9202-16e, PCI errors in device manager

[tabby27]

I have a 9202-16e, which has capacity for 16 disks, and technically shows up as two 9202-8 devices to computers. It's a windows machine, and I see that I have like 6 PCI and Unknown Device errors (yellow exclamation) in the Device Manager. And given that only one 9202 device shows up properly in the Storage Controllers, I am assuming those error devices are the other half of the 9202. Anyone know how to deal with this? Usually, I don't have to do anything with drivers.

 

[tabby27]

You what I think it is....I have the 9202 card above on a x8 slot instead of a x16 pcie slot. I will swap it now, and I bet it will work.

 

[tabby27]

I switched the slots, the problem still remains.

 

[RTM]

Have you updated the firmware of the card?

You could try booting a linux live ISO, Ubuntu should work with it out of the box.
That may help give you some insight into whether it is the card (or generally hardware related) or a driver issue.

 

[tabby27]

OK I didn't try the linux ISO yet. But I removed the 16e card from the systems. It didn't work on the old supermicro-x10sat-xeon system (although I understand that because I don't have any x16 slots available if I use more than one pci slot), and on the other ThreadRipper server, sort of similar issue in that some disks work at times, but unreliable and most disks disconnect. I never got more than 9 out of 16 disks up and running ever.

SO now I have a 9202-16e card on its way, which can run on 8x slot. Should work on either machine. I have regular 8088 cables now instead of the 8644 cables, which I was trying for the first time. Not that I think the cables are a problem. It's either the card, or some kind of incompatibility with the motherboards and windows server.

I really wanted the 16e cards to work on windows. I have two other 8e and 8i cards working fine.

edit...yes, I have updated all cards to IT mode with boot mode removed. I used the advice given here a few months ago to flash:

 

[tabby27]

Another update....I don't understand this, maybe someone does.

The way I "fix" the disconnected disks is like this. I take the disk that isn't detected out of the case, and attach it to another computer using those external usb docks. Then I check it, and it's usually perfect. Then I put it back in, and it is detected (then another one gets soon disconnected). But it's almost like the disk goes to sleep and I have to wake it up on another computer. Anyone know what this is?

 

[tabby27]

Ok I have confirmed the problem: the 9202-16e is the issue. I put in a 9200-16e card and it seems to be working fine.
But still could be the card or at least in one case i know it needed a x16 pcie slot, when i had it on a x8....you know how these mobos when multiple pcie are occupied, the bandwidth changes on the slots. it was one of those things. But in the other case, i thought it was fine, on a x16 slot but still wasn't working well.

So far, no issues with the 9200 card.

 

[tabby27]

Finally, I believe i now have the root cause of my problem, sheesh.

When I first got the 9202 card, which needs a x16 PCI slot....I put it in a x8 slot to flash. It flashed fine, no errors, but clearly only part of it was successfully flashed to IT mode. THen when I started using it, no matter what mobo it was plugged into, there were random disconnects, etc. So that's it. It needs to be in a x16 slot, and flashed on an x16 slot, which I didn't do.

Need to find motherboards with multiple x16 slots, i saw some on supermicro.