Flashing IT Firmware to the LSI SAS9211-8i HBA

In the process of upgrading my storage server, I wanted to upgrade the firmware on my recently acquired LSI SAS9211-8i SAS/SATA 6Gb/s PCI Express card to the latest IT version rather than the IR version it ships with. Apparently this process is a little bit easier on older 3Gb/s cards but not quite as simple on the 6Gb/s models. In addition, things get complicated with newer motherboards as well. Here are the steps to switch from IR to IT firmware.

For those of you that have not read up on the two firmware types, the IR Firmware is the Integrated RAID firmware. This is the typical hardware RAID firmware that the internal cards ship with. The IT firmware, on the other hand, is the Initiator Target firmware which is designed to allow an SAS HBA to connect to up to 256 devices uses SAS Expanders. The IT firmware is typically shipped on external cards. The IT firmware does not have any RAID capabilities and simply acts as an HBA. The reason I wanted the IT firmware was so that I would have no IR firmware to worry about since I was going to be using Linux md software RAID anyway.

Before you do anything else, I would recommend that you remove any other HBAs from the system, especially LSI HBAs. It is possible to specify which controller you want to flash but it is safer to just have a single controller in the system.

The first step in this process is to download the appropriate files from LSI Logic's web site. These are located in the support downloads section for the SAS9211-8i. It would be nice if the needed files were clearly explained but, sadly, that is not the case. Although Windows will never touch this system, you first need to download the Windows and MSDOS package because that is where the actual firmware files are available. I am downloading the latest Phase 12 firmware in order to have future support for larger than 2TB hard drives. LSI knowledge base article 16399 lists what versions are required for larger than 2TB support. The name of this package is:

9211_8i_Package_P12_IR_IT_Firmware_BIOS_for_MSDOS_Windows.zip

Now that we have the actual firmware, we need a way to install it. I initially downloaded the Installer P12 for Linux package. The included sas2flash utility was easily able to upgrade the firmware on the SAS9211-8i to the latest IR version but threw an error when I tried to flash with IT firmware.

Some searching ensued which led me to several LSI knowledge base articles. The first, number 16266, is entitled Flashing IT firmware over IR firmware (and vice versa) for SAS HBAs. In summary, the article suggests that I need to create a DOS bootable USB flash drive or similar, copy the appropriate firmware and sas2flsh DOS utility to the drive and update that way. The important information is the command sequence needed for a 6Gb/s HBA.

sas2flsh -o -e 6

This command puts the sas2flsh command into advanced mode (-o) and then erases the flash (-e 6) firmware and BIOS. Apparently rebooting at this point would cause the HBA to cease functioning as the article warns:

DO NOT REBOOT. If you do reboot, or if you attempt to flash the firmware and/or BIOS image and it does not flash correctly, you will have to RMA the controller.

After erasing the flash, you need both the IT firmware and the BIOS file. These are both in the previously mentioned archive for Windows and MSDOS. The relevant files are 2118it.bin and mptsas2.rom. The next command actually does the flashing.

sas2flsh -o -f 2118it.bin -b mptsas2.rom

After flashing is complete you can verify that version 12 firmware is loaded with the command:

sas2flsh -listall

This process seemed simple enough. I reasoned that perhaps the article uses a DOS bootable USB drive since that is the way most people will do the flashing but the Linux sas2flash program should work fine as well. This was not the case. Every time I attempted to erase the flash I would get back an error that the erase had failed.

Perhaps using DOS was important and so I proceeded with those instructions. I created the DOS bootable USB drive according to the recommendations in article 16266. Using bootflashdos as suggested apparently requires a 2GB or less USB drive probably due to FAT limitations. I simply used a 2GB SD card in a USB SD card reader. Once bootflashdos was done I copied sas2flsh, 2118it.bin, and mptsas2.rom to the SD card.

I booted from the SD card and attempted to run sas2flsh but was met with an error: "ERROR: Failed to initialize PAL. Exiting program." Fortunately, article 16266 mentions the error at the end and directs you to article 15807. The gist of article 15807 is that Intel 3000 or 5000-based boards have optionROM limitations which cause the above error. The easiest solution is to use a different system. Alternately, you can use the UEFI installer.

At this point, I have already tried using Linux sas2flash and DOS sas2flsh and and now I have to get another version for UEFI. I went back to the LSI site and downloaded the Installer P12 for UEFI archive. This provided the sas2flash.efi program. I copied this program to the same DOS bootable USB drive and proceeded to reboot my system.

For some reason on my board, the SuperMicro X9SCL+-F, the video output seems to come on a little late in the boot process so I can never seem to see the key commands for getting into the BIOS or bringing up the Boot Menu. This is worse when an HBA is installed that also has its own BIOS messages. Through a little bit of trial and error I figured out that F11 brings up the Boot Menu. I selected the option for UEFI Shell and was dropped into an unfamiliar command line interface.

Through more trial and error and prodigious use of the help command, I figured out that the map command lists the device tree. The names are a little complex but it looked to me like the device aliased to fs1: was the USB flash drive. I guessed correctly. In order to access fs1:, I first had to mount it.

mount fs1:

...seemed to do the trick. I then used the command...

fs1:

...rather than the more logical use of the cd fs1: command which, of course, failed. Using the _ls_ command gave me a listing of the files in the directory of the USB drive. The command I needed was sas2flash.efi. Running through the same series of commands from above...

sas2flash.efi -o -e 6
sas2flash.efi -o -f 2118it.bin -b mptsas2.rom

...resulted in a successful flash of the HBA. Finally this process was complete. I rebooted the system and accessed the BIOS interface with Ctrl-C. This confirmed that the IT firmware was loaded.

This process was much more complex than I had anticipated. Although I recognize that every scenario cannot be documented clearly and in order, it would have been nice if the LSI site had made this process a little simpler. In particular, it was very irritating that the downloads page does not list files by date under their respective sections. It would seem logical to have all the latest versions of the installer at the top of the list and then older versions in order going down. Instead the files are arranged haphazardly in no particular order but loosely grouped by intended system.

The documentation provided with the various installer files was fairly complete but should have had better examples of a simple flash operation. There are a myriad of flags to the various versions of the flashing program but only a few are needed in normal operation. I had to resort to searching the knowledge base to get a clear idea of what flags were needed.

Once it was clear what flags and that the UEFI version of the installer was needed, it was a painless process. Getting to that point was a much longer process that it should have been.

Update: I have also written another post detailing other similar controllers that are also capable of being used with IT firmware.

Choosing a Mini-ITX Case

The Mini-ITX form factor has been with us since 2001 and is a very interesting form factor if you are planning to build your own HTPC or have any need for a compact computers. Systems such as Apple's Mac mini are close relatives of this form factor. Although I would seriously recommend looking into a Mac mini if you need a real HTPC, building your own compact system is a great project.

I have been thinking about building a compact system for a little while now. One of the requirements of this project was to use a Gigabyte motherboard that was easy compatible with a particular operating system. The two possible boards were the GA-H67N-USB3 or the GA-H61N-USB3. Although the H67N board was my first choice, it appears to be either discontinued or experiencing supply chain issues. That really leaves the GA-H61N-USB3 as the only compatible Mini-ITX motherboard that is readily available. I ordered the H61N board and it arrived right after Christmas.

The next step in building a Mini-ITX system is selecting the case. There are quite a variety of Mini-ITX cases on the market now. Some are extremely compact while others are slightly more spacious. I looked at two moderately cases because I wanted to make sure that I could fit a 3.5-inch hard drive in the case. While it is possible to get several different 1TB 2.5-inch drives, there is a definite performance penalty for those drives since they are the slower 5400 RPM 2.5-inch variety. Faster 7200 RPM 2.5-inch drives top out at 750GB for now.

The H61N motherboard is a little less expandable that its sibling, the H67N. It only has two 3Gb/s SATA II ports on the motherboard for internal drives and one 3Gb/s eSATA port for an external drive. If you intend to use a DVD drive that leaves only a single hard drive in the case. Otherwise, you could have two hard drives. I will most likely only have a single hard drive in this case. I may add a DVD drive at some point but I am undecided for now.

Cooler Master Elite 100

In looking at the available cases on the market, two were initially of interest to me. The first was the Cooler Master Elite 100. I ordered it from Amazon.com and it arrived in mid December.

While I like the way the case looks in the photos, the fact that it can mount on a monitor using the VESA mount, and can house one 3.5-inch and two 2.5-inch drives, I was disappointed with how difficult it was to open the case and install the needed components. The case also did not have the quality feeling I was hoping for. Because of these issues, I quickly realized that I was never going to be happy with the case and I decided to send it back.

In the case's favor is its additional compatibility with Micro ATX motherboards but the motherboard I had on hand would have been an extremely tight fit and using a Micro ATX board also removed the ability to install a 3.5-inch hard drive in the case. The case does include a 150 watt power supply which Cooler Master states allows you to use a maximum of a 65 watt TDP processor. I think my intended use might be a pushing the power supply farther than it should be pushed.

Apex MI-008

My next choice for a Mini-ITX case was the Apex MI-008 which includes a 250 watt power supply. The Apex case is a little more spacious and more cube-like than the Elite 100. I ordered this case after my disappointment with the Cooler Master Elite 100. It arrived right after Christmas.

Much to my surprise, once again, I was disappointed with the case. Since my experience with the Elite 100, I had decided that I might keep an NVIDIA GeForce GT210 graphics card in the case in order to provide improved graphics performance over the Intel HD 3000 Graphics built into either the Intel Core i3 2105 or Core i5 2405S processor I was planning to use.

The Apex case, although providing space for one PCI Express card, did not have enough space for the width of the GeForce GT210 card. I was also disappointed at how the 3.5-inch hard drive basically pushed up against the CPU cooler and the overall construction was missing the quality I was hoping for.

Silverstone SG05BB-450

After two disappointing cases, I have decided to look at another case that might be a better fit and have much better construction. This time, I am choosing a case from Silverstone, a well known manufacturer of HTPC and other higher end case designs.

There are two primary purposes for this system. The first is to be a media center storage system for our iTunes content. The second purpose is for our son to play a few games such as Minecraft on the system. The case I am going to order this week is the Silverstone SG05BB-450 which includes an SFX format 450 watt power supply.

This case is expressly designed to house a graphics card as well as one 3.5-inch drive, one 2.5-inch drive, and a slim optical drive. Although more expensive than the other two cases I initially purchased, the Silverstone SG05BB-450 looks like a much better system all around.

If I were looking for an even higher-end case, I would also look at the Silverstone SG07B with its 600 watt power supply. This would work great with a higher-end Radeon 6870 card. I may very well build a system with the Silverstone SG07B but first, I need to find a Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB motherboard.

This whole process of selecting a Mini-ITX case has reminded me once again that in most things, you really do get what you pay for. An inexpensive case is made with cheap components and is missing the attention to detail and quality that a higher-end case provides. Later this week I will also be building a Micro ATX system with another Silverstone case that should be delivered mid-week. I will have a post detailing that process soon.

5 Reasons the Optical Drive is Going Extinct

Although most of us may not fully realize the implications, the optical drive in all its forms is going extinct on the Mac platform. In another year or two at the most, the optical drive will be no more and these are five reasons why.

1) Broadband is Getting Faster

If you are a lucky resident of London, you might be able to try out Virgin Media's 1.5Gbps/150Mbps cable internet service. If you are on this side of the pond, you might be looking at Verizon's FiOS, AT&T's U-Verse, or possibly even great fiber or ADSL2+ service from an independent ISP like Sonic.net. In years past, many of us were thrilled to have access to 1.5Mbps DSL. These days, 6Mbps is the low end of what allows you to optimally experience online media and we are moving toward a new 10Mbps baseline.

2) The Mac App Store is a Sign of Things to Come

Apple's amazing success with the iOS App Store is now followed up by the Mac App Store. Software distribution has been changed forever. Although Windows is still behind this curve, the Mac is now quickly moving toward all digital software distribution. The runaway success of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion is a strong indicator of how well this model works. Recent releases of Final Cut Pro X and Motion are also good examples.

3) Blu-ray on the Mac is Never Coming

In June 2010, Steve Jobs made it clear that Blu-ray is still not coming to the Mac anytime soon. Even though Blu-ray has been out for some time now, it has never been offered in any Mac and never will be. It is possible to use a Blu-ray drive with a Mac but this is likely only to be of interest to the technologically-inclined. The success of Netflix Instant Streaming and iTunes HD rentals along with others such Amazon Instant Video and Hulu make it clear that streaming media is here to stay. Instant gratification is winning which is no surprise to anyone.

If you compare a 720p iTunes HD movie to a 1080p Blu-ray release, you might notice a slight difference in quality on some movies if you look very closely. For the vast majority of users, 720p looks great and 1080p does not give you much more in terms of movie-enjoying experience, especially if you view it from a reasonable viewing distance. Apple has been rumored to be offering an HD+ option in iTunes which would provide 1080p rentals and purchases and would make this argument moot for at least some titles. Once again, fast broadband of at least 10Mbps would be needed to allow streaming of 1080p content.

4) The Optical Drive is Impractical for Storage

The next time you use 228 DVD-R discs to backup your 1TB media collection, please take pictures and send us a link. Although Blu-ray might be a good option for backups, the cost of discs compared to the costs of hard drive storage make it impractical for the majority of users. In addition, adding a Blu-ray is not seamless like it was for DVDs. Although much better than the number of discs for DVD backups, twenty 50GB Blu-ray discs for 1TB of backup storage is still excessive and impractical.

When a 1.5TB hard drive costs $50, a 2TB hard drive costs $70, and a 3TB hard drive costs $120, it just makes sense to buy a few extra hard drives for backup purposes. With the ever-increasing storage demands of multimedia content, this trend will not change. Last year, before the big clean, my iTunes Library grew to nearly 3TB. This is surprisingly easy to reach when you download anything in HD from the iTunes Store since you end up with both HD and SD copies of everything.

5) The Optical Drive is Leaving the Mac for Good

The trends in Mac models clearly indicate that the optical drive is leaving the Mac for good. With the release of the new MacBook Air models came the discontinuation of the white MacBook except for educational institutions. The low-end MacBook Air model now takes the low-end slot in Apple's laptop lineup and of course lacks an optical drive.

In addition, the new Mac mini models also completely lack any built-in optical drives. This is a sign of things to come. This leaves only the MacBook Pro models, which are rumored to be getting thinner without an optical drive, iMacs, and Mac Pros as the final models with built-in optical drives. New Mac Pro models may be around the corner but it could be into next year before we see a new model. The iMac has recently been updated but, like the Mac Pro, has been in the same case design for many model revisions. Both of these models are likely to sport new case designs soons and they may very well drop the optical drive entirely.

What Next?

It is time to get ready for the optical drive to go away. Now might be a great time to make disk images of your DVDs and use a utility such as Handbrake to convert them to a digital format. If you are still using CDs or DVDs for backup, look at moving to a collectin of hard drives (large storage requirements) or even USB flash drives (small storage requirements) for backup purposes.

Also, expect that only software that has incredibly large media associated with it will come on physical media. Even then, it is likely that such software will come on USB flash drive rather than optical media. With the advent of faster broadband this will also turn into digital distribution.

The next few years will likely see an increase in the availability of fast broadband to users that now only have access to basic DSL. Use of online streaming media at home and on-the-road will increase dramatically. In a few more years, optical media will likely go the way of the cassette tape and VHS.

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Purchase Recommendations

As mentioned in the article, there are some fantastic deals on hard drives if you are willing to go with the reduced performance "Green" models. Most often this means a decreased rotational speed (5400RPM instead of 7200RPM) which affects access time a little bit. For bulk storage, it will not be noticable. If you are looking at high performance main storage, it is probably worth it to look at faster storage. Take a look at the 3TB Hard Drive Buyer's Guide for more on performance drives.

We have three specific recommendations that are a fantastic value. First is the Samsung Spinpoint F4EG 1.5TB hard drive. It is a 5400RPM drive and is respectable performance-wise but is absolutely amazing in its price of only $50. At about $0.033/GB, this is an excellent value.

The second drive is the Hitachi Deskstar 5K3000 CoolSpin 2TB hard drive. This drive is once again 5400RPM and also a great value at $70. At about $0.035/GB, this is still a very good value, but not quite as good as the Samsung 1.5TB drive although it is very close.

The final recommendation for bulk storage is the Hitachi Deskstar 5K3000 CoolSpin 3TB hard drive. This drive runs about $120 but has dropped to as low as $106. At its current $120 price it is about $0.04/GB. This is a good value but does not match the incredible value of the Samsung 1.5TB drive or the still excellent value of the Hitachi 2TB drive.

The bottom line is that cost per GB is only one indicator when you buy a drive. If you need less than a 1TB of backup space, the 1.5TB drive is the best option. If you want a little headroom then moving up to a 2TB or 3TB drive makes a lot of sense.