FreeNAS LSI controllers overview & discussion Solved: IT mode firmware for LSI megaraid sas 9260-4i?

[devnullius]

I have the Xeon Boards

[ X8DA3 ]

by SuperMicro with an extra 9260-4i 6GB/S SATA+SAS MEGARAID RAID PCI Card (L3-25121-61A). The onboard SAS controllers have a max of 2.2TB/disk. And I bought some 3TB disks... :)

As far as I understand from what I've read, if my disks aren't showing in FreeNAS disk manager, I need a firmware that supports JBOD configuration (to take best out of ZFS)?

I already found http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1158447 and https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...-my-first-freenas-build-and-zfs-and-afp.6309/ and http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums...SAS-Controller-and-IR-IT-Firmware-and-or-JBOD which I either don't fully understand or which are telling me that it can't be done.

Does anyone know better? Do I really have to put that card back on ebay and look for something different? If so, which device would you advice that kinda matches the price of this 9260-4i SAS card.

Appreciated!

devnullius

Post-edit: support requested here too: http://mycusthelp.info/LSI/_cs/CODe...UPJP&ot=0&fid=-1&oi=42HSYihcxH/2hU7xyr1Tsg==# (while this link was offered through 'share' button, it now looks like you need my account to actually read it... Sorry!)

 

[jgreco]

Please see the LSI sticky. It'll tell you the bad news that you have a RAID controller and not an HBA.

 

[jgreco]

https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...out-that-LSI-card?--Join-the-crowd-....11901/

 

[jgreco]

tapatalk sux

 

[devnullius]

Ok, thanks for the confirmation :) I mean: :(

Also got a pretty fast reply from LSI:
LSI Support 2015-12-23 01:15:00 AM

Hi,

Thank You for contacting LSI-Avago Support.



LSI-Avago does not support HBA Firmware on MegaRAID Controllers. This kind of constellation is not supported and we do not encourage customers to do so as you will loose your warranty! Only the MegaRAID SAS 93XX-Xi Series (12GB/s) has the possibility to set JBOD using StorCLI.

Best Regards,

Shahrukh Alam
Technical Support Engineer

LSI – An Avago Technologies Company
Phone International: 00-800-5745-6442
Phone Germany: +49 (0)89 413520123
Email: to tech.support@avagotech.com

I posted this follow up question to them:
Thanks for the confirmation (https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...r-lsi-megaraid-sas-9260-4i.40093/#post-250779). QUESTION that remains: any older (more budget friendly) SAS cards on 6Gb with HBA functions? Regards and happy holidays, whatever they are for you ;-)

I'll do some more research myself now ;-)

Happy holidays!

devnullius

 

[jgreco]

Yeah, read the LSI sticky, the favorite card around here is the IBM ServeRAID M1015. The actual 9211-8i is a little easier to work with since you don't have to go thru as many gyrations to crossflash it to IT, but it is probably twice the price.

 

[devnullius]

Ok... Stretching this thread to the max... I've been googling all afternoon to find my replacement card.

I ended up with these choices:
* Dell PERC H200 Adapter 8-Port 6Gb/s SAS SATA Controller Card (=LSI 9211-8I)
https://techmattr.wordpress.com/2013/08/30/sas-hba-crossflashing-or-flashing-to-it-mode/ (H310 wins over H200)
http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/04/campaigns/dell-raid-controllers ((H310 wins over H200))
* LSI MegaRAID SATA/SAS 9240-4i 6Gb/s PCI-e 2.0 RAID Controller Card
But *NOT* the 9260-4i ;-( BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, THIS MegaRAID *can* be flashed to IT mode (right???). Some sources say no MegaRAID card will support JBOD.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?255635-LSI-MegaRAID-9240-8i-vs-SAS-9211-8i
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/lsi-9240-8i-and-zfs.24478/
* LSI SAS SATA 9211-8i 6Gbps 8 Ports HBA PCI-E
* Dell H310 6Gbps PCI-E 2.0 raid card (=9240-8I, according to seller. BUT https://www.reddit.com/r/freenas/comments/2uoaav/which_sas_controller/ says it's a 9211-8i: I asked reseller for clarification. UPDATE: he insists it's the 9240)
Flashing instructions: http://mywiredhouse.net/blog/flashing-dell-perc-h310-firmware/
* LSI Support advised the 93xx-series... Like the lsi 9300. WOULD IT HAVE ANY ADVANTAGES OVER THE OTHER CARDS?

In general: I think this is a nice overview of affordable available used hardware suitable for FreeNAS when it comes to RAID controllers that support HBA IT Mode Direct Passthrough RAID?

MAIN QUESTION: which of these devices would have the experts' blessings? I'll be using regular non-SSD discs, so caching would be a pro for me ;p

Thanks you all and already best wishes towards 2016! :)

Devnullius


PS: if anyone recognizes a controller that *CAN'T* be flashed or that *WON'T* support >2TB disks... Do let us know too? But I think I catched all problems this time... :)

 

[jgreco]

Pretty much all explained in the LSI sticky, I think. "MegaRAID" is a trade name and doesn't imply jack **** other than that the card is made by LSI.

 

[devnullius]

Ok, I came to the same conclusion concerning "MegaRAID" question.

--> Any differences between these cards I should take into account??
Is a 9240 better than a 9211? The sticky LSI topic is rather old and very very long ;-)

I also found these interesting links, mainly for my own future references:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...card-join-the-crowd.11901/page-17#post-214667 (other LSI controllers)
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...card-join-the-crowd.11901/page-17#post-214811 (P19 OR P16?)
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...card-join-the-crowd.11901/page-17#post-214812 (flashing nuances)

 

[jgreco]

My vague recollection is that the 9240-8i is a fully featured entry level RAID card, the M1015 and friends are typically crippled entry level RAID cards, and I think the 9211-8i does not even have the RAID functionality. But no one around here cares since their fate is always to have the mfi firmware eradicated and get flashed to IT mode, making them all functionally equivalent.

 

[devnullius]

Great answer! I'll repost some more interesting links below. I understand nobody (in FreeNAS) cares. But I do care, kind off... You never know what my next project will be XD

I think now it'll gonna be a 9240 ;-) Though I'll miss the BBU protection http://serverfault.com/questions/114547/what-is-a-raid-controller-bbu-for

https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...and-hba-complete-listing-plus-oem-models.599/

2008 family (think LSI 9240, think IBM M1015)
Affordable cards (used) $70 - $200. IBM M1015 typically sells for around $115.
http://www.servethehome.com/lsi-sas-2008-raid-controller-hba-information/
These should all work with JBOD / Passthrough.

2108 family (9260 / 9261 / 9280 / 9281 / 9282)
Used $250 - $700.
Budget 9260: IBM ServeRAID M5014
http://www.servethehome.com/lsi-sas-2108-raid-controller-information-listing/
JBOD / Passthrough are mentioned but double-check your device first!!

2208 family (think LSI 9265 / 9266 / 9267 / 927x / 9285 / 9286)
Used $300 - $700
Better cards (=newer, better RAID - not better for FreeNAS)
http://www.servethehome.com/lsi-sas-2208-raid-controller-information-listing/
JBOD / Passthrough are mentioned but double-check your device first!!

2308 family (only LSI SAS 9205-8e; works for FreeNAS with JBOD / passthrough / IT Firmware; no internal SAS ports with LSI. HP does offer it)
Best price: $70 - $125 (used)
http://www.servethehome.com/lsi-sas-2308-raid-controller-hba-information-listing/

3082e Family
"budget" - SATA2
http://www.servethehome.com/ibm-serveraid-br10i-lsi-sas3082e-r-pciexpress-sas-raid-controller/

And I thought this was valuable information too: https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/lsi-9211-8i-performance-regular-hdd-ssd.2471/

I hope this helps someone else too... Bookmark?

Peace!

Devnullius


Post-edit(s):
** I almost bought $80 Dell H310 card (9240-based), BUT I found 2 confirmations that it has a serious bug for JBOD when it comes to performance (stuck at 400Mb). Dell confirmed this too - no firmware can fix this. Though 1 user on freenas.org said he had no problems on SSD with 700Mb write speeds...
So sadly I can't take the risks and I'll have to buy a more expensive LSI 9240... I know, I could go cheaper. But for long term usage... I really like the RAID 5 features! And it's LSI... ;p
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/dell-perc-h710p-and-zfs.21857/
** I thought this card should be awesome for FreeNAS too. No RAID, just BOD ànd optimized for SSD disks...! http://www.ebay.nl/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=46M0912+&_sacat=0

 

[Ericloewe]

2108 family (9260 / 9261 / 9280 / 9281 / 9282)
Used $250 - $700.
Budget 9260: IBM ServeRAID M5014
http://www.servethehome.com/lsi-sas-2108-raid-controller-information-listing/
JBOD / Passthrough are mentioned but double-check your device first!!

2208 family (think LSI 9265 / 9266 / 9267 / 927x / 9285 / 9286)
Used $300 - $700
Better cards (=newer, better RAID - not better for FreeNAS)
http://www.servethehome.com/lsi-sas-2208-raid-controller-information-listing/
JBOD / Passthrough are mentioned but double-check your device first!!

Those can't be flashed to IT mode, so avoid them.

2308 family (only LSI SAS 9205-8e; works for FreeNAS with JBOD / passthrough / IT Firmware; no internal SAS ports with LSI. HP does offer it)
Best price: $70 - $125 (used)
http://www.servethehome.com/lsi-sas-2308-raid-controller-hba-information-listing/

Also the LSI SAS 9207.

Though I'll miss the BBU protection http://serverfault.com/questions/114547/what-is-a-raid-controller-bbu-for

No you won't. At least not if you'd be using it with FreeNAS. As long as you're not doing some very Grinchy things, like using a RAID controller's cache as an SLOG.

I almost bought $80 Dell H310 card (9240-based), BUT I found 2 confirmations that it has a serious bug for JBOD when it comes to performance (stuck at 400Mb). Dell confirmed this too - no firmware can fix this.

No firmware of theirs that keeps RAID working, most likely. Crossflashed, there's no obvious reason why it should be slower.

But for long term usage... I really like the RAID 5 features!

Hopefully not for FreeNAS...

 

[devnullius]

Great feedback!

I almost bought $80 Dell H310 card (9240-based), BUT I found 2 confirmations that it has a serious bug for JBOD when it comes to performance (stuck at 400Mb). Dell confirmed this too - no firmware can fix this.

No firmware of theirs that keeps RAID working, most likely. Crossflashed, there's no obvious reason why it should be slower.

:) found this link: http://en.community.dell.com/support-forums/servers/f/906/t/19480834 . Can't find the comment of the freenas user branding this card as rubbish, but it was there.

RAID 5 is not for FreeNAS. But just 'to have' for the long run.

And I won't ask about SLOG... No idea, for real XD

Peace!

Devnullius

 

[jgreco]

I'm not aware of any issues with the H310 and we have some around here, in use, even.

 

[devnullius]

Have you measured the throughput? I have to go with what I learn here and find on the internet... Card is a lot cheaper than a real LSI 9240-8i (about 30% cheaper), so it was my first choice. Still haven't ordered though... : )

I did find that other link: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/dell-perc-h710p-and-zfs.21857/

Devnullius


Post-edit(s) :
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/perc-h710.12562/
But: https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/dell-h200-recommendations.38825/#post-237335

 

[jgreco]

For only a 30% discount, it isn't worth the headaches.

 

[devnullius]

Hmmm... Looks like I found fake / cloned / 'OEM' "LSI" controller cards on ebay, all from China :/ Some don't reply, others confirmed they were 'OEM' or 'original chips with different circuit'. They give warranty and all, but testing RAID will be some time. So I don't want to gamble on it. Unless anyone had positive experiences with these 'China' cards, I'll have to continue looking... Yes, money is a matter of importance : (

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-LSI-Meg...00-Server-RAID-Controller-Card-/191716257133?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-LSI-Meg...D-Controller-IBM-M1015-46M0861-/291419512104?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cable-LSI-M...8-port-PCI-Express-6G-SATA-SAS-/151840490025?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CABLE-LSI-S...ort-PCI-e-RAID-Controller-Card-/161816109691?

I must admit I'm a bit surprised LSI didn't respond (yet) and that ebay allows selling fake brands... I expected better, even when the resellers are honest about it after you ask...

Devvie

 

[jgreco]

Why would LSI give a crap? LSI's business model is selling gear direct to OEM's, or in retail box, to enterprises and large businesses. While some of us in the business community are cheapskates and will happily acquire off of eBay where it makes sense, generally speaking we understand the risks and what to look out for.