arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 Regarding the above, are they recommended for adding internal SATA drives while hopefully allowing said drives to operate at full speed. Do they pretty much always need flashing to turn into JBOD devices, I think its called ? Something like this - https://www.ebay.com/itm/LSI-Controller-Card-SAS-9211-8i-IT-Mode-8-Port-6Gb-s-2-SFF-8087-SATA-Cable/133060224439?hash=item1efb01e5b7:g:mWMAAOSwmNxaTzoz Is there a good, easy (repeat easy) guide for flashing, preferably using Windows 10, someone would recommend ? Also, read something (quite old) about them not allowing attached HDDs to sleep - any thoughts ? Also, any newer / alternative versions worth considering ?
Sammy 786 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) I got one pre-flashed in IT Mode like this from this seller. https://www.ebay.com/itm/353063990958 Don't forget the breakout cables to go from SAS to SATA. Edited October 16, 2020 by Sammy 1
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) Thanks for that (and I was just coming back here to say I didn't even notice the one I linked to said it was in IT mode, which I guess means already flashed) Edited October 16, 2020 by arrbee99 1
naeonline 27 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 ...and not just any breakout cables for SAS/SATA connectors, but you need a pair of FORWARD Breakout Cables. I've used all the following, though looks like most of those are out of stock, but should get you started. https://www.newegg.com/3ware-cbl-sff8087ocf-05m/p/N82E16816116097 https://www.newegg.com/3ware-cbl-sff8087ocf-06m/p/N82E16816116098 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8187 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=8186
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 Thanks. Does look like the item I linked to includes cables. They seem to look the same and everything says SFF-8087, so unless they're particularly bed examples, should be OK I guess. 1
sooty234 266 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 I have three of these (P20 firmware), and just ordered two more. I like having spares https://www.ebay.com/itm/LSI-9201-8i-9211-8i-6Gbps-SAS-HBA-FW-P20-IT-Mode-ZFS-FreeNAS-unRAID/142729911794?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649 Apart from COVID, China has some good stuff.
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 Sorry. Wouldn't know my P20 from my elbow. Hoping if its in IT mode already it'll basically be PlugnPlay.
sooty234 266 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 7 minutes ago, arrbee99 said: Sorry. Wouldn't know my P20 from my elbow. Hoping if its in IT mode already it'll basically be PlugnPlay. P20 was that last firmware they made for these. They are no longer supported by the manufacturer (Broadcom).
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 BTW. Was there anything to that thing about not powering down drives ? It was just one (old) comment I saw, but still...
sooty234 266 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 Not quite sure what you're referring to, but NAS/Enterprise drives are intended to never spin down. This is server hardware. Spin down, spin up is the hardest activity on a hard drive. And I'm not sure these HBAs will even allow it.
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 Admittedly, at the moment one of these cards is more of a want rather than a need, but if I do get one, its going in an ordinary Fractal R5 case, which already has (ordinary, not very NAS) drives that quite often sleep, and I'd prefer any connected to the card to have a rest as well. I see what you mean and it might be an old fashioned viewpoint, but I still struggle with having a bunch of disks spinning away overnight and most of the day when they probably only get some actual use in the evening.
sooty234 266 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 Are you using desktop drives? What's you're main concern? Power?
PenkethBoy 2066 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 i have the same card in IT mode and P20 firmware my drives spin down fine (2012r2) performance is OK @3GB as sata run at half the SAS drive speed on these cards but that way more than an individual HDD can do and has been fine for the last 4 years i have a SAS expander so have 24 drives hanging off my 8i - expanders you can get for £10-15 now look for HP expanders if you need one
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 20 minutes ago, sooty234 said: Are you using desktop drives? What's you're main concern? Power? Kind of. Just seems a bit of a waste having drives spin 24 hours a day when they only get used (for media, which would be pretty much their entire use) for maybe 2 hours a day. Yes, desktop drives. Whichever's cheapest (because I'm cheap)
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 6 minutes ago, PenkethBoy said: i have the same card in IT mode and P20 firmware my drives spin down fine (2012r2) performance is OK @3GB as sata run at half the SAS drive speed on these cards but that way more than an individual HDD can do and has been fine for the last 4 years i have a SAS expander so have 24 drives hanging off my 8i - expanders you can get for £10-15 now look for HP expanders if you need one Thanks. Sounds promising. Guess there's only one way to find out... Not up to expanders yet. Have I think maybe 7 spinning HDDs in the case (plus SSDs etc) to use, plus about the same via usb for backup plus stuff on Backblaze, but am pretty much out of SATA connectors.
PenkethBoy 2066 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 Dont bother with ssd's and the LSI - they will work but - one will saturate its capacity - use for HDD only Desktop drives are fine for a media server as you are generally just reading data and the occasional write as you update your collection (ignoring the background update/add of image files) NAS drives are for RAID and 24/7 usage that hammers the drives all day - very different usage to average user. BUT if you do have a NAS or RAID setup you must use NAS drives and dont go cheap ass on them either - if you do you will have lots of issues and failures. Desktops disks can run 24/7 no problem but its expected they will be getting light use not constant and thats the issue you get when used in a NAS even if its only lightly used - basically the components are Mini Metro vs a Jaguar.
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 Nope, LSI for HDDs only. And no NAS , all in the PC. Think I got a few SMR drives in the mix though. Keep telling myself they're just for media, I'm just going to be adding stuff, but still don't like them. Occasionally I redo stuff on them and you can watch them slow down and hear them chuntering away for about a minute after Windows says copy has finished. Oh well, first world problems. Wow, someone who remembers a Mini Metro. Think I've still got a magazine somewhere announcing its introduction...
PenkethBoy 2066 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 (edited) always fancied getting a VR6(?) 6R4 - as it was just a mental car - shopping trolley with a rocket engine SMR are fine as backup/archive drives and are fine for media playback etc - as you say changing something can take awhile Edited October 16, 2020 by PenkethBoy
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 Haven't thought about one of those for a decade or two. Personally, I always fancied a Rover SD1 Vitesse, preferably with a TVR engine dropped in.
PenkethBoy 2066 Posted October 16, 2020 Posted October 16, 2020 remember those when touring car racing was a major thing - was a bit of an old bus - but looked great fun to drive - lots of opposite lock and burning tyres
arrbee99 1712 Posted October 16, 2020 Author Posted October 16, 2020 Old bus - no. Devine - yes yes yes 1
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