent)    : 0f.00.00.05
    Firmware Product ID            : 0x2213 (IT)
    Firmware Version               : 15.00.00.00
    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.

Here you can see that I need to upgrade to P20 (I'm at P15) and I'm in IT mode - thus the "(IT)" in the Firmware Product ID field.

Also, the doc lists the following command:

Code:

sudo sas2flash -o -f firmwareimagename -b biosname -c controllernumber

But if you're in IT mode already and using the drives connected to the controller as ZFS drives, BIOS isn't necessary so the command is even simpler:

Code:

sudo sas2flash -o -c 0 -f 2118it.bin

The docs also have several other interesting options. To upgrade all the compatible controllers on the system:

Code:

sudo sas2flash -fwall 2118it.bin

To get a copy of the current firmware: (I guess as a backup in case the upgrade goes badly?)

Code:

sudo sas2flash –ufirmware current-firmware.bin

To test if you have the P20 firmware (because reading the output of the -list command is hard or something):

Code:

sudo sas2flash –o –testfw 20.00.04.00

Version based on this post.

 

[BlazeStar]

Very interesting stuff!!

So I tried it on my 2 systems.

Code:

[root@Home-FreeNAS] ~# 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                    : 00:01:00:00
    SAS Address                    : 500605b-0-herp-derp
    NVDATA Version (Default)       : 11.00.00.08
    NVDATA Version (Persistent)    : 11.00.00.08
    Firmware Product ID            : 0x2713 (IR)
    Firmware Version               : 18.00.00.00
    NVDATA Vendor                  : LSI
    NVDATA Product ID              : SAS9211-8i
    BIOS Version                   : 07.35.00.00
    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.

Code:

[root@Work-FreeNAS] ~# 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                    : 00:05:00:00
    SAS Address                    : 500605b-0-werk-derp
    NVDATA Version (Default)       : 10.00.00.06
    NVDATA Version (Persistent)    : 10.00.00.06
    Firmware Product ID            : 0x2213 (IT)
    Firmware Version               : 16.00.00.00
    NVDATA Vendor                  : LSI
    NVDATA Product ID              : SAS9211-8i
    BIOS Version                   : 07.27.00.00
    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.

So one is in IT, the other in IR.

But the way I understand this will allow me to flash my IR one:

Code:

sudo sas2flash -o -f firmwareimagename -b biosname -c controllernumber

And this will allow me to flash my IT one:

Code:

sudo sas2flash -o -c 0 -f 2118it.bin

Man that simplifies everything, you can even get the controller number with this (SAS Address)

THANKS !!

 

[cmh]

From what I was reading last night, I'm not 100% sure the online version will work properly with the IR version, because it sounds like you need to erase the card first, and the sas2flash erase commands don't work online. (that's actually mentioned in the PDF doc I mentioned above, it's not terribly long and worth a peruse) You need to run those from either DOS (bootable USB/floppy/etc) or UEFI. It should work for the one in IT mode, although you wouldn't be able to clear the BIOS. Clearing the BIOS isn't mandatory, but it'll speed up the boot process as you won't be scanning your data disks for drives with boot code. (there shouldn't be any if you're booting from flash)

If you try the online version on the IR-mode card, I would make sure that you've got whatever you need for the offline update ready to go, just in case. Also - my system is a replication target with almost no unique data, so I could afford to be pretty sporty with my upgrade. If your systems - especially the one with the IR mode - are prod, or close to it, you might be best served following CyberJock's ultra-conservative approach, found in this post. If your stuff is prod, or if it's newer, you should probably read the entirety of this thread if you haven't.

Just ran the update on my adapter which is already in IT mode, and it couldn't be much simpler:

Code:

3-NAS:~$ sudo sas2flash -o -fwall 2118it.bin
LSI Corporation SAS2 Flash Utility
Version 16.00.00.00 (2013.03.01)
Copyright (c) 2008-2013 LSI Corporation. All rights reserved

    Ignoring All other commands except for output flags
    Advanced Mode Set

    Attempting to flash firmware to LSI SAS SAS2008(B1)   :

    Executing Operation: Flash Firmware Image

        Firmware Image has a Valid Checksum.
        Firmware Version 20.00.04.00
        Firmware Image compatible with Controller.

        Valid NVDATA Image found.
        NVDATA Version 14.01.00.00
        Checking for a compatible NVData image...

        NVDATA Device ID and Chip Revision match verified.
        NVDATA Versions Compatible.
        Valid Initialization Image verified.
        Valid BootLoader Image verified.

        Beginning Firmware Download...
        Firmware Download Successful.

        Verifying Download...

        Firmware Flash Successful.

        Resetting Adapter...
        Adapter Successfully Reset.

    Finished Processing Commands Successfully.
    Exiting SAS2Flash.

After running this, I queried the adapter and it already showed the 20.00.04.00 code. Saw the same messages in syslog that the card gives during bootup, so the automatic reset after the firmware upgrade definitely worked. Despite not shutting down any services or quiescing any access to the zpool, there were no other errors. Thought about trying to access the storage during the update out of curiosity, but by the time I thought that, the reset was done and the adapter was back online.

I'd be interested to know how it goes for you with the one in IR mode.

 

[Maester_Luwin]

This is an old post but it helped me allot thanks everyone. Update everything appears to be working now with my LSI 9240-8i flash to 9211-8i (IT-Mode) with 2118it.bin, but when I run sas2flsh -list firmware doesn't show IT mode. This may be because I didn't flash the BIOS or because the controller is a SAS2008(B2). I'll report back later to when i learn more.

 

[SCS]

Sorry to jump in here but after having some issues with a Dell H310 I'm trying to flash over to an LSI 9211-8i (IT-Mode) I was curious if I could use the same commands in FreeNAS as mentioned above?

I keep having the system hang while I try to get the SAS Address before wiping, and then flashing the correct firmware without re-adding the BIOS.

If this procedure can be preformed under FreeNAS with the commands listed above that should simplify the process .

 

[Chuck Remes]

@SCS I haven't had great luck with those commands working under freenas. The way that worked best for me was to create a freedos-bootable usb stick (google for "rufus" which runs on windows) and put all of the sas2flash and binaries on there.

Here's a local thread that was most helpful to me when figuring out how to flash the cards. The steps are pretty much the same for 9211-8i as for a 9200-8e so don't get confused on that point.

Instead of using "megarec" utility which isn't always easily available, use sasflash2.exe -o -e 6 to erase the flash ("e 6" is the magic part). https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/crossflash-dell-h200e-to-lsi-9200-8e.41307/

 

[SCS]

I still seem to be having an issue I can wipe the card but the version of 6GBPSAS.FW I have appears to be an IR variant, and SAS2flash.efi -o -c 0 -f 2118it.bin (latest v20) won't allow me to write a it firmware over and IR firmware.

The card is present for -listall, and I am able to flash other IR variant firmware as it only throws this error when I attempt to flash a IT firmware.

http://imgur.com/a/9taFM

 

[Chuck Remes]

I think you need to read through some of the guides. You can't flash IR over IT. You need to first erase the flash and reboot. Then you'll be able to load the IT firmware.

 

[SCS]

This is an old post but it helped me allot thanks everyone. Update everything appears to be working now with my LSI 9240-8i flash to 9211-8i (IT-Mode) with 2118it.bin, but when I run sas2flsh -list firmware doesn't show IT mode. This may be because I didn't flash the BIOS or because the controller is a SAS2008(B2). I'll report back later to when i learn more.

I finally got H310 to flash over (I believe anyway) and it doesn't show an IT Mode anywhere in the screen as well.