Help getting Intel 2600CO sas working, or recommend a SAS controller for SSDs

[gigatexal]

This is a two parter post:

My intel 2600CO is best supported in windows. Basically without a purchased key (I just want JBOD for ZFS) I don't have use of the 8 sata 6g ports on my mobo.

So as i see it I have two options:

1) figure out who to get the onboard controller to work in ubuntu - Anyone get these to work? Download ESRT2 RAID driver for Linux*

2) Find and cross flash an LSI like controller. Would the 1015 work? Would it be able to keep up with an eventual 8 SSDs? I don't think so it being pci-e 2.0, what are some pci-e 3.0 controllers that can be used as jbod hba's?

 

[britinpdx]

Find and cross flash an LSI like controller.

If you need to do some testing I can loan you LSI SAS2008 (pci-e 2.0) and SAS2308 (pci-e 3.0) HBA's.

I think I have a RKSAS8 key (the orange one) that may work also if you want to try that.

Start up a "conversation" if this is of interest and we can work out details. I'm out in Hillsboro, so it's a pretty easy meet.

 

[gigatexal]

thanks!

there's the esrt2 and the rst option in the bios, basically i don't care which as long as i can get jbod

perhaps i should just get a pci-e 3.0 hba cuz this is quite the headache

 

[gigatexal]

yhpm

 

[izx]

Find and cross flash an LSI like controller. Would the 1015 work? Would it be able to keep up with an eventual 8 SSDs? I don't think so it being pci-e 2.0, what are some pci-e 3.0 controllers that can be used as jbod hba's?

No, 1015-style flashing won't work. From what I've read, the ESRT2 on the C600 chipset is an LSI-licensed "FakeRAID" implementation which DOES NOT use an actual hardware controller; the C600 provides the ports while the drivers/management is derived from LSI. That's probably also why ESRT2 doesn't support expanders.

If you just want JBOD, and IF ports 1-4 are working fine in Ubuntu, I'd just get the RKSATA8 key for ~$25 to enable the remaining 4 ports.

The most common SAS3/PCIe-3.0 HBA is the LSI SAS3008. Apart from the SAS3 support which you probably don't need, it does have a much more powerful processor than the SAS2008 (M1015, etc.). I'd get the LSI 9300-8i for ~$250 new; there are OEM versions with internal ports like the Intel RS3UC080, but the retail difference is maybe $50 and cross-flashing them may be painful.

 

[Marsh]

You have a Intel board, then you are in luck.
I purchased 8 x $30 each , Intel equivalent of LSI 2308 card, took couple of minutes to cross flash it to LSI IT firmware.
Intel RMS25KB080 6Gb/s SAS/SATA Integrated RAID Module G35828-310 w/bracket 100%

 

[gigatexal]

I picked this up on eBay. The link you posted is temporarily out of stock but in my haste I paid double.

Intel® Integrated RAID Module RMS25KB080 Specifications

Thanks everyone. I just didn't care about finding a steal just want this to work. I've learned my lesson and will fully research the expansion options on boards before buying them.

 

[Marsh]

FYI , cross flash to LSI IT firmware

Intel server F6 boot
boot to UEFI shell
fs0:
dir

sas2flash.efi -list > sas.txt ( capture SAS address )
sas2flash.efi -o -e 7 ( work ok with -e 7 , erasing flash ) or -e 6
sas2flash.efi -f 9207-8.bin ( no rom )

sas2flash.efi -o -sasadd SAS address

 

[gigatexal]

Very cool. Thank you