Recommend me an 8i hba for Server 2022

[TeleFragger]

I have an on going issue and not gettig anywhere with fixing it so I figure lets try something different.

I currently have an HP H220 8-i card that was working flawlessly in Server 2019 for a while. It started giving me issues with random hard drives dropping from my system.
This H220 drives an HP AEC-83605 which is a 36i card.

Since I had an issue, decided to go server 2022 and I ended up with the same issues i had in Server 2019... random drives dropping. Now I can tell you that drivers made differences of getting drives seen, etc..

so I am thinking it is time for a newer card where I can easily find drivers for Server 2022, thus...

looking for recommendations on an 8i card that works with server 2022, drivers easy to obtain, and could resolve my issue.

appreciate it.
Jeff

 

[BLinux]

Random drives dropping off in a HBA+SAS expander combo is often a cable problem between the HBA and SAS expander. You should examine system log messages from the driver to help identify exactly what is happening.

 

[TeleFragger]

Random drives dropping off in a HBA+SAS expander combo is often a cable problem between the HBA and SAS expander. You should examine system log messages from the driver to help identify exactly what is happening.

i have swapped cables, tried random things... it is also various drives too so not the same ones every time. I am at lost ends but will give another go on finding the drives that fell off, and replace their cables.
thx for the thought on that.

 

[BLinux]

i have swapped cables, tried random things... it is also various drives too so not the same ones every time. I am at lost ends but will give another go on finding the drives that fell off, and replace their cables.
thx for the thought on that.

That's exactly my point, because your error drive is hoping around and not consistently one drive. That's why I said it might be the cable between the HBA and SAS expander because any communication will pick a different lane and not always the same lane. so whenever I/O hits the bad lane, then it looks like that drive has errors, but the next I/O that hits the bad lane might be a different drive, then it looks like the error is on the different drive.

I don't know Windows, but I did a deeper log analysis in Linux to show this type of problem with LSI controllers and how to identify it in my video here:

I know that won't help with Windows user, but at least it might explain what i'm talking about and why you would see the symptoms you see.

 

[TeleFragger]

so I did find a cable that was loose and not locking in place. I replaced it and now it is all locking in but still having the same issue. I swapped out the HP and put a Dell Perc 310 in and getting same results. I am thinking it might actually be my expander card. I did not switch how the 8i connects to the expander port 9 to try another port but that is my next try.

 

[BLinux]

so I did find a cable that was loose and not locking in place. I replaced it and now it is all locking in but still having the same issue. I swapped out the HP and put a Dell Perc 310 in and getting same results. I am thinking it might actually be my expander card. I did not switch how the 8i connects to the expander port 9 to try another port but that is my next try.

That is a good idea. Use a different port on the expander. The port used currently might have a bad SAS lane. Physically, I would check to see if the coupling capacitors near the port are fully intact. About 90% of the time, damage to those capacitors is the cause of the bad SAS lane. There are times where the cap fails internally and that can only be checked by using a meter to measure the capacitance; this is however, pretty rare.