Purchased a P411W-32P NVMe switch for use with ESXi, this is a rather expensive PCIe Gen4 x16 HBA that contains a PCIe switch and can connect up to eight x4 NVMe SSDs, via 4 * SFF-8654 connectors
Since I could not use the P411W with a HPE 826689-B21 NVMe cage, I decided to go in for two MB699VP-B V3 cages. When I emailed and asked Icy Dock for compatibility with the P411W, they replied back that it would need a specific non-public firmware to be loaded onto the HBA.
As it stands, the latest firmware P411W ships with is meant for NVMe enclosures that conform to SFF-TA-1005 or Universal Backplane Management. Essentially firmware versions like 1.8.4.0 (Phase 4) or 1.3.1 (Phase 14.3) will NOT allow you to connect the P411W-32P to individual NVMe disks or to enclosures that are not SFF-TA-1005 compliant. It's only firmwares like 1.2.1 (Phase 14.2) and older that will allow you to connect to non-UBM enclosures or to individual NVMe disks
So when Icy Dock sent me a 1.05.00 firmware that they claimed was the only way to connect the MB699VP-B V3 enclosure to the switch - of course I believed them. Sadly, the firmware was *not* signed AND flashing it rendered my P411W-32P into a useless paperweight. And I had successfully downgraded the same HBA from 1.8.4.0 to 1.3.1 to 1.2.1.
Despite all attempts to flash it again, the HBA was dead and the only recourse was to send it off for RMA - something that wasted four weeks and ended in me getting not a new HBA, but a refurbished one from 2020 (sadly that's the RMA policy)
During all this - the Icy Dock tech support person who was initially very communicative, suddenly disappeared after a generic 'we will contact Broadcom with your problem and let you know' ... no emails and no support since
So Icy Dock are happy to provide firmware that bricks expensive HBAs and they're happy to leave you on your own when sh*t hits the fan
I will *NOT* be buying anything from Icy Dock again
Since I could not use the P411W with a HPE 826689-B21 NVMe cage, I decided to go in for two MB699VP-B V3 cages. When I emailed and asked Icy Dock for compatibility with the P411W, they replied back that it would need a specific non-public firmware to be loaded onto the HBA.
As it stands, the latest firmware P411W ships with is meant for NVMe enclosures that conform to SFF-TA-1005 or Universal Backplane Management. Essentially firmware versions like 1.8.4.0 (Phase 4) or 1.3.1 (Phase 14.3) will NOT allow you to connect the P411W-32P to individual NVMe disks or to enclosures that are not SFF-TA-1005 compliant. It's only firmwares like 1.2.1 (Phase 14.2) and older that will allow you to connect to non-UBM enclosures or to individual NVMe disks
So when Icy Dock sent me a 1.05.00 firmware that they claimed was the only way to connect the MB699VP-B V3 enclosure to the switch - of course I believed them. Sadly, the firmware was *not* signed AND flashing it rendered my P411W-32P into a useless paperweight. And I had successfully downgraded the same HBA from 1.8.4.0 to 1.3.1 to 1.2.1.
Despite all attempts to flash it again, the HBA was dead and the only recourse was to send it off for RMA - something that wasted four weeks and ended in me getting not a new HBA, but a refurbished one from 2020 (sadly that's the RMA policy)
During all this - the Icy Dock tech support person who was initially very communicative, suddenly disappeared after a generic 'we will contact Broadcom with your problem and let you know' ... no emails and no support since
So Icy Dock are happy to provide firmware that bricks expensive HBAs and they're happy to leave you on your own when sh*t hits the fan
I will *NOT* be buying anything from Icy Dock again
