LSI 9265-8i problems

[pablocool 0]

Hello

I have problem with LSI 9265-8i. I updated firmware from the last owner of LSI - Broadcom site

https://www.broadcom.com/products/storage/raid-controllers/megaraid-sas-9266-8i

With latest firmware windows noted in windows manager that device is not working. Linux also issued such message on lspci command. I found last working firmware to be 23.18.0.0014. But even with the oldest available 23.7.0-0031 I have many problems with this controller.

First of all I have no RAID-6 capability. Also Largest stripe size I can set is 64KB. I need 256KB which as I tested on lsi 9260 to be optimal. And finally when testing it turnes out that LSI 9265-8i is way slower than 9260-8i.

See my tests with old 8x256GB drives with RAID0 and RAID5 configurations on both LSI 9265-8i and Intel RS2BL080 aka 9260-8i:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/po4kmuzyetdn1zg/AABPHw-Zopnvl5ltPfE55T69a?dl=0

What is also strange to write new firmware I need to use megarec tool. Megacli and sas2flsh say that there is no LSI controller. Maybe SBR is broken?

I cannot find SBR for 2208 SOC LSI. Maybe someone could share? Also I mostly count on mobilenvidia as you use as far as I know M5016 which is IBM oem of 9265. Probably you have much experience and could share fw you use and/or SBR :)

 

Thanks in advance

and all the best in new 2017 for all raid enthusiasts

 

[mobilenvidia 0]

Luckily I still use my M5016 = LSI9266, running 23.18.0014, all is good for me
I haven't played with SBR at all on this card, leaving it a M5016, so could only offer you the IBM one, no cachecade etc
Not even payed with any settings for years, just leave RAID5 array alone, it just works year after year

Your card is definitely a LSI 9265 ?
Can't see any reason to crossflash a LSI card to anything else as you gain nothng but loose function

I use Megaraid SW manager to update the M5016 via Win10
Not booted to DOS for quite some time.

But Megarec is your friend here, there is a newer version than the usual version used that can work with SAS2208

If you want my SBR reply back and i'll see if I can get back into DOS boot to grab it

[pablocool 0]

Sometimes it is hard to say from the first sight if it is pure LSI or OEM. Have a look

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1yce0lqzbwcssjl/lsi9265.jpg?dl=0

take a look also at a brief

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ovz8gxvfcs5cpwi/lsiMR9265-8i-ds.jpg?dl=0

it says that it supports RAID5 and 6 without any keys also stripe size is 1MB largest.

Does M5016 support RAID6 ? What is stripe size you use?

I would appreciate SBR from M5016, I would like to test it. Thank you!

[mobilenvidia 0]

I'll get some stuff together to have a closer look at the M5016 and get you the SBR
Not done any of this stuff for ages.

I'm pretty sure I've got  1MB stripe, as its a backup drive for media files
Yes the M5016 does RAID6 and 60, did run it for a while but bit of a waste loosing 2x drives as redundency
Never even had any drive in the 6x2TB RAID5 array fail (yet), been going for years.

 

I see the daughterboard with the Cache on it had a sticker that's been removed, not seen a 9265 with a sticker there
Could your cache be bad ?
No cache = RAID 5 but slow, probably no RAID 6
What happens when you take it off ?

[mobilenvidia 0]

SBR attached

Megarec (newer version that recognises sas2208), use this to cleanflash card
txt file has list of comands

Piccy of how my array specs.
Actually using RAID6, oh it's been so long that I looked at it

M5016.SBR

Megarec.zip

[pablocool 0]

There is sticker on bottom photo saying "MR SAS 9265-8i". Failed cache is good trail. I will take a look after work. I recall that I couldnt see in MSM any information about cache size.

Regarding RAID5/6 I agree one disk sacriface for RAID6 is sad but currently with such disk sizes 2,3,4,5,6 TB RAID5 is obsolete. Having RAID5 when one disk fails there is ~7% of probability that second will fail during array rebuild as rest of disk have much more stress then. Consider this :)

I will take off cache and come with results. Thanks for interests

[pablocool 0]

Thanks for screenshot. Can you check if you have info about 1GB cache somewhere there in MSM?

[mobilenvidia 0]

Alrighty some more info

Now its up to you to get it sorted to look the same

[pablocool 0]

Great! Thank you!

PS its good you use RAID6 :)

[mobilenvidia 0]

I should add in another 2TB drive and run a hotspare
My pride and joy is the Astek 24port expander, plenty of room for drives galore
Did at one point run a 4x60GB RAID0 SSD boot array as well, now put up with slower boot of a HDD

[pablocool 0]

When doing research I didnt found this expander. I use HP SAS Expander http://www.ebay.pl/itm/HP-24-Bay-PCI-E-SAS-Expander-Card-468406-B21-487738-001-/161906886211?hash=item25b2670643:g:JgMAAOSwZd1VdbXS

And it work flawlessly with any LSI RAID controller. The only disadventage is that it is working 6gbps only with SAS drives, with SATA it goes 3gbps. But price compensate this. If you would like 6gbps with SATA there is Intel® RAID SAS Expander RES2SV240. But it is rare and costs much.
My home server built on such case

http://allegro.pl/obudowa-rack-3u-rackable-39cm-backplane-zasilacz-i5782192236.html

is 12x3TB WD30EFRX. However I tested HP Expander with LSI 9260 and work well with 28x256GB SATA drives.
So with more drives I thought 9265 would work better than 9260...

[pablocool 0]

mobilenvidia thank you for screen shots. Now I see my MSM output is missing any info about cache size. When I took off cache PCB nothing changed. So probably my cache is faulty :(

[mobilenvidia 0]

2 hours ago, pablocool said:

mobilenvidia thank you for screen shots. Now I see my MSM output is missing any info about cache size. When I took off cache PCB nothing changed. So probably my cache is faulty :(

As soon as I saw the removed sticker (that should nt have been there in the first place), I had suspicions of tampering
Also bought back memories of testing 9240 with RAID5 and it having no cache and slow performance

Astek expander even rarer and also 6Gbps on all ports, been a great card, just does what its supposed to
I did x-flash to an Intel version for a while back when I was tinkering, but in original mode the temp and fan speed report correctly

Good luck with cache, you might be able to find a daughter board somewhere
I had similar issue with my M5016 and no battery backup came with controller (advertised as with it) so cachevault is not really working
For both of us let the buyer beware 

[pablocool 0]

Hello

Back in the story. I have bought brand new LSI 9265-8i on ebay. 1GB cache visible in MSM. RAID5/RAID6 available. Great!

Then I upgraded it via MSM to 23.34.19. Still OK. My array dissappeared but maybe due to new fw. Then I dont know why I updated fw once again to 23.34.19 with megarec you posted. Maybe to check if still everything will be OK. And I broke my card exactly to same behaviour as first card. No cache 1GB no RAID6. We thought that my cache was fault in first card but probably it was exactyly the same problem - megarec.

I searched and found 

https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/lost-raid-6-on-lsi-9266-8i.1680/

You have met this hope you will help me now:) 

Do you still have somewhere on hdd this file  H710 FW 21.0.0-0132  that cured your m5016 card? DELL link is dead:(

Please help. I dont want to loose $120 :(

[pablocool 0]

OK I eventually basing your tips came here

http://delldriverdownload.net/poweredge-r720-other-drivers/

and downloaded fw  21.0.1-0132_A01_ZPE.exe

This fixed 1GB cache / RAID6 issue uff. No I update to newest lsi via MSM. We will see...

 

This all is sick.

[mobilenvidia 0]

Lesson here is, just leave things alone that aren't broken :)
I only update the FW (which Broadcom hardly ever updates anymore) via MSM, not use any command line stuff

Hope you get it sort, keep in touch with how you get on

[pablocool 0]

Newest Broadcom FW put via MSM to latest controller. All seems to work again.

Regarding first controller I gave up for a while because during flashing old dell fw, alarm raised and I didnt want to woke up whole family.

It was saying sth about negotiating bios and FW. I will be back to issue in more reasonable hours.

mobilenvidia H710 FW 21.0.0-0132 still seems to be older than that one Ive found. May I kindly ask you to check your archives and attach it here?

DELL support site is a jungle. Two different DELL servers using same 9265 controller has different firmware files served on support site. And I cannot find 21.0.0-0132.

If I fix this I wont use cli tools any more.