Supermicro SC846TQ backplane - locate HDD function question

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poto

Active Member
May 18, 2013
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Has anyone using this chassis/backplane combination successfully used the "locate HDD" command in Avago MSM to blink the appropriate LED? If so, could you share your hardware/cabling specifics?

While replacing a failed HDD in backup server, I realized that I never bothered to see if this function worked, and now the fact that I cannot get it to work has gotten under my skin.

motherboard: SM X9scm-iif (2x8-pin SGPIO)
raid controller: LSI/Avago 9266-8i (2x3-pin I2C)
sas expander: res2cv360 (2x3-pin I2C)
backplane: SC846TQ (6x4-pin I2C, 6x10-pin SGPIO)

According the SM manual, the backplane defaults to SPGIO mode, and I confirmed that backplane jumper is set appropriately. HDD LEDs light during access, but do not respond to "locate HDD" command from MSM.

Next, I set backplane jumper to I2C mode, and ran into another set of questions. The backplane has 6 sets of 4-pin I2C connectors. The expander and raid controller each have 2 sets of 3-pin I2C connectors. Tried various combinations of controller>backplane and expander>backplane using 3-pin I2C cable without success. Unable to find documentation specifying which connection is correct, or if backplane connections need to be interconnected.

Located and ordered Supermicro CBL-0157L 8-pin to 8-pin SGPIO. Will reset backplane back to SGPIO and connect backplane>motherboard after cable arrives.

Reviewed several discussions of this question in common hardware forums going back to 2008, but unable to find definitive answer so far. A bit obscure, I know, but figured if anyone had a solution it was likely to be here.

UPDATE:

No luck with SGPIO cable - switched backplane jumper, connected motherboard>backplane, no go.
 
Last edited:

Yarik Dot

Active Member
Apr 13, 2015
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Post a solution when you reach it. We are using it only as expander with HBA LSI (it mode) and we can control the locate led from the system.