SOLVED LSI 9207-8i can I erase JUST the bios & leave the FW?

Status
Not open for further replies.

BigDave

FreeNAS Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
2,479
I want to speed up the boot time on my test server by getting rid of the bios part of the HBA's boot process.
The HBA has the IT mode 20.00.07.00 firmware on it and I'm hoping to avoid re-flashing the entire firmware.

Also, I've not been able to find the UEFI version containing the 20.00.07.00 firmware, does anyone have a link?

Thanks, Dave
 

Redcoat

MVP
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Messages
2,924
Is what you want linked at the bottom of this page?
 

BigDave

FreeNAS Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
2,479
Is what you want linked at the bottom of this page?
I appreciate the effort @Redcoat, but I think that file has the 20.00.00.00 FW version :(
I'm continuing to search...
I thought I saved a copy to my desktop machine, but can't seem to find it :confused:
 

Redcoat

MVP
Joined
Feb 18, 2014
Messages
2,924
Ah, sorry 'bout that. Interestingly enough, only thing I can see is 07 for windoze, not for FreeBSD.
 

BigDave

FreeNAS Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 6, 2013
Messages
2,479
Problem solved! Warning, use this information at your own risk!
At the Broadcom website, I found the download of Package_P20_Firmware_BIOS_for_MSDOS_Windows
This is the listed firmware/bios for 20.00.07.00 version. Within the zip file is a pdf file called,
SAS2Flash_ReferenceGuide.pdf AND within that file is found the means to erase just the bios section of the
flash chip. Here's a screen shot below.
erase.JPG

Here are the steps I followed to erase JUST THE BIOS ftom my HBA so it would take much less time to boot up. Please note: the steps below were completed through the IPMI remote console of the server containing the HBA involved.
  1. Shut down your FreeNAS machine and unplug the power cord.
  2. Open your case or chassis and remove the SAS cable from your HBA card.
  3. Plug the power back in and boot your server entering the BIOS utility screen
  4. Go to the boot section and set the first boot to the UEFI shell and restart.
  5. From the SHELL> prompt, type in this command sas2flash -list save the results of this output by your preferred method.
  6. From the SHELL> prompt, type in this command sas2flash -o -e 5 to erase the boot services area of the flash chip.
  7. And one last time, type in sas2flash -list and verify the Bios Version now reads N/A
  8. Type exit @ the SHELL> prompt and power down your server, plug the SAS cable back into the
HBA and return your machine to normal operation. Your machine should now boot much faster.:D

Please let me know if changes can make the process more clear and concise. Dave
 

Borja Marcos

Contributor
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
125
I have done that myself to LSI2008 cards to be installed on some IBM servers. Otherwise the servers froze when booting.

Once I deleted the BIOS from the cards my problems disappeared. Both the Free{BSD,NAS} driver and the card firmware perform any initialization needed.

And anyway you can always rewrite it in case you need it in the future.
 

Chris Moore

Hall of Famer
Joined
May 2, 2015
Messages
10,080
Thanks, that's good to know. This question came up a week or two ago, from another source.
I will need to keep a link to this.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top