Updating the HGST HDD & SSD firmware

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KonstantinG

New Member
Dec 26, 2020
8
0
1
Albany, WA
Have a pair of WD DC HC310 (Vela-A, HGST HUS726T6TALE6L4) bought new at retail store some time ago with VKGNW40H firmware. There is two firmware updates available, one - VKGAW41G from WD site, another, VKGNW984 - from hddguru. Tried to update firmware to WD firmware revision and unsucced both with sg_write_buffer and hdparm.

Is there any other way to update?

Code:
# lsscsi  -g
[2:0:0:0]    disk    ATA      WDC  WDS500G2B0A 00WD  /dev/sda   /dev/sg0 
[2:0:1:0]    disk    ATA      HGST HUS726T6TAL W40H  /dev/sdb   /dev/sg1
Code:
# smartctl -i /dev/sg1
smartctl 7.1 2019-12-30 r5022 [x86_64-linux-5.4.0-100-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-19, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www.smartmontools.org

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Device Model:     HGST HUS726T6TALE6L4
Serial Number:    ********
LU WWN Device Id: 5 000cca 098d0d628
Firmware Version: VKGNW40H
User Capacity:    6,001,175,126,016 bytes [6.00 TB]
Sector Size:      4096 bytes logical/physical
Rotation Rate:    7200 rpm
Form Factor:      3.5 inches
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
ATA Version is:   ACS-2, ATA8-ACS T13/1699-D revision 4
SATA Version is:  SATA 3.2, 6.0 Gb/s (current: 6.0 Gb/s)
Local Time is:    Mon Apr 18 17:59:48 2022 UTC
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled



Code:
# sg_write_buffer -vvvvv -m 5 --in VKGAW41G.bin /dev/sg1

found sg_bsg_major=244
open /dev/sg1 with flags=0x802
tried to read 8388608 bytes from VKGAW41G.bin, got 2375680 bytes
will write 2375680 bytes
sending single write buffer, mode=0x5, mpsec=0, id=0, offset=0, len=2375680
    Write buffer cdb: 3b 05 00 00 00 00 24 40 00 00
    Write buffer parameter list (first 256 bytes):
24 40 00 00 00 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 28 0e 01 02  ff ff ff ff fe ff ff ff
48 47 53 54 2c 20 61 20  57 65 73 74 65 72 6e 20
44 69 67 69 74 61 6c 20  43 6f 6d 70 61 6e 79 20
49 43 33 35 4c 78 78 78  55 78 44 33 32 31 30 2d
30 20 4d 69 63 72 6f 63  6f 64 65 20 28 43 29 20
43 6f 70 79 72 69 67 68  74 20 57 65 73 74 65 72
6e 20 44 69 67 69 74 61  6c 20 43 6f 72 70 2e 20
32 30 31 32 2c 20 32 30  31 32 2d 32 30 31 33 2e
20 41 6c 6c 20 72 69 67  68 74 73 20 72 65 73 65
72 76 65 64 2e 20 20 55  53 20 47 6f 76 65 72 6e
6d 65 6e 74 20 55 73 65  72 73 20 52 65 73 74 72
69 63 74 65 64 20 52 69  67 68 74 73 20 2d 20 55
73 65 20 64 75 70 6c 69  63 61 74 69 6f 6e 20 66
6f 72 20 64 69 73 63 6c  6f 73 75 72 65 20 72 65
73 74 72 69 63 74 65 64  20 62 79 20 47 43 41 20
check_file_type: file descriptor is sg device
      duration=128 ms
Write buffer:
Fixed format, current; Sense key: Aborted Command
Additional sense: No additional sense information
 Raw sense data (in hex), sb_len=18, embedded_len=18
        70 00 0b 00 00 00 00 0a  00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        00 00
Write buffer failed: Aborted command, type: sense key, other than protection related (asc=0x10)
Code:
# hdparm --fwdownload-mode3 VKGAW41G.bin --yes-i-know-what-i-am-doing --please-destroy-my-drive /dev/sdb 2>&1 | tee log.VKGAW41G.bin.hdparm.txt
fwdownload: xfer_mode=3 min=8 max=8 size=4096

/dev/sdb:

FAILED: Input/output error
 

napalm_atx

Member
May 21, 2021
54
24
8
Novosibirsk
VKGAW41G is something OEM customized, i don't know for what WD is published it on support section, VKGNW984 is exactly what you need. In HGST fw files letterts 3 and 4 defines for what market drive intended. GN is generic.
 
Last edited:

TXAG26

Active Member
Aug 2, 2016
397
120
43
So I recently bought a pile of SAS HE10s (HUH721010AL4200) to go with some I already had. I had had some performance issues with these drives in the past, where delayed reads would cause them to fall off the expander with a power-on reset error. I thought I'd look around to see if I could find some firmware and found a Cisco page (https://quickview.cloudapps.cisco.com/quickview/bug/CSCvs18046) talking about performance issues with those very drives. Poked around a bit more and found an A3Z4 firmware, replacing A38K (which none of the new drives had; they were A384 and A21D). Turns out it was freely available to download the "4j" version ISO for the UCS S3260 server. Cisco doesn't make it easy to figure out what update you need to get the firmware files as they don't include every firmware file in every ISO... anyway, pulled down the ISO and extracted HUH721010AL4200_A3Z4.bin and HUH721010AL42C0_A3Z4.bin. I also had a 42C0 with the A38K firmware, so I thought I'd try my luck with that one first since it already had the second-newest firmware, so I applied the appropriate file with sg_write_buffer. After a full power cycle to see that it had worked, I did the same to the 4200 with the oldest firmware, just installing HUH721010AL4200_A3Z4.bin. After a reboot, now the drive thinks it's a HUH721010AL42C0 - did I screw up? No, the two binary firmware files from the ISO have the same checksum. Just Cisco things, I guess? Anyway, the drive was still working so I applied the A3Z4 firmware to all the drives. Seems like it's working fine; I'll keep an eye out for any issues. Hopefully the few drives I couldn't get to update (HUH721010AL4204s where the only google result for the firmware versions they have are STH posts I made? great...) won't be the cause of any problems.
I am needing the A3Z4.bin firmware but am unable to download it from Cisco. Is there a way I could get that from you or is there another link?
 

dharkness

New Member
May 13, 2022
1
0
1
26.022407 50.559644
Problem I have
LSI 9212-4i 6Gbps SAS HBA P20 IT Mode ZFS FreeNAS unRAID
HUH721010AL4200/42C0 HGST Ultrastar He10 10TB 7200RPM SAS 12Gbps 256MB
SATA Hard Disk Drive Raid Adapter with 15 Pin 7 Pin + 15 Pin to SFF-8482 SAS 22 Pin Converter Adapter

the lsi is not recognizing the HD, i can plug SATA with the converter and the card will recognize it. I am not sure what to do to make this work :(
 

afik

New Member
Oct 16, 2019
3
0
1
hello does someone have SMGNA210.bin firmware? i have bunch of HUSMM8080ASS201 drives
 

afik

New Member
Oct 16, 2019
3
0
1
thank you very much! that was much quicker than i expected

did any of guys you had any success with flushing OEM HGST firmware on EMC brand ones ?
i thought to ask before i do it myself since i read there was some dissociation about it but not a real answer
 

denpa

Member
Feb 21, 2015
58
30
18
@napalm_atx I contacted HGST support and they provided firmware version A92C for the HUH721010AL4200 and HUH721010AL5200 model drives. I see you also posted this version to HDDGuru last year. Any idea why the support would provide a seemingly older version instead of A9G0?

I have also been experiencing the timeout issue on the A384 firmware. The Windows event viewer periodically shows the error "An error was detected on device \Device\Harddisk1\DR1 during a paging operation." I initially thought my LSI card was going bad but I no longer think that's the case after reading this thread. Thanks for the info everyone.
 
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napalm_atx

Member
May 21, 2021
54
24
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Novosibirsk
@napalm_atx I contacted HGST support and they provided firmware version A92C for the HUH721010AL4200 and HUH721010AL5200 model drives. I see you also posted this version to HDDGuru last year. Any idea why the support would provide a seemingly older version instead of A9G0?
Yes support is not working perfectly, some times they send me broken firmware files. They send you an older version, this is the usual thing. Your problem about timeouts as i know is fixed in A92C
 

agentt

New Member
Jun 11, 2022
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0
1
Hi everyone, I really learned a lot from this thread, thanks to all of you.
Let me tell you the story of how I ended up here, it started when an uncle of mine broth me a DVR, according to him the DVR did a system update and the it stopped reading the HDD, so I took it apart, tried to access the drive via USB and it says NoMedia, I have doubts that it's a firmware problem, and thought maybe if I manged to do an update the drive will be recognized again.
HDD info :
Model : HUA723030ALA641
P/N : 0F12471
MLC : MRK840
S/N : YVGGXSXA
Date : AUG-2012
Capacity : 3Tb
 

yukas

Member
Jun 3, 2022
33
2
8
PS C:\sg> ./sg_scan
PD0 [C] FK0032CAAZP HPF2 DFF3S0S930SE930A5874
PD1 HITACHI HUC10606 CLAR600 C3B0 PZKKRM4D
PS C:\sg> .\sg_write_buffer --m 5 -vvvvvv --in=CDGNA430.bin PD1
scsi_pt_open_flags: CreateFile('\\.\PhysicalDrive1'), bus=0, target=0, lun=0
tried to read 8388608 bytes from CDGNA430.bin, got 950272 bytes
will write 950272 bytes
sending single write buffer, mode=0x5, mpsec=0, id=0, offset=0, len=950272
Write buffer cdb: 3b 05 00 00 00 00 0e 80 00 00
Write buffer parameter list (first 256 bytes):
0e 80 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
48 69 74 61 63 68 69 20 47 6c 6f 62 61 6c 20 53
74 6f 72 61 67 65 20 54 65 63 68 6e 6f 6c 6f 67
79 20 49 43 33 35 4c 78 78 78 55 78 44 33 32 31
30 2d 30 20 4d 69 63 72 6f 63 6f 64 65 20 28 43
29 20 43 6f 70 79 72 69 67 68 74 20 48 69 74 61
63 68 69 20 43 6f 72 70 2e 20 32 30 30 33 2c 20
32 30 30 34 2e 20 41 6c 6c 20 72 69 67 68 74 73
20 72 65 73 65 72 76 65 64 2e 20 20 55 53 20 47
6f 76 65 72 6e 6d 65 6e 74 20 55 73 65 72 73 20
52 65 73 74 72 69 63 74 65 64 20 52 69 67 68 74
73 20 2d 20 55 73 65 20 64 75 70 6c 69 63 61 74
69 6f 6e 20 66 6f 72 20 64 69 73 63 6c 6f 73 75
72 65 20 72 65 73 74 72 69 63 74 65 64 20 62 79
20 47 43 41 20 41 44 50 20 53 63 68 65 64 75 6c
get_bus_type: Bus type: Sas
Storage Device Descriptor Data:
00 28 00 00 00 8c 01 00 00 00 00 00 01 28 00 00 00 (...........(...
10 31 00 00 00 42 00 00 00 47 00 00 00 0a 00 00 00 1...B...G.......
20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 48 49 54 41 43 48 49 20 ........HITACHI
30 00 48 55 43 31 30 36 30 36 20 43 4c 41 52 36 30 .HUC10606 CLAR60
40 30 00 43 33 42 30 00 50 5a 4b 4b 52 4d 34 44 20 0.C3B0.PZKKRM4D
50 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 .........
60 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
70 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
80 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
90 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
a0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
b0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
c0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
d0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
e0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
f0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................
spt_indirect: dxfer_len (950272) too large for initial data
buffer (16384 bytes), try enlarging
spt_indirect, adapter: \\.\PhysicalDrive1 Length=56 ScsiStatus=0 PathId=0 TargetId=0 Lun=0
CdbLength=10 SenseInfoLength=64 DataIn=0 DataTransferLength=950272
TimeOutValue=300 DataBufferOffset=124 SenseInfoOffset=60
scsi_pt_indirect: DeviceIoControl: ???????? ????? ???????.
[87]
Write buffer: transport: ???????? ????? ???????.

Write buffer failed: OS error: Input/output error

try in linux, another drivers, OS - what problems here?
 

yukas

Member
Jun 3, 2022
33
2
8
i'm try HUGO



2) HGST CLAR600 PZKKRM4D SAS 600 GB HDD C3B0

(hugo) u -s PZKKRM4D -f CDGNA430.bin

Attempting to update Firmware on 1 Devices...

Attempting retry 1 of 2 for this device: PZKKRM4D

Attempting retry 2 of 2 for this device: PZKKRM4D

Error updating Firmware on device: PZKKRM4D
Reason: Device failed to update firmware.

WARNING: Firmware on device PZKKRM4D did not change from previous version.