SAS HD doesn't show up with Dell PERC H200

[deegee]

I have a Dell PE T110 II with an H200 adapter running MS Server 2012R2.

The H200 runs in IR mode and presently has one has one Seagate ST3600057SS (SAS 600GB) in HDD 0 configured for boot. No raid has been configured.

The H200 adapter is flashed to the most current levels available from Dell (Dell PERC H200 Adapter, v.07.03.06.00, A09). The documentation indicates this firmware supports drives larger than 2TB.

During boot, this is what CTRL-C says:

For Dell SAS Ctlr V7.11.10.00 (2011.06.02)

Adapter: PERC H200A
PCI Address: 01:00
MPT Firmware Rev: 7.15.08.00-IR
Package Version: 7.03.06.00
SAS Address: 5B8CA3A0:EB46AA00
NVDATA Version: 07.00.00.19
Status: Enabled
Boot Order: 0
Boot Support: [Enabled in BIOS & OS]​

To expand storage capacity (as JBOD, no raid), I recently purchased a Seagate ST4000nm0025 4TB drive and placed it in HDD 1. When I boot the system, this drive isn't recognized by the H200, it's not listed during H200 initialization or by the CTRL-C config utility. Furthermore, if I place my finger on the drive during boot, it doesn't seem to be getting (or recognizing) a power up sequence, no clicks, vibration, head seeks whatsoever. I tried the drive in HDD 0 just to verify and got the same result.

The ST4000nm0025 is stock and isn't flashed with the update available on the Dell site because I can't even see the drive to do the flash.

Any suggestions on what's wrong here? Have I received a dead drive?

Thanks.

 

[pricklypunter]

Does the disk spin up and initialise when powered? Try powering it up with just the power cable attached. If it comes alive, it's more likely a card config issue, if not, then I would return it. I find it's best to test these things away from noise sources, so that I can better hear what the disk is doing

 

[deegee]

There's no independent power cable - it's a one piece SAS connector. I can hear the working drive click and spin up once the H200 initialization is complete but the problem drive is quiet. I'll try and see if I can jury rig a power connection to see if I can get the drive to spin up.

 

[pricklypunter]

I keep a couple of SATA to SAS breakout cables in my toolbox, along with a USB SATA adapter. These have 4 pin Molex power connectors and let you quickly test SAS disks on pretty much any mainboard or your laptop etc. The cables are cheap from the 'bay, Amazon etc. If you get stuck, that might be a way to rule out a disk failure

 

[deegee]

Thanks, I've ordered a breakout cable with a molex connector, I have a +5V/+12V power supply from a USB-SATA adapter so I'll see how all this goes.

One question - does SAS have any kind of power sequence signalling. If I connect the power to the HDD and turn it on should the drive always spin up or is there something else I should know??

thks.

 

[pricklypunter]

The disk can be told to park the heads and spin down, once the interface is up and running, some even do so on their own (power management in firmware) when not accessed for a period, but default disk behaviour from power up, should always be to spin up and get ready to work. If that's not happening when you power it up without a data/ control interface available to tell it to spin down again, then I would be returning it for a replacement

 

[deegee]

I think I may have found what's going on... The new drive is a SAS3 the old drive a SAS2. SAS3 has a new feature called Power Disable. Apparently if there's 3.3 volts on Pin 3, the drive won't power up. Here's a link I found when looking for SAS2 SAS3 compatibility:

How do I connect a SAS3 drive to a SAS2-capable motherboard that only has SATA-style ports?

The author had a problem similar to what I'm experiencing and answered his own question. I haven't tested this all out to verify, but it sounds suspiciously close. Once I test, I'll post the results

 

[pricklypunter]

Ahh...I learn something new every day

Just disabling any 3v3 supply on your power lead, going to pin 3 on that disk, should produce results then, if that is indeed what the issue is. Also, using the breakout cable that I mentioned would get round the issue too, as that has no 3v3 connector, only 5v and 12v on a standard Molex

 

[deegee]

Problem solved - it was the pin P3 problem. Clipped the orange wire leading in to the drive connector and drive is up and all 4TB is visible to the OS.

Thanks for your replies and help, much appreciated.

 

[pricklypunter]

Good news then, glad you got to the bottom of the problem. Thanks for posting the outcome, I'm sure it will benefit someone (me most likely) caught out by the same issue in the future