LSI 9270-8i IT mode

[Devinirv]

you could be right.

So, this is what I know:

1) this sbrempty.bin file that is floating around is nothing but 256bytes of 0x00 in it. nothing sophisticated here.

2) SAS2208 Rev B0 chipset uses 256byte SBR - so applying the above is probably good enough to erase it. The EEPROM chip that holds the SBR is actually 8K worth of storage, but only the first 256bytes here are used. Keep in mind, rev B0 is a PCIe 2.0 only chipset. (early revision)

3) SAS2208 Rev D1 chipset uses 512byte SBR - so applying the above SBR file probably only erases the 1st copy (there is a backup copy in the SBR). doing this probably leaves some junk behind starting from 0x100 offset. This rev D1 chipset is the PCIe 3.0 chipset; although with Dell firmware in the systems I've seen, it seems to advertise only PCIe 2.0.

Thanks for the response.
Where does one acquire the 512byte sbr file, I would love to apply this overwrite and see what my results are. When you are referring to backup copy, if I had said 512byte sbr file it would erase this backup. Or is the backup something that I need to somehow not trigger when the pci bus reinitializes the card?

Thank you so much for some of the hints. I feel like I'm making progress with this. I've probably invested almost 80 hours in the last 3 weeks with research and testing and learning from my mistakes. Im bound and determined to do this. however im trying to take care in doing this and after work all day and family stuff im tired and ive learned the hard way... do not screw with stuff tired and hungry mistakes happen.

 

[BLinux]

Thanks for the response.
Where does one acquire the 512byte sbr file, I would love to apply this overwrite and see what my results are. When you are referring to backup copy, if I had said 512byte sbr file it would erase this backup. Or is the backup something that I need to somehow not trigger when the pci bus reinitializes the card?

Uh...... the 512 byte empty SBR is just a 512 byte file with zeros... you can create one with any binary editor program or in linux, with /dev/zero.

on all the SBRs I've seen, there's a duplicate copy of the data, I assume that's a backup. both primary and backup are contained within the SBR, so if it is 256B SBR, and you write 0's to those 256B, then the backup copy is gone too. But if you write 256B 0's to a 512B SBR, what I'm saying is that it is likely the backup copy still exists, depending on how data is organized.

 

[Sleyk]

Thanks for the response.
Where does one acquire the 512byte sbr file, I would love to apply this overwrite and see what my results are. When you are referring to backup copy, if I had said 512byte sbr file it would erase this backup. Or is the backup something that I need to somehow not trigger when the pci bus reinitializes the card?

Thank you so much for some of the hints. I feel like I'm making progress with this. I've probably invested almost 80 hours in the last 3 weeks with research and testing and learning from my mistakes. Im bound and determined to do this. however im trying to take care in doing this and after work all day and family stuff im tired and ive learned the hard way... do not screw with stuff tired and hungry mistakes happen.

Hey guys, I'm actually working on the H730p, and I have a few ideas. I will report back with anything I find.

Hey BL, had a quick question for ya, what program do you use to open .rom files?

Also just to confirm, the H710p uses the SAS2208 Chipset? This is capable of pci-e 3.0? Interesting...

 

[Devinirv]

Hello,

Yes the sas2208 uses pci e 3.0 but only on the d1 revision. These cards are almost identical the the sas2308 chip. I have personally flashed a cisco branded lsi 9271 8i to sas2308 IT firmware. This card gained complete functionality as a 2308 hba with out issue other than a loud speaker. This card is 100 percent flashable contrary to others opinions. There has been multiple successes with it. Using the generic lsi branded 2208 cards is easiest. I'm working on the Dell cards currently. BLinux knows his stuff and is league's ahead of me. He is more familiar with the different variants and how to flash more proprietary cards. I haven't had time to revisit my current Dell perc 710p due to time and holidays approaching. However I will be back at it soon to create an sbr file once I've got more time. I would like to finalize with eventually creating sorta written directions know doing this. However I must be successful more than once on multiple cards before I do...

 

[Sleyk]

Hello,

Yes the sas2208 uses pci e 3.0 but only on the d1 revision. These cards are almost identical the the sas2308 chip. I have personally flashed a cisco branded lsi 9271 8i to sas2308 IT firmware. This card gained complete functionality as a 2308 hba with out issue other than a loud speaker. This card is 100 percent flashable contrary to others opinions. There has been multiple successes with it. Using the generic lsi branded 2208 cards is easiest. I'm working on the Dell cards currently. BLinux knows his stuff and is league's ahead of me. He is more familiar with the different variants and how to flash more proprietary cards. I haven't had time to revisit my current Dell perc 710p due to time and holidays approaching. However I will be back at it soon to create an sbr file once I've got more time. I would like to finalize with eventually creating sorta written directions know doing this. However I must be successful more than once on multiple cards before I do...

Sounds good brother! Lets do this! Let's conquer these cards!

 

[BLinux]

Hey guys... this is a little bit off topic, as i'm investigating Dell PERC RAID firmware to LSI MegaRAID firmware flash and not an "IT mode" flash... but I need the original LSI SBR for a LSI SAS2208 Rev D1 (PCIe 3.0) card with MegaRAID firmware. If anyone has a card still with RAID firmware, and runs PCIe 3.0 with the 2208 D1 chipset, I would appreciate it if you can extract the SBR and send it to me in PM. The SBR should be 512 bytes, and if you extract it with MEGAREC, make sure to get a newer version of MEGAREC that can see the 2208 chipset (confirmed with MEGAREC -adpList).

 

[vanfawx]

@BLinux I think I can help with that. I still have my SBR backup of the 9270-8i I converted to a 9207-8i IT mode.

I've sent you a PM.

 

[Devinirv]

@BLinux I think I can help with that. I still have my SBR backup of the 9270-8i I converted to a 9207-8i IT mode.

I've sent you a PM.

Hey so that sbr file if it is from a stock lsi or ibm model will not have the 512byte sbr, atleast mine didn't. It is a direct lsi part number card with a d1 revision.

I still have not attempted to write a binary file with all zeros or modify an sbr file to be 512 bytes for the dell cards. Time has not been on my side, newish job responsibilities, family, holidays, and fatigue.
I would like to revisit this soon and hopefully pick someones brain more. Ive looked at some treads on editing the files as well as videos but nothing super in depth. from what ive read and seen, i may be out of my element due to some unknowns.
I would like to create an sbr that isnt just zeros but rather as close to stock lsi as possible or even dell if possible with allowing it to overwrite the entire sbr from the sas2208 (512) to a sas2308(512) so the card doesnt read the backup and will atleast be recognized in bios or system os.

I would greatly appreciate assistance from anyone familiar with these sbr files, and rewriting them. If someone were to have such a file and be willing to share then thank you. However im not asking for a handout. this is my problem and im working to find a solution to the best of my ability. Ive learned a little bit more about these cards in the last little bit and it has been a valued learning experience.
@BLinux Thank you for all the helpful tips and hints you have provided. BTW keep up the great work you do and Good Health!

 

[vanfawx]

@Devinirv The SBR is from a retail boxed MegaRaid 9270-8i and is 512 bytes, as is the SBP.

If you want to create an empty 512 byte SBR, from Linux: dd if=/dev/zero of=512byte.sbr bs=512 count=1

Past that, I'm not really sure what you're asking for. If you'd like a copy of the SBR I sent @BLinux, I'm more than happy to do that.

 

[Sleyk]

@Devinirv The SBR is from a retail boxed MegaRaid 9270-8i and is 512 bytes, as is the SBP.

If you want to create an empty 512 byte SBR, from Linux: dd if=/dev/zero of=512byte.sbr bs=512 count=1

Past that, I'm not really sure what you're asking for. If you'd like a copy of the SBR I sent @BLinux, I'm more than happy to do that.

Thought there were plenty of empty "sbr's" floating all over the interwebs.

@Devinirv I liked your post, but don't sound so glum brother. We can share the load. Thats why we're all here. We are all looking for the solution. Then we share it. You don't have to take it all on yourself brother.

Also, I know it's frustrating to see the solution and know it is right there and can grasp it, but it is just not fully solved. Don't worry mate. You will get it. Just keep at it.

 

[Sleyk]

Hey so that sbr file if it is from a stock lsi or ibm model will not have the 512byte sbr, atleast mine didn't. It is a direct lsi part number card with a d1 revision.
I still have not attempted to write a binary file with all zeros or modify an sbr file to be 512 bytes for the dell cards. Time has not been on my side, newish job responsibilities, family, holidays, and fatigue.
I would like to revisit this soon and hopefully pick someones brain more. Ive looked at some treads on editing the files as well as videos but nothing super in depth. from what ive read and seen, i may be out of my element due to some unknowns.
I would like to create an sbr that isnt just zeros but rather as close to stock lsi as possible or even dell if possible with allowing it to overwrite the entire sbr from the sas2208 (512) to a sas2308(512) so the card doesnt read the backup and will atleast be recognized in bios or system os.

Now, I think I understand what you mean brother, but I thought that the proper way to go about it was to completely write ALL zero's to the SBR. This allows Megarec to clean the flash. I suppose its possible to write or modify an SBR to a custom one where it just shows up and works for the card, but I get the feeling the card might run into compatibility issues in itself down the line. I'm not sure.

Perhaps the better way would be to take your specific SBR you obtained from your card and play around with some .bin file managers or a rom edit utility to see if you can modify or customize the sbr. I think making it all zero's is best though. This is just from my limited experience! It seems like the 2nd Gen LSI chipsets take different firmware better when the flash is completely overwritten and cleaned. I think @BLinux was able to acheive a custom SBR with his flash of the Mini Mono H310 though. Either way, just keep working at it mate.

 

[Kim Bjoern]

Hi all, thanks in advance for possibly helping me out.

Googling like a maniac; some say it's not possible, but I may have succeed bricking a 9266-8i.

Originally I tried to crossflash the controller to IT. It appears that's not possible with the 2208 c1 revision. OK.

I lost the SBR along the way, and now my final attempts is about restoring the original IR firmware. With no luck:

I'm rigged on a DELL R520 with DOS, EFI and Linux. I'm shooting with Megarec, sas2flsh, lsirec, lsiutil and the LSI recovery ISO.
I'm jumping on/off J6B2 in attempts to bypass SBR. I've tried w. 256k and 512k empty SBR's. Still no luck.

This is what I can do.

I can hostboot 9205-8e.bin in both lsirec and sas2flsh v.15, and apparently clear the flash. But I can't flash the original mr2208fw successfully.
I can (apparently) write (empty) SBR's with lsirec.

Any ideas much appreciated (and/or a copy of an original 9266-8i SBR).

/Kim Bjoern

 

[fohdeesha]

Hi all, thanks in advance for possibly helping me out.

Googling like a maniac; some say it's not possible, but I may have succeed bricking a 9266-8i.

Originally I tried to crossflash the controller to IT. It appears that's not possible with the 2208 c1 revision. OK.

I lost the SBR along the way, and now my final attempts is about restoring the original IR firmware. With no luck:

I'm rigged on a DELL R520 with DOS, EFI and Linux. I'm shooting with Megarec, sas2flsh, lsirec, lsiutil and the LSI recovery ISO.
I'm jumping on/off J6B2 in attempts to bypass SBR. I've tried w. 256k and 512k empty SBR's. Still no luck.

This is what I can do.

I can hostboot 9205-8e.bin in both lsirec and sas2flsh v.15, and apparently clear the flash. But I can't flash the original mr2208fw successfully.
I can (apparently) write (empty) SBR's with lsirec.

Any ideas much appreciated (and/or a copy of an original 9266-8i SBR).

/Kim Bjoern

you're going to need an original 9266-8i SBR to write back to the card

 

[BLinux]

Hi all, thanks in advance for possibly helping me out.

Googling like a maniac; some say it's not possible, but I may have succeed bricking a 9266-8i.

Originally I tried to crossflash the controller to IT. It appears that's not possible with the 2208 c1 revision. OK.

I lost the SBR along the way, and now my final attempts is about restoring the original IR firmware. With no luck:

I'm rigged on a DELL R520 with DOS, EFI and Linux. I'm shooting with Megarec, sas2flsh, lsirec, lsiutil and the LSI recovery ISO.
I'm jumping on/off J6B2 in attempts to bypass SBR. I've tried w. 256k and 512k empty SBR's. Still no luck.

This is what I can do.

I can hostboot 9205-8e.bin in both lsirec and sas2flsh v.15, and apparently clear the flash. But I can't flash the original mr2208fw successfully.
I can (apparently) write (empty) SBR's with lsirec.

Any ideas much appreciated (and/or a copy of an original 9266-8i SBR).

/Kim Bjoern

I've never heard of the C1 revision, so that's interesting...

If you can hostboot 9205-8e successfully (IOC in Ready state after hostboot), then I suspect that's one of the chips that is like the B1 revision which is PCIe 2.0 only and uses 256B SBR. If you can hostboot successfully, then you should be able to flash the 9205-8e firmware... hostboot is like running the firmware from system memory, so if it runs ok like that, it should be able to run it from flash.

but ok, let's say you just want to go back to MegaRAID firmware (not IR by the way, different things)... you *should* be able to leave the SBR empty, write the *.rom file for the MegaRAID firmware to the flash using megarec -m0flash. there are different versions of the MegaRAID firmware... make sure you get the right one for your card... because it sounds like this "C1" revision is like the PCIe 2.0 chip... if you flash the D1 revision it will not work. during first boot, a lot of the LSI firmware will attempt to repair the SBR if they detect it is empty or not correct. So, hopefully, that will restore the SBR for you... but the initial boot time might take an extra minute to do the SBR restore. this *may or may not* work for you... i'm just saying from my experience, the LSI firmwares seem to do some auto-repair on start up of the SBRs and I've seen it done before, but I've never worked on the card you have specifically. BTW, this is also why the the procedure in this thread works after writing empty sbr, the IT firmware fixes the SBR after first boot (if you check the SBR after the first boot, it's not empty anymore).

 

[Kim Bjoern]

I've never heard of the C1 revision, so that's interesting...

If you can hostboot 9205-8e successfully (IOC in Ready state after hostboot), then I suspect that's one of the chips that is like the B1 revision which is PCIe 2.0 only and uses 256B SBR. If you can hostboot successfully, then you should be able to flash the 9205-8e firmware... hostboot is like running the firmware from system memory, so if it runs ok like that, it should be able to run it from flash.

but ok, let's say you just want to go back to MegaRAID firmware (not IR by the way, different things)... you *should* be able to leave the SBR empty, write the *.rom file for the MegaRAID firmware to the flash using megarec -m0flash. there are different versions of the MegaRAID firmware... make sure you get the right one for your card... because it sounds like this "C1" revision is like the PCIe 2.0 chip... if you flash the D1 revision it will not work. during first boot, a lot of the LSI firmware will attempt to repair the SBR if they detect it is empty or not correct. So, hopefully, that will restore the SBR for you... but the initial boot time might take an extra minute to do the SBR restore. this *may or may not* work for you... i'm just saying from my experience, the LSI firmwares seem to do some auto-repair on start up of the SBRs and I've seen it done before, but I've never worked on the card you have specifically. BTW, this is also why the the procedure in this thread works after writing empty sbr, the IT firmware fixes the SBR after first boot (if you check the SBR after the first boot, it's not empty anymore).

Many thanks @BLinux - I tried again to crossflash the 9266-8i, it doesn't seem to "self-repair" the SBR on this card. Megarec.exe -cleanflash (twice ;-), and - writesbr BIGB0STK.sbr allowed me to lsirec hostboot w. 9205-8e - and complete flashes. But no succesfull reboot. I also tried lsirec hostboot with various other FW.ROM's - without luck.

I really liked your insights about flashing low-level with megarec -m0flash, and again tried with a number of FW.ROM's. Various 16MB LSI recovery ROM's and original and latest 8MB MR2208FW.rom

No self-repair of SBR.

Anyone with a copy of an original 9266-8i sbr? Possibly 9271-8i or IBM M5016 SBR's?

/Kim Bjoern

 

[Freebsd1976]

want try flash one IBM M5110 with 512MB cache to LSI MegaRAID 9270-8i (1G cache), not an "IT mode" flash, I still a little nerves about my M5110 only have 512MB cache , but 9270-8i have 1G cache ,anyone knows will this lead crossflash failed?

 

[Freebsd1976]

want try flash one IBM M5110 with 512MB cache to LSI MegaRAID 9270-8i (1G cache), not an "IT mode" flash, I still a little nerves about my M5110 only have 512MB cache , but 9270-8i have 1G cache ,anyone knows will this lead crossflash failed? thanks

 

[vanfawx]

want try flash one IBM M5110 with 512MB cache to LSI MegaRAID 9270-8i (1G cache), not an "IT mode" flash, I still a little nerves about my M5110 only have 512MB cache , but 9270-8i have 1G cache ,anyone knows will this lead crossflash failed? thanks

I don't think that'll work as the ram quantities are different. I also thought the SBR sizes were different too. I'm not an expert here, but I'm pretty sure you can't do what you're wanting.

@fohdeesha - am I mistaken here?

 

[Freebsd1976]

m5110 have 512m and 1g cache ，so Memory size isn’t problem , sbr size maybe a problem , will give it a try

 

[fohdeesha]

no idea honestly, never looked at the 9270 cards