HBA Card Firmware

[Fastline]

Hello guys,

So, i recently got LSI 9400-16i and i went to download the firmware for updating it.

When extracting the firmware package, i see the following:

For the main firmware, i guess the Mixed Profile is for those who want to run SAS/SATA (HDD/SSD) + NVMe (U.2) and the SAS_SATA Profile is for those who want to only run SAS/SATA (HDD/SSD) device. Is that correct?

For the BIOS, i see mpt35sas_legacy.rom. What is legacy here? I thought the card is pure UEFI based. Or the Legacy name here indicates that the product is moved to legacy as newer technology is introduced.

Coming to the SAS firmware, i see IT_ARM and IT_X64. I'm not sure whether i need to flash the ARM or X64.

Also, i noticed that since LSI 93XX HBA Card, there is only IT mode firmware available till 96XX. Whereas, previously both IT and IR firmware packages were available. Is it because the Megaraid is a dedicated Hardware RAID Card and only that has the IR mode firmware available?

Also, what's the catch? Broadcom still has 9305 in their active product list but 94XX has been shifted to legacy product.

 

[danb35]

I'm not sure whether i need to flash the ARM or X64.

You aren't running TrueNAS on ARM, so that narrows your options to one.

 

[Fastline]

You aren't running TrueNAS on ARM, so that narrows your options to one.

Thank you for clarifying that. I was thinking the same.

Could you answer the first question though?

For the main firmware, i guess the Mixed Profile is for those who want to run SAS/SATA (HDD/SSD) + NVMe (U.2) and the SAS_SATA Profile is for those who want to only run SAS/SATA (HDD/SSD) device. Is that correct?

 

[danb35]

No clue. I continue to see zero benefit to the tri-mode HBAs, so haven't paid much attention to them.

 

[Fastline]

No clue. I continue to see zero benefit to the tri-mode HBAs, so haven't paid much attention to them.

Hmm. I see

I think i need to flash SAS_SATA Profile as i do not plan to use NVMe. I would prefer PLX Card for the NVMe.

 

[nabsltd]

For the BIOS, i see mpt35sas_legacy.rom. What is legacy here? I thought the card is pure UEFI based. Or the Legacy name here indicates that the product is moved to legacy as newer technology is introduced.

Coming to the SAS firmware, i see IT_ARM and IT_X64. I'm not sure whether i need to flash the ARM or X64.

You want to flash the firmware plus both legacy and IT_X64 BIOS. Some motherboards can be set to pick the BIOS to load (per slot, per card type, etc.), and it doesn't have to match how you boot (CSM or UEFI).

I don't have a 94xx card, but for a 93xx card, the command line would be (assuming all files are in the same directory):

Code:

sas3flash -o -f HBA_9400-16i_SAS_SATA_Profile.bin -b mpt35sas_legacy.rom -b mpt35sas_x64.rom

 

[Fastline]

You want to flash the firmware plus both legacy and IT_X64 BIOS. Some motherboards can be set to pick the BIOS to load (per slot, per card type, etc.), and it doesn't have to match how you boot (CSM or UEFI).

Makes sense!

I don't have a 94xx card, but for a 93xx card, the command line would be (assuming all files are in the same directory):

Thanks for the code man. Really appreciate that.

Any clue why these newer cards don't have IR firmware included? Although, i do need only IT mode for TrueNAS but was curious.

 

[Ericloewe]

I can't actually think of a compelling reason to flash the legacy BIOS OpROM. It's 2024, CSM causes more problems than it ever solved, and Real Mode needs to die in a fire already.

Also, what's the catch? Broadcom still has 9305 in their active product list but 94XX has been shifted to legacy product.

That's curious, the SAS3008 has been discontinued for a while, so much so that Dell went out of their way to release a new HBA in their proprietary Gen 13/14/15 format that uses the SAS3808 instead. Maybe they have a specific customer with a long-term deal, or maybe it's just a bureaucratic oversight.
The 9305 is not a great card, because it's two SAS3008s and a PCIe switch in a trenchcoat. That means a lot of extra power for a measly extra 8 lanes.

 

[Fastline]

I can't actually think of a compelling reason to flash the legacy BIOS OpROM. It's 2024, CSM causes more problems than it ever solved, and Real Mode needs to die in a fire already.

So, flashing the legacy BIOS is optional for the LSI HBA cards which supports UEFI mode?

That's curious, the SAS3008 has been discontinued for a while, so much so that Dell went out of their way to release a new HBA in their proprietary Gen 13/14/15 format that uses the SAS3808 instead. Maybe they have a specific customer with a long-term deal, or maybe it's just a bureaucratic oversight.

Well, i think it is because the Megaraid is a dedicated Hardware RAID Card and only that has the IR mode firmware available. Could that be the reason?

The 9305 is not a great card, because it's two SAS3008s and a PCIe switch in a trenchcoat. That means a lot of extra power for a measly extra 8 lanes.

Yes, yes. Some great guy on this forum shared that information to me :)

 

[Ericloewe]

Well, i think it is because the Megaraid is a dedicated Hardware RAID Card and only that has the IR mode firmware available. Could that be the reason?

Not super likely, it's more likely that simply nobody cared about IR.

 

[Fastline]

Not super likely, it's more likely that simply nobody cared about IR.

Hmm, i see. Anyways, we need IT mode. xD

So, i guess i only need to flash these two files right?
HBA_9400-16i_SAS_SATA_Profile.bin
mpt35sas_x64.rom (from UEFI directory)

Also, i noticed that from the UEFI directory, the mpt35sas_x64.rom is also under the Signed directory. So the in the UEFI root directory, is it unsigned version?

 

[Ericloewe]

You need the signed OpROM if you'll be using secure boot. Doesn't make a difference if you don't, in theory.

 

[Etorix]

he 9305 is not a great card, because it's two SAS3008s and a PCIe switch in a trenchcoat.

Isn't that the 9300-16i (two 9300-8i and a switch on the same card), while the 9305 is a single controller?

 

[mrpasc]

The 9305 is not a great card, because it's two SAS3008s and a PCIe switch in a trenchcoat. That means a lot of extra power for a measly extra 8 lanes.

I think that is true for the 9300-16i.
9305-16i/e (as well as -24i/e) is single chip.

 

[Ericloewe]

Oh, you're right, SAS3216, which must've launched after the SAS3008. So I guess there's your answer, fishbulb. They're using a different controller, probably made on some cheap node they can continue to pump out for a while longer.

 

[Fastline]

You need the signed OpROM if you'll be using secure boot. Doesn't make a difference if you don't, in theory.

Cool cool!

 

[Fastline]

What about the newer 95XX and 96XX HBA Cards?

Are they supported on TrueNAS Core/Scale? Some of them are 24Gb/s

 

[Ericloewe]

9500 cards are, but they confer zero real benefit. Unless you're a Broadcom shareholder. The only advantage is they're still in production.

Some of them are 24Gb/s

What for? A single -8i card can easily handle a whole chassis full of disks, and more. If you want SSDs, NVMe all the way.

 

[Fastline]

9500 cards are, but they confer zero real benefit. Unless you're a Broadcom shareholder. The only advantage is they're still in production.

Hahaha. You have got a valid point.

What for? A single -8i card can easily handle a whole chassis full of disks, and more. If you want SSDs, NVMe all the way.

For the U.2/U.3 and M.2, i would prefer the PLX Cards instead of these Tri Mode adapters. Isn't that preferred choice?

 

[Ericloewe]

Not strictly PLX (they're fine, but they were bough by Broadcom/Avago around the same time LSI was and PCIe switch prices shot up up up following that), but yeah, PCIe switches are the way to go.