HPE H240 flashed to IT mod

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RTM

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Jan 26, 2014
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The short answer you do not need to put a different firmware on the controller for it to be used in HBA mode (which is what IT mode is).

The long answer:
IT mode (versus IR) is a concept only for LSI/Broadcom/Avago based controller, it is the same manufacturer, but they changed names a couple of times. IT mode makes the controller function as simply a SATA/SAS controller, no RAID or anything else it simply makes the disks available to the OS.

The H240 uses a controller from Microsemi and does not need a different firmware to do this.
If you want to use the controller as a simple HBA, you can do what I outlined in this post:
EDIT: Better linkage, post rather than thread.
 
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ari2asem

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wheh you are in Windows, you can install hpe SSA (smart array administrator).
fro. there you can set it to hba or raid mode, under CONFIGURATION.

but when you have h240 card installed in a non-hpe server, you can't get into bios of the card.
or you can download offline SSA bootable ISO image and then boot from this iso image before Windows is booting.

or maybe @Sleyk knows which keyboard key to hit during POST in a non-hpe server ??
 
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ari2asem

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if you dont see your disk in SSA, but you can see the h240 card drivers are normally installed and your card is normally recognized by your OS, then your problem is the connection between the card and disks.

becaus i had this situation in Windows 10, card was normally recognized by windows 10 and drivers were also okay, but i saw error 267 inside SSA software.

what i did....unplug en re-plug the cables from backplane. and my disks were back, in HBA mode as it was
 
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draken it

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Jul 22, 2021
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i took the cables out and in the hard drive with the hp menu open and refrest. nothing. I used other drives, nothing. I just looked in the os. unraid did not see them. at this point i think the card is broken and i need to buy another one.
 

draken it

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Jul 22, 2021
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is there such a thing as SFF 8087 to sas cable but the ends look like sata and the cable can't see sas
 

RTM

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Before replacing the card, it may be a good idea to go through the details of your setup, primarily:
  1. What drives have you connected to the controller?
    1. Are they SAS or SATA?
  2. How have you connected the drives to the controller?
    1. Are you using a backplane?
      1. If so, what kind of backplane?
    2. Are you using a cable that connects directly from the controller to the disks?
      1. If so, what kind of connectors are you using on the drive end? (SATA or SAS)
The reason I mention this, is that at least some configurations that might seemingly work, are not valid.
The primary example I can think of, is if you are using a 4x SATA and 1x SFF8087 breakout cable, my understanding of that kind of cable is that there are two kinds a "forward" and a "reverse", one intended to connect a controller with SFF8087 to 4x disks, the other 4x SATA ports on a SATA controller or a Motherboard to a backplane with SFF8087. The point being, if you use the wrong kind of cable it will not work.
 
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draken it

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Jul 22, 2021
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@RTM
1: sata
but i might want to change my setup for sas for vm.
2,1: I first tried a backplane but also linked them directly with trying, I used the MB975SP-B R1
2.2yes.
2.2.1 sas i think. I got those cables for free from work because they were left over from servers.


I will buy other cables to try and see if that is it. any advice on what to watch out for so as not to grab the wrong cables again
 
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RTM

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Okay, if I understand you correctly, in all cases you used the same cables that are infact SFF8087 to 4x SATA? (whether they are reverse or forward is unknown)

My understanding is that you want forward breakout cables from SFF8087 on your controller to disks.
Personally I prefer buying cables from Supermicro if possible, they have some SFF8087 to SATA, but I can not figure out if they are reverse or forward.
 
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ari2asem

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most sff-8087 to 4* sata are forward cables, this is the normal way. if they don't mention reverse, then it is forward cable.

revers cables are spcifically named REVERSE, if you don't see reverse in the name, then it is forward.

@draken it , you need forward cables
 
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draken it

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Jul 22, 2021
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@ari2asem thanks just bought a new cable and it works minimally. the unraid no longer recognizes the drives with comparison to put directly in sata
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