Info on LSI SAS3408? Got myself a 530-8i on eBay...
- Thread starter BLinux
- Start date
Notice: Page may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a small commission through services like Amazon Affiliates or Skimlinks.
@Patrick There are couple of caveats at the moment.
- performance issue with NVMe drives at the moment as reported by @FMA1394 in a different thread even with LSI cable.
- Still flashing 9440-8i IR FW has not yet been successful once they are flashed to 9400-8i.
Despite these issues, I think it's still good choice given the price parity with LSI3008 based cards in the used market.
- performance issue with NVMe drives at the moment as reported by @FMA1394 in a different thread even with LSI cable.
- Still flashing 9440-8i IR FW has not yet been successful once they are flashed to 9400-8i.
Despite these issues, I think it's still good choice given the price parity with LSI3008 based cards in the used market.
@Patrick, I think that is a great idea, but like @nthu9280 mentioned there are still a few things we need to work out. I just ordered another card so I will test some things when it arrives.
I think a lot of people would be interested in a review/comparison of these cards. It would be nice to see how it compares with 3008 based cards when using SAS3 SSDs. There are a lot of question surrounding NVMe usage. How to direct connect NVMe drives to it. How to connect it to NVMe capable backplane. Performance of NVMe drives connected to this card. Why even use this with NVMe drives in non RAID mode without backplane if you can only attach 2 drives and cable needed to attach them is around the same price as the card.
Default MegaRAID firmware supports JBOD mode (personality in their lingo) which functionally should act just like IT firmware. What are advantages/disadvantages of using MR firmware in JBOD mode vs IT firmware. Maybe there is really no good reason to even flash these with IT firmware.
I think a lot of people would be interested in a review/comparison of these cards. It would be nice to see how it compares with 3008 based cards when using SAS3 SSDs. There are a lot of question surrounding NVMe usage. How to direct connect NVMe drives to it. How to connect it to NVMe capable backplane. Performance of NVMe drives connected to this card. Why even use this with NVMe drives in non RAID mode without backplane if you can only attach 2 drives and cable needed to attach them is around the same price as the card.
Default MegaRAID firmware supports JBOD mode (personality in their lingo) which functionally should act just like IT firmware. What are advantages/disadvantages of using MR firmware in JBOD mode vs IT firmware. Maybe there is really no good reason to even flash these with IT firmware.
btw, here is that thread in reguard to poor nvme performance in IT mode/fw:
https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...dcom-9440-8i-lenovo-530-8i.23534/#post-219966
and i agree w nezach's reply above, wtf is the reason to use this card w NVMe in IT mode? if nvme raid1 works well, then i get that, and it would be AWESOME! but nvme on IT fw? (u would be better to get one of those cheap x8 or x16 u.2 nvme only adapter/converter pcie cards)
good news is i just got my 530-8i in today, and will be trying to flash direct to IR mode tomorow (will update).
if im able to get it working in IR, i will then order the 80$ cable and try nvme raid1. i have the drives, just want to see IR FW work b4 ordering that obnixous LSI cable.
>u would be better to get one of those cheap x8 or x16 u.2 nvme only adapter/converter pcie cards
assuming bifurcation
also, a card that at least in theory can do sata, sas, and nvme on the same card is more handy than a card that can only handle NVMe
>but nvme on IT fw?
Have you considered ZFS or other software defined storage?
What about if I want to store my steam library on P3500 2TB of PM983 3.84TB drives?
assuming bifurcation
also, a card that at least in theory can do sata, sas, and nvme on the same card is more handy than a card that can only handle NVMe
>but nvme on IT fw?
Have you considered ZFS or other software defined storage?
What about if I want to store my steam library on P3500 2TB of PM983 3.84TB drives?
I'm hoping that the NVMe performance issue is with the FW and / or Driver and will get resolved in the with the updates. Or Lenovo knew something that Broadcom isn't publicly saying. Lenovo is not calling this as tri-mode in their docs at least the ones I glanced at.
In the meantime some of these listings are selling at equivalent prices for SAS2 HBAs like H220. I watched someone snatch the used 530-8i cards for under $49 OBO yesterday. It was on my watch list and was gone while I was debating to pull the trigger.
In the meantime some of these listings are selling at equivalent prices for SAS2 HBAs like H220. I watched someone snatch the used 530-8i cards for under $49 OBO yesterday. It was on my watch list and was gone while I was debating to pull the trigger.
NVMe cable attaches to both ports so you can either use sas/sata or NVMe with two port cards. With 4 port cards you could do sas/sata on 2 ports and NVMe on the other 2.
I made some progress flashing MR firmware, but card ended up in non operational state. Good news is it was a piece of cake to restore it. I will wait until my new card arrives and then continue testing.
With SAS2008 cards all the important stuff, like what firmware it supports and how many ports, was in the SBR. Does anyone have info about SBR in these cards?
With SAS2008 cards all the important stuff, like what firmware it supports and how many ports, was in the SBR. Does anyone have info about SBR in these cards?
EDIT: see my post BELOW this one where i try / fail to flash to IR fw. Im only keeping the data in this post here/below incase someone needs to look back, but its mostly useless (see my reply/post below this one for more relevant info on flashing)
im starting on the journey to get a fresh from ebay 530-8i flashed over to Tri-Mode LSI iR FW (so i can hopefully do RD1 with 2x u.2 NVMe drives w esxi drivers/support). I'll keep this post updated (via post edit command). doing this on a SM x10 sys w 1x e5-2620 v3 (w latest sm mb bios)
---
Here is what BIOS showed, fresh out of ebay box:
(interesting that:
1- that they are running some beta FW, and maybe this has come with LSI FW, and NOT LENOVO FW? (EDIT: WRONG- see the bottom of this reply) the physical card has a sticker with "530-8i" on it.
2- card must already the optional/additional BIOS/Legacy FW on the card, as i know others had said you can only admin / see this card via UEFI setup screen, unless you add that 2nd BIOS/legacy ROM)
here is what LSPCI in ubuntu live shows (trimode already?):
04:00.0 RAID bus controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic MegaRAID Tri-Mode SAS3408 (rev 01)
Im actually going to hold off on trying to flash this card with ANYTHING until someone replies back with info on if this card may already have LSI FW (and not lenovo FW) as is. so pls lmk
(i am going to start exploring more with the card outside of flashing it , i have also ordered the a-hole LSI 80$ sasHD to u.2 cable). Pls reply if you have any info on above in bold. thanks.
---
also this card is not showing up in uefi setup screen (as some others had said- that is how you usually have to configure raid on this new generation of raid cards), im installing win 2012r2 now to try w MegaRaid app, but does anyone recall the setting in the bios/uefi setup screen that you have to enable to get the cards config settings to show up in uefi setup? (i remember seeing it in some thread, but i cant find it, i think it was something like you go to the pcie slot and enable xyz, then reboot and then the card's configuration options will show up in uefi setup)
EDIT: here was the thread i was looking for, i was asking about enabling HII mode so you can see/config the card's drives in the UEFI Setup screen. maybe my x10 board does not support this, but i have another newer Xeon-D board i will try it on later. for now im going to try win app MegaRaid and see what i get. thread:
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/lsi-9440-8i-boot-config-menu.20432/
SM says you need the latest mb BIOS (which i have) and that you must have atleaste 1x drive connecd to the hba/raid card to see the HII screen in uefi setup:
FAQ Entry | Online Support | Support - Super Micro Computer, Inc.
-----
well as is (ie i have not done any FW changes at all, still fresh out of ebay box) this is what the driver install detects card as (makes sense):
this is what LSA sees (LSA = the new MegaRaid card manager app) - this means this card already has LSI FW and not Lenovo OEM FW right? (note i have 2x SSDs attached to it currently, NOT NVMe's yet)
INTERESTING- i downloaded the Diagonistics files for my card, via the LSA web gui and it did contain this line:
(if true, i may already be in Tri-Mode and just lucky, but the maxNVMeDevices=0 is concerning, im guessing PrivateDev = 8e, means 8 x sata/sas drives, and NVMe = 4x is a max of 4x nvme drives, ie 4x at x2 pcie , or 2x nvme's at x4 pcie, both of which line up for this card as its a -8i card
and for those wondering which megaRaid Keys are unlocked/aval on this oem card:
----
Oh well, i guess im going to start on the FW update procedure listed in this thread.. here is what i got when i tried to update via LSA ('ll prob cleanup / delete alot of this long reply once i add the result of trying the method in this thread):
im starting on the journey to get a fresh from ebay 530-8i flashed over to Tri-Mode LSI iR FW (so i can hopefully do RD1 with 2x u.2 NVMe drives w esxi drivers/support). I'll keep this post updated (via post edit command). doing this on a SM x10 sys w 1x e5-2620 v3 (w latest sm mb bios)
---
Here is what BIOS showed, fresh out of ebay box:
(interesting that:
1- that they are running some beta FW, and maybe this has come with LSI FW, and NOT LENOVO FW? (EDIT: WRONG- see the bottom of this reply) the physical card has a sticker with "530-8i" on it.
2- card must already the optional/additional BIOS/Legacy FW on the card, as i know others had said you can only admin / see this card via UEFI setup screen, unless you add that 2nd BIOS/legacy ROM)
here is what LSPCI in ubuntu live shows (trimode already?):
04:00.0 RAID bus controller: LSI Logic / Symbios Logic MegaRAID Tri-Mode SAS3408 (rev 01)
Im actually going to hold off on trying to flash this card with ANYTHING until someone replies back with info on if this card may already have LSI FW (and not lenovo FW) as is. so pls lmk
(i am going to start exploring more with the card outside of flashing it , i have also ordered the a-hole LSI 80$ sasHD to u.2 cable). Pls reply if you have any info on above in bold. thanks.
---
also this card is not showing up in uefi setup screen (as some others had said- that is how you usually have to configure raid on this new generation of raid cards), im installing win 2012r2 now to try w MegaRaid app, but does anyone recall the setting in the bios/uefi setup screen that you have to enable to get the cards config settings to show up in uefi setup? (i remember seeing it in some thread, but i cant find it, i think it was something like you go to the pcie slot and enable xyz, then reboot and then the card's configuration options will show up in uefi setup)
EDIT: here was the thread i was looking for, i was asking about enabling HII mode so you can see/config the card's drives in the UEFI Setup screen. maybe my x10 board does not support this, but i have another newer Xeon-D board i will try it on later. for now im going to try win app MegaRaid and see what i get. thread:
https://forums.servethehome.com/index.php?threads/lsi-9440-8i-boot-config-menu.20432/
SM says you need the latest mb BIOS (which i have) and that you must have atleaste 1x drive connecd to the hba/raid card to see the HII screen in uefi setup:
FAQ Entry | Online Support | Support - Super Micro Computer, Inc.
-----
well as is (ie i have not done any FW changes at all, still fresh out of ebay box) this is what the driver install detects card as (makes sense):
this is what LSA sees (LSA = the new MegaRaid card manager app) - this means this card already has LSI FW and not Lenovo OEM FW right? (note i have 2x SSDs attached to it currently, NOT NVMe's yet)
INTERESTING- i downloaded the Diagonistics files for my card, via the LSA web gui and it did contain this line:
Code:
T4: C0:returning from oem list with index 0
T4: C0:profileMaxDevices=47 profileMaxDrives=3f profileMaxLds=20 profileMaxNvme=0
T4: C0: Personality:RAID MODE ProfileId: a MaxDeviceCount 47 MaxDrives:3f MaxLdCount 20 maxNVMeDevices 0
T4: C0: Profile Req: MaxCtrlQdepth 5fcc, MaxLdQdepth 7fcc, MaxDmQdepth 43c5
T4: C0: isDefaultProfile: 1, isCompatibleWithCurTopology 0, isOptimizedProfile 0, isNVMeOnlyProfile 0
then further down (i only have 1x card btw):
T30: C0:Total Device = 3
T30: C0:PD Flags State Type Size S N F P Vendor Product Rev P C ID SAS Addr Port Phy DevH WU BFw BRev
T30: C0:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T30: C0:8 04000351 00020 00 5d26ceaf 0 0 0 1 LENOVO MZILS800HEHPV3 CH45 0 0000 5002538a486c2df2 02 05 000c 1 NA NA
T30: C0:9 04000351 00020 00 5d26ceaf 0 0 0 1 LENOVO MZILS800HEHPV3 CH45 0 0000 5002538a486c2ba2 01 03 000b 1 NA NA
T30: C0:a 04000351 00020 00 5d26ceaf 0 0 0 1 LENOVO MZILS800HEHPV3 CH45 0 0000 5002538a486c32a2 00 01 000a 1 NA NA
T30: C0:46 00000051 00020 03 0 0 0 0 0 LSI SMP/SGPIO/SEP 1232 0 0000 0 00 ff ffff 0 NA NAand for those wondering which megaRaid Keys are unlocked/aval on this oem card:
----
Oh well, i guess im going to start on the FW update procedure listed in this thread.. here is what i got when i tried to update via LSA ('ll prob cleanup / delete alot of this long reply once i add the result of trying the method in this thread):
Last edited:
You can see some more info above in my on-going reply, but im trying to fufill your request above, and im getting this below: (on win2012 r2, cmd is run as admin, using latest storCLI and i have not changed nor flashed anything on the 530-8i yet, i am booted into UEFI mode also) -- maybe i need to try with efi shell?:
C:\storCLI>storcli64.exe /c0 get bios file=backup_bios
CLI Version = 007.0813.0000.0000 Dec 14, 2018
Operating system = Windows Server 2012 R2
Controller = 0
Status = Failure
Description = Un-supported command
C:\storCLI>storcli /c0 get firmware file=backup_firmware
CLI Version = 007.0813.0000.0000 Dec 14, 2018
Operating system = Windows Server 2012 R2
Controller = 0
Status = Failure
Description = Un-supported command
C:\storCLI>storcli /c0 get mpb file=backup_mpb
CLI Version = 007.0813.0000.0000 Dec 14, 2018
Operating system = Windows Server 2012 R2
Controller = 0
Status = Failure
Description = Un-supported command
Since i couldn't update the FW via LSA (megaraid) as it said invalid checksum , just like one other person higher up in this thread ( i think on page 1), i decided to go straight into trying to flash 9440-8i IR fw with J4 shorted.
I put the 9440-8i fw on a usb stick, unplugged the 2x SSDs i had connected to this 530-8i, SHORTED PINs J4 on the 530-8i Card, and booted into SM efi shell (x10 mb). no luck though.
(fwiw, that command above, storcli /c0 download... is the exact command cited in the 9440-8i FW .zip's readme file from LSI, to use for updating FW sans the J4 pin ofcourse).
I even tried the various options that another user posted earlier on , ie adding force or nosigcheck at the end of the fw download command , still same error (please correct me if i have the syntax wrong on this)
it does appear that shorting J4 is doing something as the "storcli show all" is showing me this (in efi shell), which is different than what i see with J4 not shorted (see my post, 2x replies up , for that output):
The way i see it, unless im missing something, i really only have 2x options now:
#1- is to try to change the VPD info of the card (ie change it from Lenovo to LSI or something else), and then try to flash it? see this reply: https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...elf-a-530-8i-on-ebay.21588/page-2#post-220465
ie via a command like the set VPD file=vpd command? (but then i'll also need a properly formatted VPD file for a true LSI 9440-8i)
or try changing the SubOEMId via a command like this:
storclio /cx set SubOEMId=<val>
DESCRIPTION: This command sets Sub OEM ID field of the MFC features to <val>
(BUT ill need someone to tell me what SubOEMId to try, or what to put for a True LSI card)
#2- maybe try flashing (w J4 shorted) the Lenovo 530-8i DENSE adaptor's FW (which actually is a mezzanine card, not a pcie card)
ie from this reply: https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...elf-a-530-8i-on-ebay.21588/page-2#post-220399
ie using this FW file from Lenovo:
0x502,ThinkSystem RAID 530-8i Dense Adapter,9440-8i-d_nopad.rom,
pls lmk if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, im not going to try anything further until we get some replies from ppl more knowledgeable than I on this LSI stuff (or ppl more familiar with cross flashing the older OEM cards to LSI FWs , which ive never done before)
(as a reminder, im trying to get my 530-8i, fresh out of the ebay box, flashed over to LSI 9440-8i IR FW so that i can have TRI-MODE enabled, and then run 2x NVMe drives in Raid1. a majority of this thread is users flashing to HBA / IT FW)
thanks
I put the 9440-8i fw on a usb stick, unplugged the 2x SSDs i had connected to this 530-8i, SHORTED PINs J4 on the 530-8i Card, and booted into SM efi shell (x10 mb). no luck though.
(fwiw, that command above, storcli /c0 download... is the exact command cited in the 9440-8i FW .zip's readme file from LSI, to use for updating FW sans the J4 pin ofcourse).
I even tried the various options that another user posted earlier on , ie adding force or nosigcheck at the end of the fw download command , still same error (please correct me if i have the syntax wrong on this)
it does appear that shorting J4 is doing something as the "storcli show all" is showing me this (in efi shell), which is different than what i see with J4 not shorted (see my post, 2x replies up , for that output):
The way i see it, unless im missing something, i really only have 2x options now:
#1- is to try to change the VPD info of the card (ie change it from Lenovo to LSI or something else), and then try to flash it? see this reply: https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...elf-a-530-8i-on-ebay.21588/page-2#post-220465
ie via a command like the set VPD file=vpd command? (but then i'll also need a properly formatted VPD file for a true LSI 9440-8i)
or try changing the SubOEMId via a command like this:
storclio /cx set SubOEMId=<val>
DESCRIPTION: This command sets Sub OEM ID field of the MFC features to <val>
(BUT ill need someone to tell me what SubOEMId to try, or what to put for a True LSI card)
#2- maybe try flashing (w J4 shorted) the Lenovo 530-8i DENSE adaptor's FW (which actually is a mezzanine card, not a pcie card)
ie from this reply: https://forums.servethehome.com/ind...elf-a-530-8i-on-ebay.21588/page-2#post-220399
ie using this FW file from Lenovo:
0x502,ThinkSystem RAID 530-8i Dense Adapter,9440-8i-d_nopad.rom,
pls lmk if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, im not going to try anything further until we get some replies from ppl more knowledgeable than I on this LSI stuff (or ppl more familiar with cross flashing the older OEM cards to LSI FWs , which ive never done before)
(as a reminder, im trying to get my 530-8i, fresh out of the ebay box, flashed over to LSI 9440-8i IR FW so that i can have TRI-MODE enabled, and then run 2x NVMe drives in Raid1. a majority of this thread is users flashing to HBA / IT FW)
thanks
Last edited:
@james23 hope you have not yet flashed the card to 9400-8i. I was able to flash Lenovo Lenovo 530-8i successfully before I went to 9400. So you can grab the latest Lenovo 530-8i fw from December/January release. That is a Lenovo's LSI 9440-8i fw. So we can test the NVMe performance with iMR FW.
That way you will still keep the manufacturer info etc till we iron out the process to native LSI 9440-8i.
Also, can you grab the latest LSIUTIL (1.72) source from github and build it. I think windows makefile is included. It can export the sbr file, mpb, vpd etc from the card.
That way you will still keep the manufacturer info etc till we iron out the process to native LSI 9440-8i.
Also, can you grab the latest LSIUTIL (1.72) source from github and build it. I think windows makefile is included. It can export the sbr file, mpb, vpd etc from the card.
@james23 thanks for trying. Obviously these cards support different commands depending if they are in IT or iMR mode. There are couple commands that worked in EFI shell for me, but not in OS (Linux/Windows), so you could try it in EFI shell.
I would be cautious with J4=shorted as we don't yet have a good understanding of what exactly it does when flashing in that mode. If you diff Lenovo's 9440-8i_nopad.rom and 9440-8i-d_nopad.rom the differences are minimal so you could try flashing 8i-d file and see if it enables NVMe.
@nthu9280 how did you flash Lenovo firmware? Using their Lenovo provided script or using storcli from LSI website?
Storcli is a bit of a black box and sometimes error messages it returns are not very helpful, but it turns out it has logging capability. If you create a text file named "storcliconf.ini" in the same location as storcli and put following in it:
storcli will create a log file and spit out some useful info. I only tried this in Windows, but it should work with all versions.
@nezach - I'm trying to remember how I did the update. I'll check if I kept any notes on the process I followed when I go home this evening . I think I had trouble with both Windows 10 & Linux and used storcli.efi to update the iMR FW. I recall i was getting incompatible error when I tried to use the LSI 9440-8i_nopad.rom. The extracted files from Lenovo also had 9440-8i_nopad.rom and I believe it flashed fine with storcli.efi. Here is an example of extracted files from Lenovo Jan-2019 version. In addition to iMR FW, there are couple of rom files and not sure of their use. I didn't see them used in my quick scan of the batch file.
i have not flashed 9400-8i / any IT fw (nor tried to). I have no use/need for IT FW currently, im only looking for NVMe RAID1
I would just flash to latest lenovo FW for this card, and forget trying to flash to 9440-8i , but according to lenovo docs, the 530-8i pcie is only sas/sata (not nvme). the same doc says the 530D-8i (dense), supports Tri-Mode / nvme (but that lenovo card is a mezzanine card, and not pcie).
I know my posts above have become a jumbled mess, but i did try all the same commands (and flashing) with the efi shell + storcli.efi. same result (however this was with the J4 shorted, so i will go back into efi shell and try the commands again (mainly the info gathering storcli.efi commands). all commands, def. do not work in windows w admin cmd + J4 NOT shorted.
@nthu9280 how did you flash Lenovo firmware? Using their Lenovo provided script or using storcli from LSI website?[/QUOTE]
Im very curious as to this answer as well. I will also try using the lenovo flash script , but SWAP out their 9440-8i_nopad FW with the 9440-8i one, just to try it (prob wont work but will update).
I think if i used the 9440-8i_nopad.rom from the jan2019 lenovo fw update file, it would still get me sas/sata only mode (not the tri-mode nvme). i think what we need (if using lenovo FW and not LSI pure fw), is a way to flash that "9440_8i-d_nopad.rom" file, as that is for the "dense" version of the card which is trimode
neat info! thanks will add this and see if any output helps/is relevant.
Update: i tried this, in windows, and it did output a log file, below is the contents of that log file (i dont see anything relevant) It should be noted that in the StorCLI PDF guide from LSI, they state that many of the "info gathering" storcli commands we are running ONLY apply to IT version FW/cards, not IR fw (commands from higher up in this thread, such as /c0 get bios file=backup_bios)
Code:
command i ran in admin CMD:
C:\storCLI>storcli /c0 get bios file=backup_bios
CLI Version = 007.0813.0000.0000 Dec 14, 2018
Operating system = Windows Server 2012 R2
Controller = 0
Status = Failure
Description = Un-supported command
storcli debug log contents:
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.598 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=f0020300 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.599 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl retcode=1117
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.599 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=f0020300 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.599 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl retcode=1117
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.600 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=f0020300 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.600 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.600 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=1010000 mbox.w[0]=1 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.600 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.618 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=10e8481 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.618 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.620 2019 : EVERYTHING: initializing the RaidManager Instance
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.620 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=1010000 mbox.w[0]=1 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.621 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.621 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=2010000 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.621 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.621 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=2010000 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.622 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.622 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=1010000 mbox.w[0]=1 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.622 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.622 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=4010000 mbox.w[0]=1 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.623 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.623 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=2020000 mbox.w[0]=b mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.623 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.623 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=11 (PdDataMfi::getMrPdInfo) retCode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.623 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=11 (PdDataMfi::getFwState) value=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.624 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=2020000 mbox.w[0]=c mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.624 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.624 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=12 (PdDataMfi::getMrPdInfo) retCode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.624 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=12 (PdDataMfi::getFwState) value=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.624 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=2010100 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.625 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.625 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=2010100 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.625 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.625 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=11 (PdDataMfi::getFwState) value=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.626 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=12 (PdDataMfi::getFwState) value=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.626 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=2020000 mbox.w[0]=45 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.626 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.626 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=69 (PdDataMfi::getMrPdInfo) retCode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.626 2019 : EVERYTHING: Drive deviceID=69 (PdDataMfi::getFwState) value=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.627 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl DCMD=10e8481 mbox.w[0]=0 mbox.w[1]=0 mbox.w[2]=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.627 2019 : CRITICAL : WindowsMfiDataProvider::fireIoctl 1 retcode=0
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.627 2019 : INFO : Entering MWCliRootCp::process
Mon Mar 4 17:11:52.627 2019 : INFO : Entering MWCliRootCp::handleOuput retCode=-1, DriveFull=0--
thanks for all the replies...hopefully we are all getting there/closer...
fwiw, the lenovo jan2019 fw update extracted, uses a .bat file to flash (called install.bat), below looks like how that bat flashes the 530-8i fw (the other stuff in the .bat is mostly model validation and logging /echo to log commands):
Code:
if %FORCE% == 1 (
call lsiStorUpdateWin.exe ctlr-info.txt -t MR -pn pn.txt -f
) else (
call lsiStorUpdateWin.exe ctlr-info.txt -t MR -pn pn.txt0x502,ThinkSystem RAID 530-8i Dense Adapter,9440-8i-d_nopad.rom,
0x500,ThinkSystem RAID 530-8i PCIe 12Gb Adapter,9440-8i_nopad.rom,
0x501,ThinkSystem RAID 530-4i Flex Adapter,9440-4i_nopad.rom,
it looks like you can pass a -f force to the BAT , so i may try that too when trying to flash my 530-8i to the "dense" version 530-8i , which supports Tri-Mode. however i think it will fail as the .bat also checks a ctrl-info.txt file before flashing, and that file contains the VPD's for each type of lenovo 530-8i, MAYBE I CAN SWAP THE VPDs AROUND in that ctrl-info.txt file (or swap names of the .rom files)?? that will be my last resort! also, i would guess lsiStorUpdateWin.exe is just a middle man for validation and passing commands to storCLI.exe, as storCLI.exe is also in the lenovo archive (storcli version in their archive is storCLI Ver 007.0524.0000.0000 Jul 23, 2018)
will update.
---
trying to use LSA web gui (in win - with J4 jumper NOT shorted ) to flash the Lenovo "Dense" FW (from the jan2019 FW extract), not surprisingly fails:
Failed - The requested command cannot be completed as the image is corrupted.
Last edited:
@james23
I didn't have to search my notes ... see my post back in Oct in this thread. Extract the latest firmware package from Lenovo and use StorCLI.efi.
If I were you, I'd first first try with regular flash before venturing into d(ense) FW.
Even though lenovo doesn't say tri-mode on the docs, the driver and lspci report it as tri-mode.
ok, so i got impatient, and threw caution to the wind...
I changed the VPD info in the ctrl-id.txt file (swapped the 530D-8i and my 530-8i), and then ran (from admin cmd): install.bat -f
the install seemed to be running fine , for about 30s, but im still at the same FW version as before (and it spit out 5 files, that show commands failed, or were passed invalid arguments- see below). I rebooted, tried just double clicking the isntall.bat this time (as admin) and same failure. so swapping the VPD info and/or swapping the FW file names around, does not work (when using lenovo FW update) .. same error (this is in the "result.out" file)
I changed the VPD info in the ctrl-id.txt file (swapped the 530D-8i and my 530-8i), and then ran (from admin cmd): install.bat -f
the install seemed to be running fine , for about 30s, but im still at the same FW version as before (and it spit out 5 files, that show commands failed, or were passed invalid arguments- see below). I rebooted, tried just double clicking the isntall.bat this time (as admin) and same failure. so swapping the VPD info and/or swapping the FW file names around, does not work (when using lenovo FW update) .. same error (this is in the "result.out" file)
@james23 logging output gets a lot more interesting when you try to flash firmware. You can probably create ini file in Lenovo's folder as well before you try flashing with their utility.
9440-8i_nopad.rom file is a firmware package file. It contains a bunch of different components. They are all listed in the txt file. For example:
9440-8i_nopad.rom file is a firmware package file. It contains a bunch of different components. They are all listed in the txt file. For example:
Firmware proper, not the package, is also called APP. Files app1026.rom / app1032.rom from Lenovo that @nthu9280 mentioned contain firmware or APP only, but not the rest of the bits. Numbers correspond to old fw versions 50.2.1-1026 and 50.3.0-1032. Now why exactly are they there I don't know, but they were not present in the older Lenovo fw release archives.
I did see that post (ive read this entire thread so many times now, but i guess i just read it incorrectly as IT fw or something). anyway, i think that is good advise, as i too saw lspci list my card as tri-mode (in ubuntu live 18, but i have a feeling that is bc its seeing it as a 9440-8i and not specifically as a 530-8i).
So i just now ran the install.bat file as admin (fresh, untouched copy)- and it DID upgrade my cards FW to 50.5.0 from 50.3.0 weird thing is it still shows as "50.5.0 beta FW" in the POST screen , and this fw from aug 2018 (even all the extracted files from the lenovo file are from ~aug 2018) - despite lenovo's site calling this the jan2019 FW update.
whatever though, for now im just going to wait until thursday, when my 80$ lsi nvme cable arrives and see if this card shows nvme's (ie see if it really is tri-mode, as is). will update, thanks
also, not sure that this is relevant or matters, but there is also a .tar file in the lenovo jan2019 FW update pacakge, that when extracted contains just the -d dense FW, see below (my guess is this .tar is a upgrade file that your feed in to some IBM Blade specific fw update tool)
