H!Fiber LSI card supported?

[nasnice]

Hi all,
Just saw this H!Fiber card on ebay...

6Gb/s Internal PCI Express SAS/SATA HBA RAID Controller Card, compatible for LSI 9211-8I Network Adapter Cards(NIC/CNA) - HiFiber.com

<ul> <li>Ethernet Controller(s): LSI SAS 2008</li> <li>Ports: 2x Mini SAS SFF-8087 Ports</li> <li>Ligent Offloads: Yes</li> <li>Bracket Height: Full height and low profile</li> <li>Cabling: Mini SAS SFF-8087</li> </ul>

www.hifiber.com

Any warnings or opinions please...

From what I read it should work.. Not sure about the Firmware though?

 

[jgreco]

You'd need to update the firmware. FreeNAS has very specific requirements.

"Compatible" suggests that this might be a Dell, HP, IBM, etc., card and the steps to flash the firmware on non-retail LSI cards can be a bit tricky. Compatible cards are running $25-$40USD on eBay. Do not buy the ones from China.

 

[nasnice]

Will Freenas "tell" me whether it can use this card, and help with the firmware? Or do I need to hunt for firmwares?

 

[jgreco]

No, FreeNAS is a NAS platform, not a firmware hacking tool. FreeNAS does include the correct tool to update the IT firmware from one IT version to another IT version, but you need more than that for crossflashing (i.e. the process of converting a card from OEM to IT mode). Hacking an OEM LSI card's firmware to no longer appear to be an OEM card with OEM firmware requires a number of files that are probably not strictly supposed to be available to customers, and you need to be able to run the utilities from DOS or UEFI. There are resources available on the forums that will help walk you through the process.

 

[nasnice]

OK Thanks for the info here, I will steer away from this card then... and look for an LSI card that was already crossflashed..

Thanks!