Home server not POSTing when SAS HBA is installed

[carmisergio]

I have just acquired 3 Seagate IronWolf 8TB drives and a Dell PERC H310 SAS HBA (It was relatively easy to get my hands on) as an upgrade to my small home server (full parts list below). Before the upgrade, the server had already been online for about a year and a half, running a few VMs under Proxmox VE without any problems, so I decided to virtualize TrueNAS under Proxmox, even if it's not the recommended configuration. I installed the Dell H310, followed all the necessary steps to enable PCIe passthrough and everything worked flawlessly: the three drives showed up in the TrueNAS interface as intended and, after creating a pool in a RaidZ2 configuration, I was getting extremely good speeds out of the array. After roughly a week after the installation, I noticed the host system was reporting only half of the installed ram (only 1 of the two 16GB sticks was recognized), so I shut down the machine and moved it to my workbench to reseat the memory, thinking I had put it in wrong when I cleaned the server to install the new drives. This brings me to the current situation: when I try to power the machine on with the Dell H310 installed, the system won't give any sort of video output, and the fans spin at 100% continuously. Sometimes it will even reset randomly. When I remove the card from the PCIe slot everything works as normal, with the whole 32GB of ram being recognized. I have tried everything: clearing the CMOS, setting the PCIe interface to 2.0, upgrading the BIOS, but nothing solved my problem. Anyone has any idea of some other troubleshooting methods I haven't thought of or if I should just attribute the issue to a bad card (maybe due to overheating, the extra 40mm fan I have bought specifically to cool the SAS controller down hadn't arrived at the time)? Thank you all in advance!

Parts list
Original parts

• Motherboard: Gigabyte b354m ds3h
• CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K
• Ram: Gskill Ageis 32GB (2x16GB) Kit @ 3200Mhz
• Boot drive: Corsair MP510 480GB
• NVR drive: WD Purple 3TB
• Case & PSU: (I don't remember the exact make and model but I got them both from servercase.co.uk)

Upgrade

• (3x) Seagate IronWolf NAS 8TB drives
• Dell PERC H310 SAS HBA

(Yes, I know most, if not all of these parts are not meant to run 24/7 in a server application, but this being just a home server they do just fine)
(One last thing, I am sorry if my English wasn't the best, but as you might have picked up on it's not my first language)

 

[Spearfoot]

The Dell H310 has an odd quirk: some systems won't boot unless PCIe pins B5 and B6 are covered, see this link for details:

Updated: SAS HBA crossflashing or flashing to IT mode, Dell Perc H200 and H310

Default firmware for this guide is: 2118it.bin Version 20.00.07.00 Release date: 11-FEB-16 WARNING: If you have an Integrated, Mini or Mini Mono Perc H310 do NOT try to crossflash with these steps.…

techmattr.wordpress.com

PS: Your English is excellent!

 

[carmisergio]

I'd like to begin by thanking you for your quick and helpful reply. I have tried the tape trick and it completely solved my problem! Now I'm left wondering why it worked for a week before, the only thing I was able to think of is that maybe the contacts of the PCIe slot were a bit oxidated and didn't make contact with those two pins but when I reseated the card to troubleshoot the ram they cleaned up, making the system not boot.

Thank you again!

 

[Spearfoot]

I'd like to begin by thanking you for your quick and helpful reply. I have tried the tape trick and it completely solved my problem! Now I'm left wondering why it worked for a week before, the only thing I was able to think of is that maybe the contacts of the PCIe slot were a bit oxidated and didn't make contact with those two pins but when I reseated the card to troubleshoot the ram they cleaned up, making the system not boot.

Thank you again!

You're very welcome! Glad we were able to get you up and going.